01 Dec 2012

Hi! Today's appointment with my Ortho was at 13:30. Got my ligatures changed as well as my lower arch wire--the thickness is now the same with the upper arch wire (installed last month).

Photo taken: 01 Dec 2012

I've chosen Turquoise ligatures and, err, seeing how bright the color is with my ceramic braces makes me regret that choice; it's so noticeable. Ugh! 

Anyway, for comparison purposes... here's last month's photo:

Photo taken: 03 Nov 2012

As you can see, changes are not much and it seems that my lower set of teeth will take a tad longer to correct than the upper set. My Ortho said the treatment may take 12 more months (minimum). Again, it will depend on how my teeth will respond. I hope that happens SOON! Since I got my braces, I'm having like 2-3 sores/ulcers each month--something I'm not used to because I rarely experience those painful sores/ulcers (before these braces). I did some Googling and read that metal brackets tend to irritate more than ceramic--thank goodness for my choice of ceramic brackets! 

If you're experiencing those irritating mouth sores/ulcers, too, just rinse your mouth with warm water + salt mixture. It helps a lot!

And I think I'll stick to Gray ligatures if I run out of color choices. The color blends easily with the arch wires and ceramic brackets and no stains! Turquoise is just too bright, too eye-catching and I don't like it; guess I'll have to endure that brightness for a month. :(

03 Nov 2012

Hiya! Visited my Ortho this afternoon. The arch wire on my upper teeth was changed and it's a bit thicker than the old arch wire. As you can see on the latest photo below, the upper arch wire is now thicker than the lower arch wire (the latter was not changed).

My preferred ligature color for the month: Gray 

Photo taken: 03 Nov 2012

Photo taken: 08 Oct 2012

As you can see, there's not much of a difference from last month's photo. But the arch wires did get a little straighter and it's only been a month & 23 days! :)

The gaps between the upper & lower teeth on the left set of teeth on the photo (which is my right on actual) will take some time, according to my Ortho. Some teeth from the upper side will have to be pulled down a little bit, and on the lower to be pulled up so that they meet in between to a correct bite. I so can't wait for that to happen! 

08 Oct 2012

Hi there. I've just been to my Ortho this morning but he just changed my ligatures--the arch wires were not changed. 

I thought of mixing up light & hot pink and voila: 

Photo taken: 08 Oct 2012

Photo taken: 11 Sep 2012

I noticed a dramatic shift on my upper incisors compared to the photo taken on 11 Sep 2012. Yay!!! :)

It's only been 27 days and there was a very huge difference. Notice that the upper arch wire is no longer as crooked as it was on the bottom photo.

Bad news for me is that I might get molar bands in a few months, but I'll worry about that when it comes. I'm just so glad of the noticeable difference right now!

And no, unfortunately, the bubbly saliva thing is not temporary. I can't seem to get rid of all the saliva especially between my lower gum and lip. Well, I did attempt to do so just to get my tongue sore at some point. I've also had around 3 mouth sores for the last 27 days but I just didn't mind it and in a few days, they're better.

My next appointment is on 03 November. I can't wait to see more improvements!!! :)

11 Sep 2012

Hi, I'm Ianne. I'm 25 years old and I just had my braces installed this morning. But first, I'd like to show you how my teeth looked like without braces. 

Here's the awful picture from my previous Orthodontist:

The photo was taken on 29 Feb 2012. I had all 32 teeth then.

After a few months, I had all 4 wisdom teeth extracted (all impacted) in 2 separate surgeries, scheduled 2 weeks apart. It was a very gory experience!

As you can see on the photo, it's not much when it comes to crookedness--but it's a big deal for me. As I grew older, it got worse. And you might also notice that I don't have the correct bite which sometimes cause indigestion if I eat hard types of food or if I don't chew my food longer than I should.

Unfortunately, my mom couldn't afford braces during my teenage years. So now that I'm earning on my own, I decided to go for it. 

On my first appointment a few weeks ago (with my new Orthodontist), another set of photographs plus 2 x-rays were taken & impressions were made. According to my Ortho, the treatment (in my case) could take 18 months or less, depending on how my teeth will respond to the treatment. He suggested extraction of my 4 premolars (bicuspids) but, in my case, he also reiterated that it isn't necessary (just like what my previous Orthodontist said). The purpose of the extraction is only to improve my facial profile and the decision is up to me. I decided to opt out of the extraction, since I only have 28 teeth left.

The next appointment I had was this morning from 9:30 to 11:00 for the installation of the brackets & arch wires. Luckily, my Orthodontist did not use spacers on my teeth (I heard those hurt a lot). He did not put molar bands as well. Anyway, I just thought that maybe I don't need it (for now or for the entire treatment, I've no idea).

Here's a photo of my first day with ceramic upper & lower braces:

I've read online that Clear or White ligatures stain easily, so I chose Light Blue. 

The red and blue dots on the brackets have now disappeared (I think they're just indicators as to which tooth they're supposed to be glued on to). Anyway, it's been 9 hours since the installation of the 'appliance' and I couldn't chew on anything. Even speaking is painful whenever my lips touch my braces. I also find it disgusting that so much saliva sort of "clings" on to the spaces between the wire and brackets (as you can see in the photo). I feel like there's soap inside my mouth because of the saliva forming into bubbles. And as much as I want to get rid of it, there's nothing I can do about it. I do hope this 'bubbly' thing is temporary and will soon return to normal once I get used to my braces.