Braces: I'm a Work in Progress

Hullo! I know I haven’t posted in a long time, but this was the most recent video I had put out over a year ago. 

I’ve kept putting off editing another video, but in the meantime here’s for anyone wondering what actually happened (I gotta whole to-do list for this blog that I’ve procrastinated on).

HELLO. sorry I haven’t seen this, it’s been a really long time since I’ve logged in.

I bet you’ve probably gone through this already but I hope it healed well and that you’re okay!To anyone else who wanted to know, the pain isn’t so bad, it just feels .. numb and a little sore.

I think as long as you are diligent about cleaning the area gently (don’t aggressively swish water around), and trying to eat soft foods that won’t have small bits that can get lodged in - e.g., sesame seeds, then you will be okay! Don’t eat crusty bread that could aggravate or cut into the area.Drink lots of liquids, still try to have a good diet with fruits and veggies, and don’t prod the area and let it do its thing.Brush yo teef to maintain good hygiene to help your mouth heal.

You’ve asked.. and I finally delivered a month+ later!

The two week update that I filmed back in May is finally live! 

A lot of time has passed since then and while the audio isn’t the best, I think the content is still more relevant than if I were to re-film it.

For the detailed post on the stitches removal, click here.

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THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT. 

Last post of the day, comparing the bone graft.

On the top row, the bone has be built “down” more so it can be reshaped once the implant is in. 

ALSOOoo I graduated two weeks ago!

Hi hiiii. Long time, no photosss.

TOP ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT 1) my original hawley retainer, with the “fake tooth” shaved down 2) the odd gap between my bone graft site and the “fake tooth” 3) current teeth sans retainer MIDDLE 4) essix retainer with fake tooth 5) close up of essix retainer on my mouth 6) back of essix retainer, the tooth is shaved to not touch the bone graft site 7) the crappy gaps as the retainer isn’t perfect BOTTOM ROW 8) the site where bone was harvested from (between my gums and lips), stitched up with scar tissue covering my frenulum 9) bottom arch 10) top arch, after cleaning loooooOol

IT’S BEEN 6 WEEKS EXACTLY, SINCE MY BONE GRAFT~

I got my teeth cleaned today since I haven’t been the greatest with flossing or brushing post exams. My university only covers one cleaning a year, so I had to pay $110 out of pocket but that’s okay, because this was necessary.

I really like the place that I go to though, because everyone there is very genuine and helpful. Although, my top molars aren’t too clean :’( No cavities so far. I booked another appointment in 6 months, for Dec 12th.

MAIN UPDATE

I got a consultation with the dentist there about my retainer and “frenulum” situation and she was really helpful and understanding. I noticed that my lips feel more tight in the site where bone was harvested, but I am told that’s normal for the first while, especially since the healing is still fresh, and that it would only be worrisome if it’s been a year. It’ll hopefully loosen up over time, perhaps with some massaging of the area. But I will bring this up to my prosthodontist in September if it continues to be an issue.

Retainer wise, even though my hawley retainer isn’t aesthetically pleasing, it is the one with the best fit and I should continue to wear it ideally 24/7 until I meet up with my prosthodontist. Fixing my “fake tooth” could compromise the bone graft if it applies pressure onto the area, or it may not be durable as it has to be thin enough to not touch my gums.

That’s a little frustrating considering that the tooth is shaved in half and I’m a cashier at a cafe currently, so I’d have to speak with a lot of people. However, it’ll only be 14 more weeks to deal with and she mentioned that getting another retainer is never as good as the original copy (and I can save money by just living with this situation). 

And that in the future, perhaps it’s best to have my prosthodontist deal my final retainer after the implant, etc. as my orthodontist has essentially completed my treatment.

It was nice to get a third opinion on this situation and what to do next.

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:’(

The video exported and is uploaded (as unlisted) but the audio has a lot of static in the background and I’m not sure how to fix it. I’ve attempted to lower the static with Adobe Premiere Pro and Audition, but I’m a huge newbie at these programs so I wasn’t very successful at getting the results I wanted.

I may have to re-film... Or would you guys mind? Because I sure do. 

Saturday: Behold, a photo of me awkwardly smiling with my new temporary upper essix retainer and trying to test if I was in the frame.

Post-Bone Graft Update: Detailed Version

This is sort of a two week update while my video exports, but technically tomorrow is the official day. I have a love/hate relationship with uploading videos... I can’t believe a 10 minute video takes 5hrs to encode. I can’t guarantee it’ll be uploaded anytime soon and this was filmed on Saturday, but while I sort that out, this will be about my experience with the surgery, healing, lessons I’ve learned (tips/self-esteem), and updates from my prosthodontist and orthodontist.

This will also sum up my vlog from last week.

For those of you who are new, I have a missing front tooth and I got bone taken from my chin (in between my teeth and lips) to be placed in the gap on my upper arch. This video explains it all.

PHOTOS will be added later on.

FRIENDS, I AM ALIVE.

I vlogged throughout the week - watch my face swell up and hear me talk about my bone graft experience!

:)

watch me make awkward expressions and hear me talk about what’ll happen next, without lisping as much!

Back from Diagnostic!

My orthodontist didn’t want to make me a retainer for my bottom teeth, he only glued a wire on the inside and that was supposed to keep them in place. Spoiler: it didn’t. My top teeth are in perfect place thanks to the retainer but the bottom ones have moved a lot. I wish I could have maybe convinced him to make me one, because it’s pointless now…

Oh nooo that - don’t you get retainer check ups with him? How come he let you off like that :( how irresponsible. I hear there are things such as “6 months smiles” that are quick for easy fixes like that, but that’s really unfortunate. I’d be pretty pissed lol, braces are not cheap!

Yeah, I don’t have wires attached to my teeth. The upper arch isn’t done anyhow, but my orthodontist said I could get the wire retainer for the bottom whenever I want. I have friends who says it doesn’t bother them anymore, despite the upkeep. I think I prefer a removable tray though.

ALSO, P.S., I think for the next year I will be seeing my orthodontist (not sure how regularly) to check on my retainer. The first year, I believe the retainers are covered through wear and tear but it would cost $400 to replace my hawley retainer... I'll have to ask about whether there are additional costs for my “final” retainer after the implant though.

Timeline:

Monday, Feb 6th - Braces Retainer Checkup

Thurs, Feb 17th - Diagnostic Results

Today I had a 3D X-ray done, then at least 4 impressions with retainer and without one, and lastly a bunch of pictures of my face/smile from front, inside, and side angles.

Basically I had a bunch of goop trays in my mouth and apparatuses that stretched my lips (similar to when I got my braces on for the first time). They squeezed this line of goop along my teeth and had me take a “bite impression” too.

It was a good 1+ hours and I won’t know what the results are until my prosthodontist has gone over the models of my teeth and examinated it closely.

Seems like I’ll be posting a lot more frequently now!

Sorry - I still need to rent out a camera from my school because I lent mine to someone else! Will have pictures soon, I promise <3 And eventually I’ll compile all the photos I’ve taken into a slideshow.

As for the experience of removing my braces:

Honestly it was over before I knew it in like 5 minutes? My orthodontist had me bite on a cotton tube thingy and I thought she was cutting my wire, but actually she was popping the brackets off. Some parts were painless, other parts hurt because the wire had tension still. After that, she removed the glue and scaled a bit of my teeth.

I had my top retainer delivered first from the lab and we made the impression for the bottom one, which I came back to get it in like an hour. My lips felt so strange without the brackets propping them outwards and it felt sooo nice to brush my teeth that night of. I’ve been wearing my retainer religiously except when I eat (I’m always thankful for a bit of a break because it gets a bit uncomfortable sometimes).

I was lisping so hard lmao when I got to go to my night class, we had to go into a group to discuss stuff and I felt like people had a hard time understanding me ;___; I hear it gets better though so I’m looking forward to that.

AND MY BRACES ARE OFF !!! :)

+ a snapchat clip from wednesday morning - such excitement, such lisp.

I’m so relieved to see that there aren’t any stains or decalcification despite my lack of flossing towards the last few months. Also, I’m pleasantly surprised about how the retainer looks! The fake tooth is not perfect but it still looks pretty decent from far :)

I will post more about the process on Monday* and talk about what it feels like to have a retainer, and hopefully get a decent camera to document my new smile.

I’m forever grateful for my followers and friends that show me so much love, support, and curiosity about my situation. Thank you!

Also, let me know if you have questions! I could potentially do a Q&A video or answer it in my next post.

Booked for Monday, Jan 30th

I will be getting 3D x-rays, impressions done, etc. and all of that will figure out if there are underlying problems and check the bone distribution in my mouth... before we can get a quote on how much the procedure will cost. I’m praying it’ll be less than $6k.

-$550 for that appointment.

TEASER. I photoshopped my smile (90% of it at least) instead of doing my thesis project, and touched up a whole bunch of things.

It’s so weird that my teeth won’t look quirky anymore.