Facing Up To It - 18

I was hoping for impressions taken at my latest appointment, but L said I still had some gaps to close before those were taken, and I felt dismayed at the prospect of delay. 

I was fitted with some rather impressive suspension system, although they didn't make the ride home any smoother! Apparently could keep working until the gap closes so I am sure I can have my moulds done in march when I go back March. Time really flies these days!

 

Even though as an artist I've always maintained that purple will make my teeth look more yellow, I slipped into purple bands yesterday up at the hospital, having been 692 days in braces and feeling bored of all my favourite colours! 

 

The good news was that I was booked into the next Joint Clinic that comes after my next visit, so I get to see the Max Factor guys in April, and I can't decide whether to be delighted or really absolutely scared because they will probably give me a idea of when surgery will be. Eeep.

Also sorry for the stained teeth. I'm not due for a blast with the hygienist until March but she does say I keep everything really clean. Phew. 

Facing up to it - 17

I hope you had a nice Christmas? Just before the big day I had another toothy appointment and had my mouth festooned with Christmas colours and some extra free hardware. With the bottom row now also in STEEL it was time to close that gap I mentioned last time! I repeat, all NiTi arch wire is gone!

I have extra hooks crimped onto the wire at both sides, and then L produced some tiny elastic on fine wires, one red and one green. She seemed very pleased with my gnashers.

On the 31st January I will have some more impressions taken to check to see just how surgery ready I am. I see a date for surgery in 2017 then! I'm always amazed at how juicy those bands appear when photographed up close! Happy Boxing Day! Xx

Facing Up To It - 16

So today, and I am not long back from DCH, I have been in braces for 602 days. The orthodontist and nurse were in good spirits, planning Christmas in terms of a) my band colours and b) dressing up and playing games in othodontics. It was agreed that although mulled wine, which also stains teeth in braces, is a very definite no-no, wearing deely-boppers and sipping Benecol might be permitted. I declined to comment, mostly because it's rude to talk with your mouth ful, but also because there was lots to do inside my gob today. 

My next job is to Google the game SPEAK OUT. Dentists are generally good at this game.

So I've got some colour back in my life after experimenting with all the neutrals. I chose navy-knicker blue, but I agree to be Christmassy on the 15 Dec when I go back. The upper teeth were looking so good that they were rewarded with a steel. These are the arch wires needed for surgery. Yikes! I've got my third power chain on the top row, too. 

Down below, we looked at moving the front right i-tooth and the number 7 on the same side. That arch wire is another Ni-Ti but I'm hoping it might be a steel soon. Or do I? Surgery looms ever closer! 

Facing Up To It - 15

At the end of September my teeth looked like this ....

Though they sit in a marvellous curve they are still splayed out and need to become something more like perpendicular. Maybe there's a better word for that to do with the angles of teeth! I gave the URL for this blog to my othondontist and nurse, so I wonder if they came to find it. L was certainly helpful in letting Michael take photos such as this. Will we appreciate all of this in years to come? I do hope so!

Im going back next week to find out what needs to happen next. That wire which is wobbly in the pic above will be nice and straight I'm sure!

Facing Up To It - 14

Just wanted to share how much difference a bit of fine tweeking can make, by first sharing this photo of my teeth on the 28th June this year.

Check out these incisors looking nice and straight in today's snapshot! I've been in braces for 527 days, but as yet, no date for surgery. The hygienist asked me this when I saw her yesterday, and gave me a super sand-blast and polish including my face. Free exfoliation too! 

I've even got a different style of bracket fitted but my dream is to get copper bands (ligatures) or maybe gold? These are supposed to be silver but they look gun-metal-grey to me? 

Facing up to it - 12

Going mouldy, today I met an older version of me. The one we knew before I spent 443 days in othodontic appliances! Have those days flown by? Yes I think they have!

So here I am, with apparently no bottom teeth. Despite orthodontics in my late teens, I still had trouble eating, and no one had ever told me my bottom jaw just hasn't grown enough! That old NHS crown also looks far too big for my mouth ....

This view from the side hints at where my lower incisors might be. That lower jaw also hides wisdom teeth too. 

On the right-hand upper jaw you can see the one wisdom tooth I do have, and the other teeth jostling for best position!

A month ago I had more moulds made, by simply removing my wires, to asses what needs to happen before I am surgery ready. As you can see, the treatment so far has brought the lower teeth out of the palate where they used to come to rest and the dream of eating an apple like everyone else does slides nearer ....

Look at these beautiful perfect curves! You can see half of that wisdom tooth which has remained free of treatment but is now sitting at a different level. His days are numbered. I lost his partner after my first child, to a dentist in Inverness!

Something that can be done using these moulds, that cannot be done in my mouth, is that the position of my teeth post surgery can be checked. Here is where my teeth really should be, and it's clear a few tweeks are needed. So today I had my top wire widened and by the evening I was feeling the pain!

And next time I will have those lower teeth shaved down to narrow them, and l will let you know how that goes. But look - here is roughly how I will look, with bottom teeth! I'm pretty excited about that!

Facing Up To It - 11

So this is me. I've fitted my teeth together for you in this photo, and my neutral face looks pretty sad! 340 days ago when my braces were first fitted only sections of the back brackets would touch. We have come a long way! Prior to the braces being fitted, my lower teeth at the front had actually carved a dent for themselves in my palet. I spent most of the days of my life, since I was a teenager, holding my teeth apart to look less severe ...

On Thursday I had another adjustment, and my lower jaw was ready finally to receive an upgrade of wire, matching my upper arch wire at last! I chose navy blue bands, a new one for me, and here's my metal-filled smile. My bottom lip still falls back, unsupported by lower teeth. They might be a nice curve now, but they are still a long way back!

And this silly face is my attempt to show you all the gubbins! Seriously cannot wait for a decent set of gnashers and one day, taking the first proper bite out of an apple I will have ever taken in my life!

Facing up to it - 10

My January teeth are coloured red! With no hygienist at the orthodontists, I was happy to have a really good blast and polish with my regular dentist, Lucy James. 

No wire changes this time but lots of encouragement from Claire and I've taken a photo to show you the difference in my bands, the top ones are Os and the bottom ones are 8s which means the lower teeth hurt more!

Facing up to it - 9

Seasons greetings from me and my Christmas-tree-green teeth! I've had braces on my teeth for 278 days as this screen shot complete wth day-1 pic shows!

I've been photographed a lot this year as carnival queen and I've seen my smile changing. Here I am today...

I got a upgrade of top wire this time, which was really tough to put in. The same wire stayed in the bottom, this time without the double twists. Claire discovered one of the brackets was loose when she cut the silver ties off. 

Back in a months time in the new year. The surgery creeps closer!

Facing Up To It - 8 and a bit

I went to see the hygienist for the last time at DCH. She is leaving to work in care homes which is very commendable. But I do hope the NHS get a new one soon for the jaw surgery people.

Although my usual state is clean looking teeth I do stain very easily now I'm decorated with metal, rubber, and glue. So it's nice to get a deep clean when I can. 

I got blasted all over with bicarbonate of soda and then another clean with her grind and polish tool. The blasting even exfoliated my face too. Bonus!

Said farewell to hygienist, and she into complemented my gum health while reminding me I looked like a chewed tobacco. Hey ho. 

Facing Up To It - 8

I'm blogging on time and up to date as I pose with one of my eight new bees. The fuZZIES want one each, for Christmas!

So here I am with an ever changing smile. The lack of lower teeth, or lip support, gives away my lack of lower jaw bone. It looks like I stick out the top deck on purpose. 

I chose silver as the colour to tie on my wire - the same wite as last time - and it looks like a gentle blue as it catches the light. Many of them are double twisted to tie me down a bit tighter! My teeth really hurt tonight. 

My nurse today was Hannah, wondered how Kelly was doing and if she's reading this? Off to finish more Bees. They debut soon! 

Facing up to it - 7

This week I went into orthodontics to have a little excess wire cut off. As teeth move, sharp bits magically appear, and because my small mouth gets in the way, spectacular holes can develop! 

Dr Ellis was free to help me out and after a short wait I went in to see her. She expressed delight at getting the chance to see how my teeth were lining up, and as she peered into my mouth she was not disappointed!

With barely hidden excitement, she suggested to her assistant that I might have an adjustment today instead of coming back in two weeks, and I didn't mind at all. 

Later I smiled at my extra blessing, even though Dr Ellis was right and I had very many sore teeth. A struggle ensued between orthodontist and some very small spaces and then I finally recieved my second upgrade in wire thickness!

I was not expecting to chose a new colour today so I went back to my first colour of aqua. I do like it! Scroll back to see how I wore it back in March this year!

Facing Up To It - 6

Royal red bands for me next! And my first

Upgrade of wire thickness! Since the last adjustment my teeth now meet in two places and eating salad has become slightly esier with four molars almost working together!

Then I got a super shine up with the in-house hygenist. She tackled staining, and some scale, and gave advice on problem areas. I can see her every two months or a little more often if I would like to!

Good progress is being made by teeth on the move. In six months time we shall have more idea on the time scale, but Mrs Furness said surgery would not be before next summer. I can still scare myself thinking about facing it...

But Mary can make me laugh for photographs!

Facing up to it - 4

A big blue smile from me this month. I chose Julia's House blue especially as I'm competing for Carnival Queen this year!

This time chez DCH I got four new brackets at the back of mouth. These wrap right around my number 7 Molars, the only number 8s I have are one upper right, as upper left was long ago pulled out. In my lower jaw the wisdom teeth have never emerged, they don't have any room to and sit in the jaw looking awkward. Sometimes one of the other will try to erupt! 

I expected discomfort from the new hardware, and I got busy with lots of dental wax. But I also got a huge painful swelling on the RHS of my face so I popped back into hospital where I was lucky to be seen within moments, and given reassurance and advice. 

As well as a crop of ulcers, Dr Ellis my consultant found my salivary glad with swollen and indicating a possible blockage or infection. She bent some of the new metalwork away from my cheek and helpfully snipped my wire to the bare minimum!

In a few days all was much better so I didn't have to go to my GP. Phew!

Facing up to it - 2

The one where I got wired! And here we see a face that hides a secret! The braces have been fitted and nothing will ever be the same again!

So off I went to DCH last Wednesday. I was given a groovy pair of safety goggles incase of flying hardware and lay back to enjoy the ride. 

Dr Ellis and cheerful assistant set about filling my face with metal and glues, various, and small silicone bands in a delightful shade of aqua. Which I chose. 

But Dr Ellis and cheerful assistant did not want to be photographed with me sporting these fetching lip retractors. Although they did suggest to Mike that it would make a good image for the blog. After seeing her fit this, I bet Dr Ellis is good at putting away pop-up tents! I'm not. 

In this picture, you can see everything ready to be joined with a very fine wire. 

The fine wires are held in place by tiny rubbers. After teaching Mike how to get a macro shot using his iPhone, he took this close-up. If you are a senseble grown-up who doesn't want to do colour you can have clear silicone bands. 

The first photo of me in my braces shows that my teeth need a lot of adjustments before that jaw surgery can take place! But I'm definitely excited!

Facing up to it - 1

There is a person behind the colourful creations that are The Raggy Rat. So this is me today. I'm pretty a-symmetrical seen from the cameras eye not the mirror!

If I look tired, I've a little one off school sick. A million things to do each day. But moslty because I'm taking an objective photograph for you today. 

The reason for sharing is because someone somewhere might like to look at my journey one day especially if they are facing the same thing. No pun intended. In the pic above my jaw is parted behind my closed mouth. My jaws have never fitted together nicely and I am excited and nervous that that is all going to change!

Here you can see what I look like with my teeth fitted together! If I allow those lips to close I look pretty grim and I was teased a lot in school because of the way I looked. How I longed to be pretty!

Maybe two years from now it will be time for Orthognathic Surgery on possibly both my jaws, but first a lot of work on that overjet and overbite with the addition of two fixed braces. 

These blue elastics pathe the way for the metal work next week! I will be sure to show you then!

smaller, cuter, furrier, lower jaw ....

with an elastic strap to help attach it to the head ...