Jaw Diaries

1 Year Anniversary - A Progress Update

I haven't done a blog post on JawDiaries in ages and I felt it was about time.  I celebrated the 1 year anniversary of my second surgery this month.  I'm happy to say that things have been going well.  I'm happy with the results and very glad I went through this entire process. :)

Some things I'm disappointed with.  My upper teeth continue to move - a lot.  I have to wear my retain 21 hours a day.  I can take it out for 3 hours tops but by then my upper teeth have moved to the point that it hurts to put the retainer back in.  My orthodontist has been watching this and we've come to a decision to put a fixed retainer in so I can have more freedom.  "It's not practical to have you wearing a retainer 21 hours a day."  I completely agree.

I had small gingivectomy work done with Dr. Mitton last month to remove a tiny bit of gum tissue around my teeth.  It was all part of his desire to make things perfect.  It didn't hurt a bit.  I only need a bit of freezing and 1 advil afterwards to control pain.  There was seriously nothing to it. 

My lower teeth have been bothering me due to the fact that they are all irregular.  That comes from years of having crooked teeth.  My dentist decided to do a little work to file them down.  He didn't want to file them completely because he was concerned that would throw my bite off too much.  He anticipates that over time the teeth will file themselves down and take the shape I want them to.  If not, we can look at filing them a bit more in 6 months.

I added a picture - before and after.  I'm not sure if you can really tell about the gingivectomy and filing work.  It's minimal changes but different nonetheless. :)

How is everyone else doing?  Do people still follow this blog?  Please let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to answer them!

Take care!

Listerine Coupon - Save $3

I got an e-mail this morning for a $3  off coupon for Listerine :)  It appears to only be available to Canadian Residents.  Check it out!

http://www.livingwell.ca/content/save-300-purchase-1l-listerine-antiseptic-rinse?utm_campaign=jj-list-anti-rinse-cpn-3dd_apr11_en_emc&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jj_eAL

New Retainer (With a Spring!)

My retainer has been updated with a fancy spring as my left upper incisor keeps wanting to recede behind my upper central teeth.  The hope is that the spring will push the tooth back in place.  I had a new set of impressions done and had to go without my upper retainer for 32 hours.  Talk about a painful experience getting it back in!  I’m allowed to keep the retainer off for 3 hours a day.  My orthodontist was originally going to let me go for 6 hours until I told him 3 hours was hurting.  I’m stuck on 3 hours for a little while.

I had a checkup with Dr. Mitton last week and he’s very pleased with how my jaw and chin are coming along.  I still don’t have full feeling but again, it’s a waiting game.  I go back in May to have some Gingivectomy work done.  I have some excess gum tissue covering a few teeth so he wants to pretty them up by removing it.  I’m told pain will be minimal with the painkillers he will be giving.  I have a vacation day booked at work so I can have the day off after to relax.  I can’t wait!

I will be sure to post before and after pictures of the procedure

Retainer Freedom for 24 Hours

I had my orthodontist appointment this morning and it went well.  I told Dr. Matheson about the pain I experience putting the retainer back in when I keep the retainer out for 3-4 hours.  He was all set to bump me up to 6 hours a day until I mentioned that.  D'oh!  :)  Best to be honest though!  We decided to take a new impression of my upper jaw and my retainer is being adjusted with a spring.  I get it back tomorrow afternoon at 4:15.  I can't wait.  My teeth are killing me right now without my retainer.  It sucks. :(  

Retainer Headaches?

My orthodontist advised I could start taking my retainer out for 3 hours per day.  I usually break it up like this:

• Breakfast: 15 minutes
• Morning snack: 10 minutes
• Lunch: 30 minutes
• Afternoon snack: 10 minutes
• Supper: 30 minutes

I also pop the retainer in and out quite a bit when I have to make an important call at work.  I find my speech isn't very clear in pronouncing certain words if I have it in.  I get a lot of "Excuse mes?"

Anyhow...the point of the blog post!  I've found that when I remove the retainer and try to put it back in, it really hurts.  Esepcially if I have it out for over 2 hours straight (I've done this once or twice when going to trivia).  By the end of the 2 hour mark I can feel where the teeth have moved and putting the retainer back in actually becomes a challenge.  I can get it back on but the teeth fight back with a lot of pressure.  They don't like it!

I had an appointment with my dentist a week and a half ago and he did 12 x-rays of my teeth.  My teeth are healthy but as suspected, the roots to my front upper teeth are extremely short.  My dentist advised the orthodontist will probably look at bonding my two front teeth together for added support and the permanent retainer will hopefully hold the upper teeth in place better.  I asked if I would still wear the retainer along with the permanent fixed wire and the answer I got was yes.  Hopefully it won't affect my speech too badly.  After all the wires and orthodontic appliances I have been through during this journey, I can't see a little wire causing too much trouble.  At least I hope not.

The problem I'm having right now is horrible headaches.  The pain begins in the upper jaw, radiates around my eyes and to the top of my head.  I wake up in the morning with a headache and by the time I come home from work I feel like I could cry.  It's really taking a lot out of me.  I go see my oral surgeon at the end of the month for a check up and I see my orthodontist next week as well.  I'm hoping they can give me some advice on what to do or that the fixed retainer will help with the teeth movement.  I almost feel like I wish I had my braces back in.  At least then the teeth didn't move.  I like the freedom of no braces or retainer but the teeth movement and pain make it feel like it's not worthwhile removing.  If I could eat with my retainer in I would!

Does anyone else wearing a retainer have trouble with headaches?  I have been doing self Reiki treatments and meditation which helps a bit but doesn't take the pain away completely.  I'm hoping this is a temporary thing!

Cold Sore Remedy?

This is more of a rant and has nothing to do with the jaw surgery or orthodontics.  Sorry!

I have a bad cold sore at the moment.  I know it's stress related.  I break out in the same spot every time - just above my upper lip.  Does anyone have any quick tips / treatments for getting rid of these quickly?

I have been using Abreva and hydrogen peroxide to try to dry it out.  I also started taking Lysine yesterday afternoon as I heard it's good for speeding up recovery and preventing them.

Any other quick tips would be GREATLY appreciated!!      

Dental Cleaning and Tartar Control

I have to go for a dental cleaning tomorrow afternoon and I'm dreading it!  I brush my teeth regularly.  I have an expensive Oral B toothbrush.  I floss and rinse with with Oral-B on a regular basis and I still get major tartar build up.  It sucks.  I find cleanings to be uncomfortable and tiresome.  Not looking forward to tomorrow.

Anyone out there have advice for how to keep tartar down? 

I will blog all about the joyful experience later lol.

A Permanent Retainer?

I have been wearing my retainer faithfully as instructed by my orthodontist but have found that my upper teeth continue to move.  The teeth next to my middle front teeth keep want to recess back to where they were (hidden behind my front teeth).  I was warned this would most likely happen due to the short roots.  The options are continued orthodontics, or pulling the teeth and going with implants (super expensive)!

I go to visit my orthodontist on March 28th to get impressions done for a permanent fixed retainer.  From what I’m reading online this thing could stay with me forever.  I’m not happy with that idea. I did a search on Google and this is a picture I found.  I know the wire is hidden behind my teeth so it’s not a big deal.  I just hate the thoughts of having wire in my mouth for possibly forever?  How is this thing going to affect my speech?  What impact will it have on cleaning my teeth?  Know what I mean?  I thought I was done with all the permanent wires and crap.  I want straight teeth but ugh – I just want to wear the retainer and have it done.

I know, I know…I’m being a baby.  If I have to wear a permanent retainer so be it.  I didn’t go through 2 surgeries for a broken upper jaw and chin to throw it all away by refusing to wear a fixed retainer.  I had just really hoped I was done with all the metal being in my mouth with the exception of the retainer.  I love having the freedom of being able to take my retainer out for 2-3 hours a day when I attend a social event or just want a break.  This permanent metal thing is a pain.  I have zero control over taking it out.  It also means the drooling will come back for a while!  Boo!!

Note these are NOT my teeth.  This is a picture I found off Google as an example of a fixed retainer.

I will keep everyone posted on my progress and will be sure to take LOTS of pictures!  It looks like my journey isn’t over yet.

Missing the Feeling

I wanted to do a quick video to talk about the lack of feeling I still have in my chin and lower lip.  I also wanted to show how my smile is a bit crooked and how I really have to force it to smile straight.

Please leave a comment if you have any questions at all!

A Wider Nose?

I have been reviewing my before and after pictures with my jaw surgeries and can really see a difference in the size of my nose.  It looks wider than it was before and I hate to admit, I don’t really like it.  I read about this before my surgery but was hoping I could avoid it.  I feel like my nostrils are always wide and flared open.  Has anyone else experienced this?  What are my options?

My Before Picture

My After Picture

My apologies for the first picture being small and taken from a distance.  It’s going on 5 years old now and was taken with a webcam.  My nose is slimmer and smaller in this picture.  This was taken before I started my orthodontic treatment.  Before SARPE, before braces!

The After Picture was taken yesterday.  My nose isn’t huge but you can see where it looks wider and the nostrils are more flared.  I know I’m being extremely picky here!!!  I would STILL do this surgery over again.  I’d rather have a wider nose and straight teeth than crooked teeth.  I’m just wondering if anyone else has experienced this?  Will it shrink down as I heal?