So, the limbo has ended...but it's also opened up new questions. Saw my orthodontist today and when he brought me in to his office instead of a chair out on the floor I knew it wasn't a good sign. He's looked more at my models and xrays and is pretty confident that the revision surgery is the way to go. He said my teeth are absolutely not meeting up in the molds. No offense to him, but I'm not surprised since that is what I've been complaining about the last month. When I said things were off, I didn't mean a little off-- it was a LOT off. Pretty bad if I preferred my pre braces bite to the bite I have now. He confirmed my suspicion about things being off in multiple planes and not just the vertical cant. Everything is essentially shifted over to the right with my top jaw-- horizontally and vertically. If I had no root issues, he could maybe have the time to fix it on his end, but even then he didn't sound confident that it would be a sure thing. He again placed some of the blame on his end, this time saying he thinks I have a tooth size discrepancy (TSD) that he didn't catch and is now a contributing factor as to why things just didn't meet up post op. I didn't ask if this was on top of the misplacement during the op, but I'm pretty sure he was saying it's that, plus some things he's done to make this all the perfect storm it ended up being. Again, me talking about this or thinking about it is not me placing blame. I just need to understand everything and have my head wrapped around the technicalities more than a normal patient.
Here I am, a pre op patient once again. He's taking a different approach right now to properly position my teeth and take care of it from an angle of tackling the tooth size discrepancy to get everything lined up in a way that is needed before surgery again. I'm scheduled for pre op molds again in 4 weeks. He said there is a chance my teeth might be good by then with the adjustments he made today-- and holy crap did those suck! Because of the TSD he needs to open up spaces in my upper fronts, so I got some springs (really really tight ones) on a few spaces today. Got a power chain all around my bottom teeth to bring those guys in smaller (my lower arch is bigger than my top arch, as well are some of the associated teeth as well). He shaved a little of my bottom teeth from the top corners to make some new spaces. I don't know how that is all going to come together with these new developments, but he was working on them like he has a plan. Also got heavier wires swapped out on both top and bottom. Getting the springs in was rough. Last time he used a spring on my front two teeth it went down as one of the worst adjustments I've had so far. So, I'm sure wine and pain killers will be on the menu later tonight when my teeth get so sore I don't even want to let them rest together. So, when will the surgery be? A lot of factors will decide that, but if all goes well with my teeth movement it could be as early as late July or beginning of Aug. If it doesn't go well, then probably sometime in Sept or Oct. I had some fun stuff already planned and paid for in Aug and Sept (concert tickets, plane tickets for trips, etc), but that will all have to take a back seat now. I also have my sisters wedding in the Dominican in Nov, and then my snowboard season starts in Dec. Sounds like I'll be out the first few months of that, and by the time I start skydiving again this will almost be a year of no skydiving by the time this is all done and over with. All I know is when I am finally healed up from all of this, I am treating myself to an awesome trip somewhere to go crazy!
Feeling continues to get a little better in my chin. Guess that doesn't matter now that it will all be messed with again and I'll start from the beginning with the numbness. My sinuses continue to feel funny with the whole slightly clogged up in my upper sinuses and in my right ear. When I talk I feel like I sound as if I were pinching my nose. It's not something I can blow out. Instead it's way up there. Maybe it's just swelling inside my upper sinus cavity? I don't know, but I know my right ear is bugging me with a slight ache here and there. It ached on an hour flight I took to and from LA this week, and is especially achy today after the return flight yesterday and my mouth having to be open for a while at the ortho today. Hope there isn't a little something going on there and it's just normal post op stuff. I think I'm starting to get more feeling back in my gums because all of the sudden I'm having weird sensitivity pains. At first I thought it was the tooth, but it's the gum just above the tooth in a few of my upper teeth. Really weird, but it's made me hate brushing my teeth. Doesn't hurt when hot/cold food or drink hits it. Just when it's physically touched with my finger, floss, or tooth brush. I hope it's temporary, because I don't want to dread brushing my teeth every day for the rest of my life!
A few pics from my LA trip. I realize looking at pictures that I am still pretty puffy. Makes me look like I have a fat face, which is even more obvious since I've lost weight and the rest of me is skinny. I usually have a slender/square face. I think it's the residual swelling making it look round/fat, but who knows, maybe it's a little of my new face that I just have to get used to too.
Here I am, a pre op patient once again. He's taking a different approach right now to properly position my teeth and take care of it from an angle of tackling the tooth size discrepancy to get everything lined up in a way that is needed before surgery again. I'm scheduled for pre op molds again in 4 weeks. He said there is a chance my teeth might be good by then with the adjustments he made today-- and holy crap did those suck! Because of the TSD he needs to open up spaces in my upper fronts, so I got some springs (really really tight ones) on a few spaces today. Got a power chain all around my bottom teeth to bring those guys in smaller (my lower arch is bigger than my top arch, as well are some of the associated teeth as well). He shaved a little of my bottom teeth from the top corners to make some new spaces. I don't know how that is all going to come together with these new developments, but he was working on them like he has a plan. Also got heavier wires swapped out on both top and bottom. Getting the springs in was rough. Last time he used a spring on my front two teeth it went down as one of the worst adjustments I've had so far. So, I'm sure wine and pain killers will be on the menu later tonight when my teeth get so sore I don't even want to let them rest together. So, when will the surgery be? A lot of factors will decide that, but if all goes well with my teeth movement it could be as early as late July or beginning of Aug. If it doesn't go well, then probably sometime in Sept or Oct. I had some fun stuff already planned and paid for in Aug and Sept (concert tickets, plane tickets for trips, etc), but that will all have to take a back seat now. I also have my sisters wedding in the Dominican in Nov, and then my snowboard season starts in Dec. Sounds like I'll be out the first few months of that, and by the time I start skydiving again this will almost be a year of no skydiving by the time this is all done and over with. All I know is when I am finally healed up from all of this, I am treating myself to an awesome trip somewhere to go crazy!
Feeling continues to get a little better in my chin. Guess that doesn't matter now that it will all be messed with again and I'll start from the beginning with the numbness. My sinuses continue to feel funny with the whole slightly clogged up in my upper sinuses and in my right ear. When I talk I feel like I sound as if I were pinching my nose. It's not something I can blow out. Instead it's way up there. Maybe it's just swelling inside my upper sinus cavity? I don't know, but I know my right ear is bugging me with a slight ache here and there. It ached on an hour flight I took to and from LA this week, and is especially achy today after the return flight yesterday and my mouth having to be open for a while at the ortho today. Hope there isn't a little something going on there and it's just normal post op stuff. I think I'm starting to get more feeling back in my gums because all of the sudden I'm having weird sensitivity pains. At first I thought it was the tooth, but it's the gum just above the tooth in a few of my upper teeth. Really weird, but it's made me hate brushing my teeth. Doesn't hurt when hot/cold food or drink hits it. Just when it's physically touched with my finger, floss, or tooth brush. I hope it's temporary, because I don't want to dread brushing my teeth every day for the rest of my life!
A few pics from my LA trip. I realize looking at pictures that I am still pretty puffy. Makes me look like I have a fat face, which is even more obvious since I've lost weight and the rest of me is skinny. I usually have a slender/square face. I think it's the residual swelling making it look round/fat, but who knows, maybe it's a little of my new face that I just have to get used to too.
Probably the only picture from the whole trip I could tolerate my smile in...maybe it was the 'all you can drink' wine ;)
My lovely husband, Matt, and I at dinner in Santa Monica
WWhhhoooaaaaa! Hollywood!
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