Saturday, April 23, 2011
Root Shortening
So when the root gets 'eaten up,' my tooth will not have the anchor to hold itself...so guess what? My tooth will fall out!! I can't believe that after so many years of braces, surgery, etc... I will have to lose a tooth due to root loss. And it's my front tooth too!! I am already having nightmares when my tooth falls out, in public!! The only option is to have a tooth implant. I really can't imagine how that will be.... I am so scared thinking about all of this... Maybe this is God's way of telling me that I'm not meant to have straight teeth, and when I took matters in my own hands to get braces and jaw surgery, I still can't win. :-(
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Post-Surgery 4 years later to the day
1. I am proud to say that I still wear my retainers every night! I don't want to lose my bite and my straight teeth, especially after all that I've been through to get there.
2. The "pricky" sensation on my upper left lip is still there. It doesn't really bother me but when I purposely take notice of it, it's there. I also especially notice the numbness whenever I get my teeth cleaned.
3. The plate on my left side of my face (next to my nose) is also still there. It's not noticeable when you look at me. Only my beautician (when I get a facial) knows that I have a lump there.
4. The one thing that is bothering me the most is my gum loss. The roots of some of my teeth are exposed due to the gum receding. This makes them really sensitive, and they are feel sore whenever I drink cold beverages or eat cold foods.
I am still very happy with my results, and would recommend this surgery to anyone who is unhappy with their jaws. Don't wait! Do it early so you can enjoy the benefits!!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Before and After Pictures
Here is my profile picture -- my lower jaw is pushed back and my upper jaw moved forward. It make my cheeks a little more pronounced and fuller.
Here is my front face picture - my face is much "rounder" and more balanced. My face is shorter because my chin is not as long.
Here is my teeth - besides them being crooked, my upper and lower teeth didn't "touch" each other because there was a 9mm gap. My entire bite basically had 4 teeth touching. After 2+ years of braces and surgery, I am so happy with the "after" results. Not only are my teeth nice and straight, my bite is very good.
I hope you enjoyed these pictures. The transformation is so amazing... journey was long and at times brutal, but well worth every ounce of it! Now I have my PERFECT SMILE!!
Retainer Checkup
We sat down for a 10 min chat, which is, by the way, the longest we ever talked...other than the initial consultation. He showed me the Xrays I took back in December. He told me that my lower front roots of my teeth have "shortened." In other words, I had tooth loss (at the roots) during the orthodontic process. He said I lost about 10% on the bottom. And on the top front, I lost about 5%. Great. Just Great. Now I have a chance to have my teeth fall off because my roots are shorter than before = less stable. This was definitely NOT something that I wanted to hear.
Actually I knew that something was wrong a while back because that part of my teeth kept on bleeding everytime I brushed. It's probably because I don't nearly floss enough when I had my braces. My bad. Anyhoo, I asked whether I will continue to lose the roots, and my ortho said no. I don't know about that. Maybe he's just lying, especially seeing how scared I was. Mann, and my stupid dentist didn't even see it and spot that. He's not that great. Sloppy.
My ortho also gave me the before and after photos I took. I'll post them up in the next entry.
Next appointment: June 10, 2008
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Retainer Update
By the way, I asked my dentist to switch out my metal fillings to the tooth-colored ones. I don't really care about my upper fillings, but I have 3 on my lower teeth, which shows up drastically when I laugh. I have an appointment this coming Saturday...but I don't know if he will be able to replace all 3 of them at the same time.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Retainers
Next appt: Feb 12, 2008
Monday, December 03, 2007
Naked Teeth
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Surgery day remembered
I couldn't believe that it has already been 1 full year! So how do I feel? I feel grrreat! My teeth feels "right" - the upper and lower teeth touch each other and they "fit." I am able to bite and break apart food with my front teeth, which I have never been able to do before. I still chew a lot with my back teeth but I think that's normal. I am very happy with my bite.
The titantium plate next to my nose on the left side is still there, although I never ever realize it's there. I can still feel it when I purposely look for it and press on that spot. Otherwise, it has not bothered me at all.
There is still a bit of sensation on my upper left lip. I feel a bit of tingliness and numbness in that area whenever I move my lips to talk, eat, etc. Half the time though, I forget about it and then I don't realize it's there. I've always had this sensation since the surgery and now that it's been a year, I begin to accept that this will be permanent. The OS and research that I've done on my own suggest that there is a risk with permanent numbness associated with a double jaw surgery. I just never thought I would be a statistic?! Maybe one day, it will be gone...but today, I accept that the numbness is here to stay. On a day to day basis, the numbness doesn't bother me all that much. Or maybe I just have so much other bigger things to think about...
I think the thing that bothers me most of all is my wrinkly chin. It's possibly because it's the one thing that other people can see (the plate & the numbness - no one can see it!) Yes, call me VAIN. I can't close my mouth and have my lips touch without using additional muscles. And the additional muscles cause my chin to get wrinkly. Maybe I'm just being overly critical or paranoid that people will notice my wrinkly chin. Chances are that they actually don't notice, or don't even care.
BUT (and it's A BIG BUT) despite of all the things that didn't necessarily go right, I AM SO HAPPY THAT I WENT THROUGH WITH BRACES & THE SURGERY. IT IS THE BEST DECISION I'VE MADE. I really can't stress this message enough so I had to put the words in Caps and Bold. The surgery has really changed my life for the better because now I can finally feel normal and confident. Self-esteem is so important to a person...as it has for me. I don't remember how many days and weeks and months I felt so horrible because of my teeth.
So if you're contemplating about having this surgery and/or afraid of the risks, please feel free to email me. I'm so happy to share my journey with you!
Anyhoo, here is a picture of my teeth and bite 1 year after surgery.... 2 days before my braces come out...