Pain- 0/10 Discomfort- 3/10 Weight- 119/122 Energy Level- 8/10 I met with my orthodontist for the first time since surgery today and the appointment took about 40 minutes. Everyone was so excited to see me! They knew it was my day to come in and everyone just couldn't believe the results. If you don't like to be the center of attention, mentally prepare yourself for this because everyone is excited to see you. The first thing that was done was the assistant took my wires out and took off most of the surgical hooks. I have some in my mouth still that I had before surgery for something called a tieback and these guys basically help close gaps. But the ones in the front and back are gone! The orthodontist put some detail bends in my wires and said my braces should be off in less than 6 months! So that is sooner than I was expecting. The assistant then put my wires back in and took some photos of my new bite and smile. The last thing she did was show me where to put my new elastics. They are called "box" elastics and are very forceful and used to really pull the top and bottom teeth into each other. I experienced no pain during this visit and the assistant was extra gentle with me. I can only open my mouth two fingers and that seemed to be plenty of space for them to do their work. The discomfort rating for today just comes from all the elastics that are making my teeth sore. It usually takes a couple of days to adjust after an orthodontist visit. Here you can see all the crazy going on inside my mouth. There are two different elastics. The first is the one going horizontally across the top and another going across the bottom. This is the tieback that I mentioned earlier. See the silver post? There is a gap between those two teeth on each side of my mouth and these tiebacks will close that gap. If not, then I will get a power chain my next visit. I had these tiebacks for months before surgery and the gap reopened after surgery since I did not have them through my recovery. I do not change these. They stay on 24/7 and of the 10 months I have had them, only one has broken. If one breaks, I have to go in and have the orthodontist assistant put it back on. The second elastic is the one in the square shape. This is the "class II box elastic." This will force my top and bottom teeth together so that they will lock into each other. These I do change myself and I have to wear them 24/7 except when I brush my teeth and eat. I was told that my teeth will be reshaped towards the end of my treatment, so I'm pretty excited about that! I have never really liked the shape of my teeth. When your teeth do not meet correctly, they don't wear down to look more aesthetically pleasing. See the ridges on the ends of my teeth? Everyone has them when their permanent teeth come in and the ridges wear down as you eat. But since my teeth have never met correctly, the ridges never had the change to be worn down.
I did not realize until the past couple of days that my entire lower gum line is numb as is the inside of my cheeks. So, I cannot feel when I have food stuck along my gum line. It's very strange to be confident that you don't have any food stuck, but then you look in the mirror and see more food than you ever have in your life stuck under the brackets and in the wire. I cannot wait until I have all the feeling in my face back.
Here is a list of additional foods that I have had success eating during my no chew diet:
My husband and I went out to Red Lobster and we always get their "4-Course Feast." I had no trouble eating the cheddar bay biscuits as long as I dipped it in the clam chowder, which was also no trouble eating. I love salad, but I was not able to eat that without chewing. I knew the vegetables and croutons would not work, but I was hopeful for the lettuce. Once I sucked the ranch dressing off, the lettuce was not possible to swallow. For the entree, I picked the shrimp and scallop linguini and this was nice and easy to eat. I just had to cut the scallops in half and the shrimp into thirds. Finally, I selected cheesecake for dessert. Again, no issues whatsoever eating this creamy dessert. So, it is possible to eat out at a restaurant, it's just important to really think about what you are choosing.
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WelcomeThis blog documents my journey through lower jaw surgery in hope of providing help and insight involving the experience. Archives
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1 Year Post-Op 9 Months Post-Op 6 Months Post-Op Paying for Jaw Surgery 5 Months Post-Op Retainers Braces Off 4 Months Post-Op Fear vs. Reality 3 Months Post-Op 12 Weeks Day 81- Ortho. Apt. 2 11 Weeks 10 Weeks 9 Weeks Day 59: Surgeon Apt. 4 8 Weeks 7 Weeks 6 Weeks 1 Month Post-Op Day 27: Ortho. Apt. 1 Day 25: Surgeon Apt. 3 3 Weeks Day 17 Day 12: Surgeon Apt. 2 Day 10 Day 9 Day 8 Day 7 Day 6: Surgeon Apt. 1 Day 5 Day 4 Day 3 Day 2 Surgery Day (Day 1) Pretesting Appointment Surgical Hooks 1 Week Pre-Op Insurance is Complicated Caution with Insurance Pre-Op Appointment Planning and Preparing Orthodontist Apt. My Fears Pre-Op Date Surgery Date Phases of My Journey Life with Braces The Operation 3 Months Pre-Op |