My not-so-awesome wired life.

After having my braces for just days over three months now (oh my, is that all..really?) I've realized how much I despise the stupid little, pointy brackets, tiny little wires, and small stretchy elastics.  Not only am I beginning to sound like a slightly girlie Elmer Fudd, but eating in public without the gawking of passerby's is virtually impossible.  I am in a lot of pain, as well, due to some gruesome sores as a result of those precious brackets making their way deep into my tongue, cheeks, and lips.

I am making it through each day by religiously researching other peoples ventures through jaw surgery, reassuring myself that I will, in fact, make it to the day in which my face will be transformed.  I am beginning to wonder how these other people weren't going stir crazy waiting for their own surgery date to come.  In their videos and blogs they seem as if they're just going along their daily life, calm, talking about the surgery they are anticipating.  I can honestly say that every time I look in the mirror I try to picture what I will look like when its all said and done.  My smile is getting worse and worse, looking more disfigured by the day. I guess the main reason that I'm so eager for my surgery is that the pain is becoming more difficult to cope with.  Actually, I would say the pain has slowly increased, but the comfort level of my bite is almost unbearable.  I find myself in class searching for the best way to rest my mouth to where it doesn't feel unnatural.  I'm just glad that it will not be like this forever.

On a positive note, I just got back to reality today from Thanksgiving Break.  It was amazing! I got to go to Little Rock, AR, with my family to see the rest of my family (aunts, uncles, cousins, mamaw, and papaw).  It was a great time and a much needed break!  Also, our football team (Pitt State) is going to the 3rd round of playoffs this Saturday and I'm very excited for that!

I do have to touch on one thing, before I complete this slightly long rant.  I am so thankful to have the friends and family that I have around me.  They love me even though I look ridiculous and complain about it more than the normal human being.  Also, a thanks to my boyfriend, Colby, who is really the one who puts up with the whining.  I know its no fun to hear me cry about how stupid I think I look, how I hate talking in front of people, and how these sore HURT so bad! ;)  Anyways, I guess I'm trying to say I love you all who are constantly here for me through everything.

I've included some snapshots of the people that mean so much to me.  For those of you that are looking at these pictures for jaw surgery purposes, keep in mind that I've become very well at hiding my underbite/crossbite, so these pictures do not show it very well! I'll include some raw footage of that later ha!

My loving boyfriend, Colby, and I

Part of my wonderful family! (Dad, me, sister Andrea, sister Renee, Mom)

High School friends (Erin, Lindsey, me, Angie, Kelly, Taylor, Lindsey)

Best friends from AU (Nicole, Sara, me, Jaysa)

Best friend! (Lindsey)  GO PITT! :)

 Roomiesss! :) (Me, Lindsey, Fay, Stephanie)

More posts to come,
Britt

Too anxious

Hello! I still have such a long long time until my surgery, obviously, but I really do not think a day goes by when I don't think about it.  Spare minute? I'm researching on the net anything and everything I can about the surgery.  Which, by the way, I found a girl online who has an amazing blog over her jaw surgery.. I've actually been reading it and it has gotten me so excited to have my surgery. She explains everything so detailed and the way she feels is exactly the way I feel.  It is so nice to see that other people have the same feelings towards this situation. 

I forgot to make a post about my last visit to the ortho! I had to go in a couple days ago because I was in a ton of pain because of the new molar rings that I had put in place.  They just clipped a tiny little wire that was poking out and I was on my way and it felt a LOT better! So thank you to that nice lady that did that for me :)  This was a boring blog I just realized... but I just felt like posting!

I will write a more interesting blog soon! :)

Thanks for reading!

Pain: weakness leaving the body? No thanks.

Two days after getting my molar rings put in and I want to yank my braces right off my teeth... I just don't teeth anymore.. nope.. don't like this one bit. These dang things have taken eating to a whole different level of difficulty.  My teeth aren't really that sore, its just that they are DIGGING, pinching, pulling, and tearing away the inner parts of my cheeks :(. NOT COOL. I woke up this morning in tears because my cheeks hurt so bad, along with my jaw pain, so my loving boyfriend got me cold water to sip and an icepack to put on my face. So sweet! :)
Our college had a football game today so we of course tailgated all day long... and let me tell you... I'm not the prettiest sight while eating right now, and tailgate food is the worst. Not to mention that I have to brush my teeth after every bite! Oh man oh man-- this is a complete vent sesh.
I'm now trying to determine the best way to get my mouth pain under control.. I wish there were a numbing mouthwash that would last a long amount of time... Advice? So for now I guess I'll have to stick to Aleve (all day strong, all day long.. I HOPE), an abundant amount of wax, and soup for every meal.
Pray for me people ;)

PS- I just re-read this and I sound like a big cry baby, which I am most of the time, but that's what these things are for right?

Mouth-o-metal

Today was my third visit to the ortho. It went fairly well. I had spacers on my last visit to space out my molars, so that today I could get the rings on my back molars.  The appointment took about an hour and a half, longer than I thought it would. (Sorry to Colby, my boyfriend, who tagged along because I told him it wouldn't take long :) hehe!!) Not only did I get the back rings on my molars, but my rubber bands are now in a slightly different spot, same top tooth but one back further on the bottom.

Dr. complimented my teeth saying how white they were and they had great shape... my response was that they'd look a LOT better if they weren't covered in metal!! :)  One day....

My next appointment isn't until January 17th! That seems too far away to me! Well, I will write again when there is new details!

Right back molar rings

Left back molar rings

Spacers

Last Friday I went back to the ortho for the first time since I got my braces on! It was a very very quick visit, about 5 minutes.  I just went in and got spacers put in between all my molars (I got 8 in total, two in each quadrant.)  I was in a lot of pain and still am having trouble eating. I go back again on Thursday to get them out, and get rings around my back molars that will continue this process of moving my teeth around! I'm getting more anxious as this process goes along because I feel like my teeth have already moved so much!

Spacers on the bottom

Spacers on the top (sorry for the nares shot!)

One thing that has been getting my down is that because my teeth are moving around so much and my bite has changed a lot,  my speech has also become affected.  It's changed so much that my words are becoming more difficult to get out and I sound like I have a lisp.  This is getting very annoying as I do enjoy talking, a lot :)  I get nervous  thinking about how its only going to get worse before its better.  Eating is also becoming a task as my teeth don't really allow me to bite correctly.  I'm hoping I get to talk to my ortho a little on my next visit this week to see about how they feel I'm progressing!

New Difficulities...

I've had my braces for over a month now and I've definitely noticed some changes.  My underbite has become more prominent and my crossbite looks more noticeable as well.  This has caused some problems, unfortunately.  My TMJ is more painful now and the popping and locking is happening more often.  Eating is now a chore.  This is the worst part because, if you know me, you know I love to eat.  Because of my bad underbite, my teeth do not close so chewing or biting certain foods doesn't go over well!  Another big thing is that I've developed a slight lisp with the shifting of my teeth :-/.  Also a big issue because I love to talk!  These downfalls are very annoying but I have to just keep telling myself that it will be worth it in the end! I'm excited for my next appointment with my ortho (Oct. 28) so I can hear their thoughts on my progress.

Till next time!

This is for my sis, Renee, because apparently my blog needed something to "keep her interested"!! ;)

Mandibular advancement maxillary setback surgery!

youtube.com

This is a link to the surgery that I will be having hopefully by the end of next summer (June or July 2012)! It seems so far away but I'm praying it goes by quickly!

UPDATE

It has been awhile since my last post! Nothing really new has happened except for my bite has already changed so much! I haven't been back to the ortho since the day I got my braces on.  I'm not due back until the 28th of October! And then back again a week later! I believe I'm getting spacers or something like that.  But yes, back to my bite, it has changed a lot and is making eating very difficult... my teeth don't really touch anymore which is strange!  My jaw seems to be popping and locking more, probably because my bite is changing.  I'm just excited to go back to the ortho so they can see and monitor my progress! Might be a stretch but it'd be awesome if they said I was ahead of schedule! Ha! FAT CHANCE! Ill post again after my visit!

Braceface :-/

Welp, I'm officially in braces... NOT thrilled about this. I already looked like I was 12 before this, now I definitely look like a little kid!! Oh man... but the process went okay. I have 6 ceramic brackets on the top front teeth.. but all the rest are as metal as they come.
UGH. I also have rubber bands running from top teeth to the back bottom teeth. I had braces for four years as a child, and I have deja-vu.. and its not the good kind! Hopefully this year goes by quickly! In the meantime, I will be isolating myself in my bedroom so no one has to see this! ;) hehe.

New Details!

Okay so here's an update on my teeth stuff! I had my consultation with my ortho and the surgeon on Thursday! The ortho told me that they decided to go on with the braces without doing the RPE (rapid palate expander) and instead doing consistent rubber bands going from the inside of the top teeth, to the outside of the bottom teeth, to try and pull the top teeth outwards.  I will have the braces for approximately a year, and then the surgery will occur, and then the braces for about 4-6 more months after the surgery! 
My next appointment was kind of the determining factor for it all, because I met with the surgeon who would tell me whether or not my disc needed to be replaced.  After a long wait, he determined that my disc was just fine and that fixing my bite would most likely fix the TMJ problems! This was great news because it ruled out another surgery! He said the ortho would just need to monitor the joints and possibly use some splint therapy to help my jaw. 
But for now the newest news is that on Tuesday, August 23rd, I will have a full set of braces :( Bummer. I'm most definitely not looking forward to this.  I know that it will all be okay in the end... I'm just not excited about dealing with braces for a year!
Well I will write again when I get the braces on!

M.. R.. I'm SCARED!

     Well today was my first EVER M.R.I!  The M.R.I was to take images of my jaw to check for a possible disc displacement on my left side.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, but still it was still uncomfortable. 

      First, after waiting in the waiting room of course, I had to go into the the FREEZING cold room and lay on the table.  The tech gave me ear plugs because the machine would be loud during the process.  Next, she positioned my head correctly for the pictures, made sure I was comfortable and gave me a little ball thingy (technical term, obviously) to squeeze in case I needed to come out.  She left the room and I was put into the scanner.  At first I thought, "Well this ain't too bad!".  However, I didn't realize how long I was going to be in there, without movement! EEEK! I about had a panic attack! Then after about 30 minutes, I came out so she could put a gauze ball into my mouth to keep my mouth open.  Back into the coffin, I mean scanner, I went.  For another about 10-15 minutes I laid there still again and finally I was D.O.N.E.. I practically jumped off that table.  She burned the images onto a disc and I was on my way!

     Now all I have to do is wait until the 18th of August to meet with the Oral Surgeon so he can read the images! Can't wait! Ill write again then!

Tick..tock..

So it is exactly two weeks until my consultation with my ortho and the facial surgeon to discuss the plan for my treatment and the MRI of my jaw.  It could not be going any SLOWER!  I just want to get this process started!  I have so many questions! I'm beginning to have all these thoughts like, what if they say 'Nevermind, not doing any of this!' and I've gotten so excited for nothin! Eeekk that's nerve racking! I have to say that after researching this so much I am actually terribly ecstatic to do this whole surgery braces surgery braces thing... Partly because it will change the look of my face which I've always sort of had an issue with and most of all ease this pain that I'm currently dealing with. Ugh, it could be because I am thinking about it more, but the pain in my jaw seems to be getting more irritating.  It's causing more painful headaches and more discomfort at night.  Jeesh!  I sure pray that this treatment process will take action quickly!

Photos of me!

Front profile

Side profile

Open mouth

Closed bite

Pano

Xray- profile

First ever post!

Hello all!

After reading so many other peoples blogs online about them having the same experience as me, I decided it would be fun and a great stress reliever to start one of my own.  I hope that I am helpful like other people have been in easing my anxiety and increasing my knowledge of the dental work that I will be soon be starting!

My story begins when I had become in a lot of pain around my jaw area.  This was all due to some TMD problems that I have been having for about a year or so.  I talked with my mother and thought it was best that I visit the dentist to get this figured out.  The dentist was in shock over my bite, or teeth alignment.  I have what is called a Class 3 Malocclusion, underbite. She referred me to an orthodontist that would talk with me further about what needed to be done.

I finally had my appointment with the orthodontist and within the first 10 minutes of our meeting they knew exactly what the plan was.  First, I needed to set up an MRI with an oral surgeon to see about a possible disc displacement on my left side, which if necessary would involve surgery to fix.  Then, I would need to have a surgery for a Surgically Assisted Palatal Expander.  After that, I would have braces for about a year.  Next would involve a Maxillary Advancement with Mandibular Setback Surgery.  Then I would have to have braces for awhile longer and finally the process would be over.  THIS was all a huge mind blow to me! Needless to say I left the office in tears, scared of all of this, especially having braces at age 21!

Now, I'm just waiting for my next consultation with my ortho and my parents so we can determine the plan for all of this... Im scared, nervous, anxious, but excited to see what the results will be.  After researching online all the other people that have had these changes, it seems that everyone is very pleased with the results.  I hope I will be the same!