embracingmybraces

[embracingmybraces]

Hullo! I know I haven’t posted in a long time, but this was the most recent video I had put out over a year ago. 

I’ve kept putting off editing another video, but in the meantime here’s for anyone wondering what actually happened (I gotta whole to-do list for this blog that I’ve procrastinated on).

I mean, if anyone is still around, feel free to send in any questions you may have. I definitely check my YouTube a lot more frequently than I do with my blog.

[embracingmybraces]

Hello, I saw your premolar extractions post and wanted to know what other kinds of foods did you eat, how was the pain tolerance and more care tips about it. I'm getting extractions done on my premolars and I'm nervous about the blood clotting.

HELLO. sorry I haven’t seen this, it’s been a really long time since I’ve logged in.

I bet you’ve probably gone through this already but I hope it healed well and that you’re okay!To anyone else who wanted to know, the pain isn’t so bad, it just feels .. numb and a little sore.

I think as long as you are diligent about cleaning the area gently (don’t aggressively swish water around), and trying to eat soft foods that won’t have small bits that can get lodged in - e.g., sesame seeds, then you will be okay! Don’t eat crusty bread that could aggravate or cut into the area.Drink lots of liquids, still try to have a good diet with fruits and veggies, and don’t prod the area and let it do its thing.Brush yo teef to maintain good hygiene to help your mouth heal.

I’ve had many extractions and I haven’t had blood clots for any of them.. The healing actually goes by pretty quickly, though it feels like forever. I hope this helps!

[embracingmybraces]

You’ve asked.. and I finally delivered a month+ later!

Hopefully this can offer a different perspective on what it takes to maintain post-braces care or be of use to you :)

[embracingmybraces]

Q&A –

So sorry that videos are long overdue, but please send in any questions you may have about my braces/teeth situation and I will do my best to answer them soon! :) 

[embracingmybraces]

The two week update that I filmed back in May is finally live! 

A lot of time has passed since then and while the audio isn’t the best, I think the content is still more relevant than if I were to re-film it.

For the detailed post on the stitches removal, click here.

-

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT. 

Please continue to give me feedback on what you would like to see, or know. 

[embracingmybraces]

Last post of the day, comparing the bone graft.

On the top row, the bone has be built “down” more so it can be reshaped once the implant is in. 

On the bottom left, my gap looks a lot thinner in comparison to the current picture. 

[embracingmybraces]

ALSOOoo I graduated two weeks ago!

Here’s me smiling with the essix retainer, which doesn’t look that bad from far : )

[embracingmybraces]

Hi hiiii. Long time, no photosss.

TOP ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT 1) my original hawley retainer, with the “fake tooth” shaved down 2) the odd gap between my bone graft site and the “fake tooth” 3) current teeth sans retainer MIDDLE 4) essix retainer with fake tooth 5) close up of essix retainer on my mouth 6) back of essix retainer, the tooth is shaved to not touch the bone graft site 7) the crappy gaps as the retainer isn’t perfect BOTTOM ROW 8) the site where bone was harvested from (between my gums and lips), stitched up with scar tissue covering my frenulum 9) bottom arch 10) top arch, after cleaning loooooOol

IT’S BEEN 6 WEEKS EXACTLY, SINCE MY BONE GRAFT~

I got my teeth cleaned today since I haven’t been the greatest with flossing or brushing post exams. My university only covers one cleaning a year, so I had to pay $110 out of pocket but that’s okay, because this was necessary.

I really like the place that I go to though, because everyone there is very genuine and helpful. Although, my top molars aren’t too clean :’( No cavities so far. I booked another appointment in 6 months, for Dec 12th.

MAIN UPDATE

I got a consultation with the dentist there about my retainer and “frenulum” situation and she was really helpful and understanding. I noticed that my lips feel more tight in the site where bone was harvested, but I am told that’s normal for the first while, especially since the healing is still fresh, and that it would only be worrisome if it’s been a year. It’ll hopefully loosen up over time, perhaps with some massaging of the area. But I will bring this up to my prosthodontist in September if it continues to be an issue.

Retainer wise, even though my hawley retainer isn’t aesthetically pleasing, it is the one with the best fit and I should continue to wear it ideally 24/7 until I meet up with my prosthodontist. Fixing my “fake tooth” could compromise the bone graft if it applies pressure onto the area, or it may not be durable as it has to be thin enough to not touch my gums.

That’s a little frustrating considering that the tooth is shaved in half and I’m a cashier at a cafe currently, so I’d have to speak with a lot of people. However, it’ll only be 14 more weeks to deal with and she mentioned that getting another retainer is never as good as the original copy (and I can save money by just living with this situation). 

And that in the future, perhaps it’s best to have my prosthodontist deal my final retainer after the implant, etc. as my orthodontist has essentially completed my treatment.

It was nice to get a third opinion on this situation and what to do next.

---

I’ll definitely film some videos on Canada Day weekend. Stay tuned :)

[embracingmybraces]

Update on video!

:’(

The video exported and is uploaded (as unlisted) but the audio has a lot of static in the background and I’m not sure how to fix it. I’ve attempted to lower the static with Adobe Premiere Pro and Audition, but I’m a huge newbie at these programs so I wasn’t very successful at getting the results I wanted.

I may have to re-film... Or would you guys mind? Because I sure do. 

What do you guys think? 

[embracingmybraces]

Saturday: Behold, a photo of me awkwardly smiling with my new temporary upper essix retainer and trying to test if I was in the frame.

Post-Bone Graft Update: Detailed Version

This is sort of a two week update while my video exports, but technically tomorrow is the official day. I have a love/hate relationship with uploading videos... I can’t believe a 10 minute video takes 5hrs to encode. I can’t guarantee it’ll be uploaded anytime soon and this was filmed on Saturday, but while I sort that out, this will be about my experience with the surgery, healing, lessons I’ve learned (tips/self-esteem), and updates from my prosthodontist and orthodontist.

This will also sum up my vlog from last week.

For those of you who are new, I have a missing front tooth and I got bone taken from my chin (in between my teeth and lips) to be placed in the gap on my upper arch. This video explains it all.

PHOTOS will be added later on.

SURGERY PREPARATIONS

My surgery was at 8am on Tuesday, May 9th.

The day before, I picked up my medication which included 7 pills: antibiotics, several pain killers, and decadron (for swelling?) which I took 2 hours before my surgery. I was advised not to eat or drink anything 8 hours prior to, so I used as very little water to wash down the pills. God, they almost got stuck in my throat.

I took public transit by myself to my prosthodontist’s office, which was an hour away. I remembered feeling a bit out of it on my way there, which I’d blame on the medication but it helped with being less nervous (jokes, I was still very nervous).

I was advised to wear a short sleeved T-shirt going in and no face makeup. They then outfitted me with this scrub to protect my clothing and I had to wear a hair net. I was also given mouthwash beforehand.

SEDATION – I had a separate doctor, who specialized in sedation, come in. He asked to what degree did I want to be “sedated”. Ultimately, sedation affects your memory, but I did not want to be awake at all, so I asked him to put me right out haha.

The insertion of the IV was definitely the most unpleasant for me.

I’ve never had blood work done, but I’ve had flu shots and lots of local anaesthesia done, so I didn’t think it’d be an issue. However, I was pretty nervous and I just reminded myself to take deep breaths while I felt the needle go into my vein. The pinch wasn’t bad but the thought and feeling of the needle’s presence and having it taped was what bothered me the most and I might have shed a fear tear drops...

The medication then got screwed into my IV and I just remembered feeling calmer as time passed and before long, the needle didn’t feel like anything and I eventually dosed off (I don’t even remember when I did).

SURGERY – I wasn’t awake for any of it. No recollection. I just remembered waking up and noticing everyone was cleaning up around me and that I had the IV removed beforehand was band-aided up on my hand and the inner bend of my arm. No pain either. I just knew my lips were numb because I couldn’t close it properly and I was given gauze for my upper and bottom lips.

Getting up, I was a bit disoriented and needed assistance but only momentarily.

Afterwards, I was given an envelope of medication (same kinds that I took before the surgery) and my parents drove us home.

FIRST 24 HRS – The sedation didn’t really affect me all day like I was told. I did ice my chin immediately and it took a while before my upper lip felt “normal” (e.g., when the numbness wears off and your lip no longer closes funny).

It did take me 2 hours to eat my food because I couldn’t open my mouth wide and the rest of my face just felt very swollen. I stopped bleeding shortly after and didn’t need to use gauze for the rest of the healing.

Sleeping on an elevated pillow helped but my face did feel very “heavy” whenever I would bend down.

Lots of salt water rinses as I couldn’t brush my teeth.

HEALING – Generally, I didn’t have much facial mobility for the whole week+ I couldn’t open my mouth wide or smile and laugh as it pulled on the sutures. I described it as my face being very “stiff”. No drinking from straws or exercising, at all.

My bottom lip was numb and tingly until maybe 1.5 weeks in. Smiling naturally occurs around the same time frame. I still can’t frown or pout though - I blame that on the sutures. But, I can do double chins for Snapchat 8)

My bottom teeth has no feeling currently and this will last a maximum of 6 months before the feeling returns.

Currently, I still find it a bit straining to naturally close my lips. Perhaps after the stitches are taken out it may get better. A few pieces of the stitches did come out this week.

Expect to book off 1 week from any activities or work, unless you don’t mind going out with a swollen face. I could work on my computer, edit videos, make food, walk in the mall and take public transit later in the week. 

 SWELLING – It was definitely got worse on the 4-5th day, but after that it gradually went down.

MEDICATION – I have to take antibiotics until they are finished. I did not take the extra strength pain killer, but I did continue to take pain killers consecutively after each meal for the next three days and on and off throughout the week for good measure/peace of mind.

BRUISING – I believe my face showed visible bruises on both sides near my lips on the 5th day and gradually got more prominent before it went away I’d say, close to 4 days later.

Where I had my IV also bruised. The one on my hand hurt when pressed, but my face and inner arm was fine.

PAIN – Not really “painful” or excruciating per say, but it felt like I had a canker sore on my bottom lip if I didn’t take my painkillers and it was just uncomfortable... Much like how it feels when you get your braces tightened and your teeth are “sore”.

On and off I may feel light headed if I exert too much energy, so I kept myself hydrated and lounged around to resolve that. In the vlog, cooking was probably the most labour intensive thing I did.

RETAINER – Yeah, I didn’t wear it the whole week :S I’m not sure what could’ve been done differently. Yes, the fake tooth on my retainer was altered to not touch the gums but I had forgotten to check until later in the week. For some reason I didn’t think they did anything to it? 

The post-surgery care sheet said not to wear any prosthetics as it may affect the healing. That being said, my orthodontist also said it might not have been good to wear it as my gums would be quite swollen and that I should’ve made an appointment earlier a few days after the surgery to get a new temporary fitted.

My teeth did close in a bit into my gap, so my hawley retainer is tight but I didn’t want to force it in while the stitches were still tender.

I got a new temporary essix retainer on Thursday, May 18th with resin added as the “fake tooth” which isn’t the best craftsmanship... The colour does not match at all and it sticks out slightly so I look like I have a buck tooth.

It holds my teeth for now, so I can’t complain too much. It did cost $50. More add ons to my bill :( BUT now I have two matching pairs, two essix (upper and lower), and the same for hawley. At least now, from far it doesn’t look like I still have braces on as it’s just a clear tray.

ALSO, IF ANYONE HAD A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE WITH THEIR RETAINER, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU DID. I feel like we could all learn from this.

DIET – LOTS OF FRUIT/SMOOTHIES/VEGETABLES/SOFT PROTEIN. 

Kale and Lentil Curry Soup. Congee. Scrambled eggs. I had Pork Bone soup and Korean side dishes, the spiciness was not a problem. Baked fish, sweet potato, cereal... sautéed greens, soggy bread.

Tbh I ate more solids later in the week as I could still chew with my back teeth. Anything in small pieces. After the first week, you can even attempt lightly toasted bread but just be careful and allow yourself the extra time to chew.

TIPS

IF YOU HAVE A RETAINER, MAKE SURE YOU GET THAT SITUATION SORTED OUT FIRST.

Drink lots of water!

Grocery shop before! Look up recipes for soft foods, soups, etc. have fruit to puree so you can still have nutritious food while you are healing. No ice cream or much junk food for me (other than cereal)

A blender in any form is your best friend :) or be patient and cut into smaller pieces. Of course, this depends on where your surgery site is.

Mason jars or tupperware to portion your food also helps

Have movies to watch, low energy activities to do, or friends who you won’t mind to see your swollen face. It helps the time pass.

Boil an egg with the shell on, wrap it in a cloth, and rub it on your bruise to help it heal faster

MOST IMPORTANT LESSON LEARNED –

COMMUNICATE! COORDINATE! With those who are in charge of your braces/surgery. Write down concerns you have as you will forget something important and ASK AWAY. Or write down instructions too! I won’t blame anyone for the retainer situation, as we are all human and sometimes little details get forgotten, but sometimes these are also crucial and it might be best to take matters into your own hands. If your orthodontist or prosthodontist does not coordinate with each other, you should remind them to or initiate it (which I didn’t). The more clarity you have, the less miscommunication or misunderstandings there are and it will cost you less if you don’t have to fix things. I am glad that my prosthodontist’s office called to check on me for the first few days, as I was also able to ask them questions right then.

SELF-ESTEEM – I had my retainer in probably 90% of the time these past 4 months since I’ve had my braces off. I loved how ‘normal’ I looked with a full set of teeth, and I would only take out my retainer when I am eating, but sometimes I felt reluctant to do so with friends who I am not close with or in front of strangers. By myself in a restaurant, I didn’t care so much. Oddly enough, I still feel self conscious, despite having a gap for 3 years... but back then I had all this hardware to hide behind. Note: I will do a video/post on this topic soon! But this week+, living without my retainer made me get used to how I look au natural. I also couldn’t wear makeup, so that helped too! In fact, going outside without my retainer, I probably look like I got into a bad fist fight with my bruises and lost a tooth in the process hahah. But whatever, I embraced it. My friends embraced it.  In short, people may look confused, but it wasn’t a big deal. I had to explain to my co-workers what was happening but afterwards they were very understanding. 

Thank you so much for making it here - please continue to send me your questions and comments :) I love reading them.

Until next time!

Thursday, May 25th - PROSTHODONTIST FOLLOW UP (for real this time)

Saturday, June 3rd - ORTHODONTIST RETAINER CHECK UP

[embracingmybraces]

FRIENDS, I AM ALIVE.

I vlogged throughout the week - watch my face swell up and hear me talk about my bone graft experience!

Grab a cup of tea, because it’ll be a long one :3

[embracingmybraces]

:)

watch me make awkward expressions and hear me talk about what’ll happen next, without lisping as much!

* sorry for the different lighting/quality changes throughout. I filmed the clips during different times of the day and didn’t quite know how to balance the colours :( will keep that in mind for next time!

[embracingmybraces]

freetickettomyhead replied to your post:

Back from Diagnostic!

My orthodontist didn’t want to make me a retainer for my bottom teeth, he only glued a wire on the inside and that was supposed to keep them in place. Spoiler: it didn’t. My top teeth are in perfect place thanks to the retainer but the bottom ones have moved a lot. I wish I could have maybe convinced him to make me one, because it’s pointless now…

Oh nooo that - don’t you get retainer check ups with him? How come he let you off like that :( how irresponsible. I hear there are things such as “6 months smiles” that are quick for easy fixes like that, but that’s really unfortunate. I’d be pretty pissed lol, braces are not cheap!

Yeah, I don’t have wires attached to my teeth. The upper arch isn’t done anyhow, but my orthodontist said I could get the wire retainer for the bottom whenever I want. I have friends who says it doesn’t bother them anymore, despite the upkeep. I think I prefer a removable tray though.

ALSO, P.S., I think for the next year I will be seeing my orthodontist (not sure how regularly) to check on my retainer. The first year, I believe the retainers are covered through wear and tear but it would cost $400 to replace my hawley retainer... I'll have to ask about whether there are additional costs for my “final” retainer after the implant though.

To clarify for readers: I have a hawley retainer on top (with the wide acrylic band enveloping the wire) and an essex retainer on the bottom, which is essentially a piece of vacuum formed plastic like Invisalign.

[embracingmybraces]

Back from Diagnostic!

Timeline:

Monday, Feb 6th - Braces Retainer Checkup

Thurs, Feb 17th - Diagnostic Results

Today I had a 3D X-ray done, then at least 4 impressions with retainer and without one, and lastly a bunch of pictures of my face/smile from front, inside, and side angles.

Basically I had a bunch of goop trays in my mouth and apparatuses that stretched my lips (similar to when I got my braces on for the first time). They squeezed this line of goop along my teeth and had me take a “bite impression” too.

It was a good 1+ hours and I won’t know what the results are until my prosthodontist has gone over the models of my teeth and examinated it closely.

Seems like I’ll be posting a lot more frequently now!

Sorry - I still need to rent out a camera from my school because I lent mine to someone else! Will have pictures soon, I promise <3 And eventually I’ll compile all the photos I’ve taken into a slideshow.

As for the experience of removing my braces:

Honestly it was over before I knew it in like 5 minutes? My orthodontist had me bite on a cotton tube thingy and I thought she was cutting my wire, but actually she was popping the brackets off. Some parts were painless, other parts hurt because the wire had tension still. After that, she removed the glue and scaled a bit of my teeth.

I had my top retainer delivered first from the lab and we made the impression for the bottom one, which I came back to get it in like an hour. My lips felt so strange without the brackets propping them outwards and it felt sooo nice to brush my teeth that night of. I’ve been wearing my retainer religiously except when I eat (I’m always thankful for a bit of a break because it gets a bit uncomfortable sometimes).

I was lisping so hard lmao when I got to go to my night class, we had to go into a group to discuss stuff and I felt like people had a hard time understanding me ;___; I hear it gets better though so I’m looking forward to that.

See you next time!

[embracingmybraces]

AND MY BRACES ARE OFF !!! :)

+ a snapchat clip from wednesday morning - such excitement, such lisp.

I’m so relieved to see that there aren’t any stains or decalcification despite my lack of flossing towards the last few months. Also, I’m pleasantly surprised about how the retainer looks! The fake tooth is not perfect but it still looks pretty decent from far :)

I will post more about the process on Monday* and talk about what it feels like to have a retainer, and hopefully get a decent camera to document my new smile.

I’m forever grateful for my followers and friends that show me so much love, support, and curiosity about my situation. Thank you!

Also, let me know if you have questions! I could potentially do a Q&A video or answer it in my next post.

[embracingmybraces]

Diagnostics for Implant

Booked for Monday, Jan 30th

I will be getting 3D x-rays, impressions done, etc. and all of that will figure out if there are underlying problems and check the bone distribution in my mouth... before we can get a quote on how much the procedure will cost. I’m praying it’ll be less than $6k.

-$550 for that appointment.

And it’s only the start too.

[embracingmybraces]

TEASER. I photoshopped my smile (90% of it at least) instead of doing my thesis project, and touched up a whole bunch of things.

It’s so weird that my teeth won’t look quirky anymore.

Jan 25th tho.