Heard from the new ortho the other day. Couple things I wasn't expecting. 1.) My braces are coming off Dec 2nd. Time to celebrate? Well, no. It's just temporary. I was expecting to get them off and swap into fresh new appliances in a set up from their office, but I did not expect to have an extended break. Sounds like they are going to fit me for retainers, take some new scans/models and examine me without all the business of somebody elses appliances all over my teeth, and evaluate where they should go from there with the advice of my surgeon. They're actually going to evaluate me and see if invisalign is an option. Again, something else I wasn't expecting to hear. From what it sounds like they are going to see if I can do invisalign vs. traditional braces, and then do some computer modeling to see what the outcome will be with each, and then with each see what the outcome would be like if I have some extractions vs. no extractions. And there is the next part I wasn't expecting to hear. The "E" word never came up with my old ortho and surgeon. I know some people get extractions as part of their ortho treatment, but it was just never on the table with me. Personally I am good with that. I don't like the idea of removing healthy good teeth and causing more trauma to the bone structure in my mouth. I think the reason they are looking at that as an option now is because there is just no room to do the work that needs to be done with my jaws. My surgeon needs to move my upper jaw back 4mm and would like to move the lower jaw forward a little bit more to get a good functional and esthetic relationship. Right now with a 5mm overjet he doesn't have the room to do that. He'll give me an underbite if he does. So, thanks to my old surgeon and ortho, now I am in a position where they have to make room. If they extract the bicuspids from my lower arch, they'll close those gaps and bring the teeth in more, ultimately bringing that lower arch in/back further and creating more of an overbite and overjet for me. So if they can get my overjet to say 8-10mm (I started with 8 and easily could have been taken to 10 had my ortho/surgeon done what they were supposed to do), then that gives them room to get my upper jaw back 4mm and lower jaw forward a little more and still be in a class I relationship when this is all done. And I'll be able to close my mouth comfortably again. Sweet baby jebus I can't wait for that! Anyway.... braces come off Dec 2nd, I get retainers fit that very day (I told them I can not leave the office without them since my teeth move REALLY fast), and I'll probably look at doing the new appliance with them in early Jan 2015.
Not technical/medical related, 2.) the treatment estimate is $7500-7800 over a span of 14-16 months. Yep, a 16 month sentence to be in this mess still. Tough pill to swallow since I've already been in braces almost 20 months and should have been out of them as of probably 3-4 months ago had this all not went to hell. During my records appointment, the new ortho made a comment like "wow, most of your work is done" in terms of my teeth being straight and not having the crowding and stuff I started out with. I was hoping he would see he doesn't have to do the initial work and maybe this would all be over sooner rather than later and the price would reflect a shorter treatment, but nope. Oh well. I am a surgical case and this is going to take extra time on his part to do the planning/work for my case. And I am just happy he took me on as a patient, so I am willing to pay whatever he tells me to pay.
So.... guess I can look at the break from brace jail as an unexpected christmas gift. I hate to get all excited about it though when it's not going to last long. And getting your braces off is traditionally a joyous celebratory experience, but this definitely won't be the traditional get your braces off day for celebration. I am dreading it. I hate just having brackets off and rebonded. I absolutely can't stand the scraping of the cement off my teeth. Sends me up the wall! I am OK on the back teeth, but my front teeth just make me want to scream. The feeling/sound of it sends shivers up my spine (like, I'm getting goose bumps right now just thinking about it. No lie!!), and my front teeth are so loose/sensitive that it just doesn't feel great. Usually they have to take the polishing tool and the ortho has to come over and hand polish everything off for me. I hope they do that for me for this appointment. I am going to need to chow not one, but two xanax before I go in for this one. I know it's going to be rough. Maybe I can get my teeth whitened while the brackets are off. That would be a HUGE bonus! My teeth are still so stained from all of this, especially the post op period with the peridex mouthwash. That stuff sucks so bad!
Not technical/medical related, 2.) the treatment estimate is $7500-7800 over a span of 14-16 months. Yep, a 16 month sentence to be in this mess still. Tough pill to swallow since I've already been in braces almost 20 months and should have been out of them as of probably 3-4 months ago had this all not went to hell. During my records appointment, the new ortho made a comment like "wow, most of your work is done" in terms of my teeth being straight and not having the crowding and stuff I started out with. I was hoping he would see he doesn't have to do the initial work and maybe this would all be over sooner rather than later and the price would reflect a shorter treatment, but nope. Oh well. I am a surgical case and this is going to take extra time on his part to do the planning/work for my case. And I am just happy he took me on as a patient, so I am willing to pay whatever he tells me to pay.
So.... guess I can look at the break from brace jail as an unexpected christmas gift. I hate to get all excited about it though when it's not going to last long. And getting your braces off is traditionally a joyous celebratory experience, but this definitely won't be the traditional get your braces off day for celebration. I am dreading it. I hate just having brackets off and rebonded. I absolutely can't stand the scraping of the cement off my teeth. Sends me up the wall! I am OK on the back teeth, but my front teeth just make me want to scream. The feeling/sound of it sends shivers up my spine (like, I'm getting goose bumps right now just thinking about it. No lie!!), and my front teeth are so loose/sensitive that it just doesn't feel great. Usually they have to take the polishing tool and the ortho has to come over and hand polish everything off for me. I hope they do that for me for this appointment. I am going to need to chow not one, but two xanax before I go in for this one. I know it's going to be rough. Maybe I can get my teeth whitened while the brackets are off. That would be a HUGE bonus! My teeth are still so stained from all of this, especially the post op period with the peridex mouthwash. That stuff sucks so bad!
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