More progress!!!

Okay, I went to see the Ortho. this afternoon to get my wires removed for my cleaning and to fix my TPA problem. (see last post) So, when I arrived, Dr. Post immediately came over to remove my wires. Then he said he had to remove the back left band and solder a part on a new one for the TPA to fit in. OUCH, that band did not want to come out. As he was twisting and yanking, I kept thinking… is my tooth coming out with it??? Next he removed the bottom wire and while doing so, he popped off a bracket. So he had Heather come over and put the new band back on and had her prep the tooth to replace the bracket.

Next, I went off to my cleaning. She said I was the third adult in braces for her today. I find this so weird because I very rarely run into any adults in braces. Wish I would though. Anyways, she said I was doing a great job with my cleaning. That made me feel really good because I do try.

Now, back at the Ortho. office, Dr. Post tweaks my wires before he puts them back in. This surprised me because I was only there a few weeks ago. I’m in favor of any tweaking though. Then, he starts to put my TPA back in and the part he just soldered on breaks off again. He says “you win, we’ll keep it out.” WOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! He says that the wire on top is so strong, it should prevent anything from relapsing. I am so happy, it feels incredible to be able to feel the full rounded roof of my mouth. I definitely feel like I speak more clearly without it too.

I’m going to try and post a pic I fiddled with in paint. I’m not great at all of this stuff but, I was hoping to point out to you the things that still bother me. My midlines are off a little and I still have that tiny triangle gap in between my two front teeth but, the thing that bothers me most is the “open bite” on either side of my front teeth. I know my open bite has closed considerably but I can’t figure out how he’ll close the openings on either side. Maybe the surgery will correct this.

Dr. Post also told me that he spoke with Dr. Weldon’s office and that July 7^th is a definite! The countdown begins. Right now, it seems like a long time away but, I’ll bet it will be here before I know it. It’s time to get healthy and start exercising regularly! Hopefully everything is still a GO with the Ins. Co.

POP

So, about 6:00 last night, I was eating dinner and POP, the inside bracket that holds my TPA on the left side broke off. It was poking me a bit so I decided to call and see if I should do anything. The answering machine gives Dr. Posts number and one of the Tech's, Deb. I decided to give Deb a call to see what she thought. I ended up meeting her at the Ortho's office at 7:00pm (thank you Deb!!!) and she ended up just taking the TPA out for the night. I have appt.'s to go in today to have my wires removed and replaced for my cleaning this afternoon. Deb said after the cleaning, she would just stay late and get a new band put back on so the TPA can be replaced.
Last night though, felt wonderful!! It has been 10 very long months with something on the roof of my mouth. I feel like I speak more clearly already. I would love for him to say it can stay out but, I know he's not going to. I'll post a couple of pics tonight after I get out of work. For the first time in a while now, I'm starting to really like the results I'm seeing.

Happy Easter

I wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter!!

I am sure this is what the Easter Bunny will be bringing me...

Staying Positive

Okay, I’m trying to get out of the rut I’m in and look at things in a more positive light. I feel good and I’m trying to think positively about my next appointment with the doctor. I’m sure everything will work out just fine.

When I was at my last Ortho. appointment, Dr. Post told me he would be contacting the Oral Surgeon and that I should do the same. He said we could schedule something in either July or August. So I called and spoke with Jamie, she said that July 7th works well for them. I wasn’t at first, overly thrilled with this date but, I’ll work with it. Now I’m trying to work vacation into the week prior to this so my family and I can have a nice relaxing time together before the big day. This could be tough though, being the 4th of July week and all. Hopefully all of the homes/cottages in Maine aren’t all booked that week already.
I’m trying to relax and not etch this date in stone yet. After what happened, I don’t want to get too disappointed if it doesn’t work out. Hopefully all goes well with the Ins. Co.

I have to post some more pictures soon. I can’t believe the changes that are still happening. My open bite has closed significantly. When I slide my bottom jaw forward a tiny bit, I can actually touch my top and bottom teeth. I have never in my life been able to do that before. It’s so exciting!

Next Thursday is the big cleaning day! Woo Hoo! It’s so time consuming though. To the Ortho. to have the wires removed, to the dentist for the cleaning, then back to the Ortho. to have the wires replaced… there goes your afternoon. My husband and youngest daughter also have cleanings the same afternoon. It’ll be a family affair.

Thanks fellow Ortho. bloggers for your positive words when I needed them most!

More bad news

So things haven't gotten much better for me lately but, I am trying really hard to keep my chin up.

I went to the Ortho yesterday, for a scheduled adjustment. He looked around in there for a while, changed the bottom wire, tweaked the top one and then took out my TPA. Oh, it felt so good but, then he put it back in. He wants to create a little more room. Not sure why we didn't do it while the expander was in?? Who knows. The worst part of the appointment was that he said he spoke with my O.S.'s office again. He strongly feels that the surgery should be scheduled for July or August. How discouraging! I was really hoping for this to be behind me BEFORE summer. He wants me back in 4 weeks to change my lower wire again.

On an unrelated issue, I've been dealing with other health issues lately. I was diagnosed with Graves Disease back in 2000. This means I was hyperthyroid. After trying to fix it for a few years without luck, they gave me some radio-active iodine to basically kill my thyroid. Now I take a thyroid medication everyday and things have been going pretty well over the last few years. When you are hyperthyroid, everything in your body speeds up, when you go hypothyroid, it slows everything down. So, we've noticed over the years that every time my thyroid goes too low, my heart beats a little funky. They actually call it a minor prolonged QT. My heart doesn't shock itself to start beating again, quickly enough and I guess it has gotten worse all of a sudden. It's actually all very confusing. Anyway, to try and correct this issue, my thyroid medicine has been upped and I have to take a small dose of a beta-blocker and then get rechecked again in 4 weeks. I'm crossing my fingers, all goes well. It's weighing on me heavily! It sounds ridiculous, but one of my first questions to the doctor was if this was going to have any effect on my upcoming surgery plans. He didn't think so. I'm praying that the Ins. Co. doesn't try to change their mind and say I'm a risk now. I truly believe your not given more than you can handle… but lately I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed. I need a break from all this negative news!