Need to make a BIG decision...opinions please!

Here's a quick update and then I'll share my dilemma with you...So I went in for my 2nd adjustment yesterday and things are progressing very well. I got new power chains on the bottom to close gaps (love the silver color), a new spring to make room for the unwired lower tooth and reshaped point off one upper canine.

Left

Right

Now, about my BIG DECISION...please share your opinion and be completely honest...

So I have been trying to decide about having my upper canines reshaped like laterals (since one lateral for sure has to be extracted). I mentioned to Dr. W that I am not happy with how gummy the spot over my lateral looks when I smile, I'm a type A and would really prefer symmetry...Here are some photos to give you a better idea:

Smile pre-braces

Recent casual photo, the gummy area is obvious

Front view

Upper arch

Sooooo my options are:

Option 1. Have the 2nd lateral extracted, best way to get symmetry and correct midline of central incisors. Best aesthetic end result as per the OD. sounds great right?.....BUT I'm so scared to have this tooth extracted as the gap will be HUGE for quite awhile and very visible. He didn't say exactly how long but I would guess a few months based on my other extraction gaps. Don't really want to look like a hillbilly, lol...I'm in a professional line of work too (health care) so I feel how I look matters. I realize this would only be temporary but once the tooth is gone I can't change my mind! The OD seemed very pleased I was considering this option. I asked about a fake temporary tooth (I think it`s called a pontic) but he said this wasn't an option :(

Option 2. Keep the 2nd lateral, have a procedure to cut away gum tissue (to make tooth appear taller) but won't quite resolve the gummy issue due to tooth height discrepancy. Uppers will remain asymmetrical and midline cannot be completely corrected.

I have until next Thursday to decide as he didn't want me to make a snap decision. But he needs to know so he can stop making room for the lateral if the teeth will need to be moved in the other direction...If it were you, what do you think you would do???

10 week update

So I'm officially in my thirties now and had a great birthday with my family and U2! Bono sang happy birthday on MY birthday, how awesome is that?!? I got to enjoy some yummy Thai food too, I would have loved a steak but not that brave yet...lol!

My first adjustment went well :)

I got thicker wires on both arches, a spring on the top to make room for one lateral and my first power chain on the bottom right. The spring looks kind of awful, so much for ceramics with a giant spring on there, but it's only temporary.

My lovely spring!!!  Canine next to central incisor...

if reshaped will it look like a lateral?

The power chain has only been on for 1 1/2 weeks and the gap is closing quickly, making room for the unwired tooth on the bottom.

          Right side first day with power chain

      Right side gap closing

I'm happy that they cut the left lower wire off before my gold crown as the brackets don't stick to the crown and the wire kept popping out of the bracket at the very back when I was eating (I could get it back in myself but it hurt)

       Left side gap to be closed later, shorter wire

   

 Also, I found out my cousin and my grandmother had congenitally missing lateral incisors.  My grandma had dentures for as long as I can remember, but my cousin had a canine conversion done for the missing lateral incisors on the top.  Her teeth actually look pretty good, so its making me consider that option more seriously, will have to discuss further with my OD at my next appointment. I can visualize it better now that my one canine is directly next to my central incisor on the right side and having seen someone else's in person. I think some filing/restoration or a cap to improve the shape of the canines will be necessary and whitening after braces are eventually off, which I was planning to do anyways. Why spend all this money on a great smile and not brighten it up a bit too!

10 week photos...

I'm so happy with how my teeth are progressing and can't believe I waited so long to take the plunge. 

To anyone out there who's not sure, I can honestly say I have no regrets so far

and would do it again in a heartbeat :)

First adjustment tomorrow!

I can't believe it's been two months with braces already, seems like it's gone by rather quickly. I'm definitely getting used to them and sometimes forget they're there (when I'm not eating of course). My teeth have been sore but nothing unbearable. I remember reading a story about someone's first week of braces and she said it was worse than labour pains...not sure what great drugs she had but this pain is a 2-3/10 for me not a 10!!

I'm excited to be seeing some changes already, YAY!! Mostly the front lower teeth from what I can tell. I did have to go back around 4 weeks to get two wires cut that were really poking my cheeks. I'm hoping my OD will add in the unwired lower tooth tomorrow.  We'll see what he thinks about the upper arch and...the plan.  I have a feeling he'll still be leaning towards two more extractions and possible canine substitution for my lateral incisors.

Here are a few comparison shots...



4 weeks



                                                             
                                                            8 weeks

I'm really happy with how quickly they are moving!

 

4 weeks

                                                                 8 weeks

The arch seems to be getting wider/rounder overall and the gap between my central incisor and canine on the left side of the picture has gotten smaller (blocking out the lateral incisor completely)

A few things I've learned so far:

- I never knew it could take sooooo long to floss! Seriously, people without braces have no excuse for not flossing.
- Others are not as aware of braces as you think. I also changed my hair so that's the first thing most people were noticing.
- Braces are a great weight loss plan! I definitely don't snack as much because I don't want to go clean my teeth again, plus when I do snack it's usually healthier, chips are too hard to chew an most other junk food is off limits though my ice cream intake has increased a little :) I do miss raw veggies
- Don't take pictures of your teeth without lipstick or lipgloss.

Excited for my appointment tomorrow and hoping I'm not too sore after as my big 3-0 birthday is coming up and would like to eat something tasty!

How to keep an orthodontist busy...

OK so this is a HUGE step for me posting pictures of my teeth for the whole world to see...I don't even normally smile with my mouth open.  My case is definitely a difficult one as you will see below.

BEFORE PICTURES: I've requested my ODs pictures but don't have them yet.

Here is a toothy smile, definitely a rare occurance in photographs.  As you can see my midline is off quite a bit.

Here's a shot of my uppers.  One tooth is totally blocked and he wants to maybe pull this one but then I'll be asymmetrical forever so I'm still on the fence.  We (especially me) decided to wait and see how things start moving before making a final extraction decision.

Lowers after extractions of both first premolars.

Panoramic x-ray. All four wisdom teeth were extracted previously.

Lateralcephalic x-ray.  Class II mallocclusion (overbite), recommended jaw surgery is the only way to correct this due to severity.

Braces on!!!

Smile with braces.



So there you have it....I can't wait to start seeing some results and can feel things loosening/shifting around already and it's only day 2 of braces!!!  Eating is interesting especially since they have added glue bumps to my back molars to prevent biting on brackets (and apparently biting in general...lol) so soft foods it is for awhile until I figure out how to chew again.  Thats all for now.

The adventure begins...

March 28, 2011:  Today is the first day of my adventures in braces and blogging :)

A bit about myself: I am a 29 year old mom from Canada who has always wished I had a fabulous smile. Like many others my family could not afford orthodontic treatment when I was younger. I have decided to finally take the plunge and invest in my teeth and my self-esteem. My teeth are very severely crowded and will keep my orthodontist busy for awhile... I also have a class II malocclusion with recessed chin and weak profile.

I initially saw my orthodontist a couple years ago but chickened out emotionally and financially. I decided to go for it now that I have better insurance and booked again in Nov/10. I was daunted when he discussed my options which involved extractions and orthognathic jaw surgery as well. After seeing the maxillofacial surgeon in Feb/11 he recommended BSSO surgery to advance my lower jaw and possible genioplasty for my recessed chin. I am definitely nervous about this but have been researching and reading others' blogs which I found helpful in making my decision to go ahead with all of the recommended treatments.

I had my two lower bicuspids extracted last week (still have to wait to see which uppers if any need to be extracted) and my braces went on today!! Ceramic uppers and metal lowers. So far they're aching a bit and feel foreign in my mouth, to be expected I guess...Eating my mushy mac n' cheese for dinner was an adventure in itself!

I'll post some pictures of my teeth soon. Hopefully this blog can be helpful to others and document my journey through my treatment. I'm really excited for the end results and having a great smile after 18-24 months.