First Step: Getting Dental Impression

Impression:
a mold or imprint of the teeth and gums, which is subsequently filled with dental plaster or acrylic so that an accurate replica of the teeth and gums is produced. The purpose is o record the contours of the teeth and gums. It is typically dispensed into a tray as a vicsous gel, and inserted into the patient's mouth for a few moments. It flows around and between the teeth, and then sets into a rubbery consistency. The impression can then be poured with a slurry of laboratory grade dental plaster, which hardens into the shape of the teeth.

I just got back from the ortho. Now I can type this entry in the appropriate term. Yesterday I called it a teeth model.. while the assistant told me today, "I'm going to do an impression of you." which I laughed at because I thought she was kidding. But turns out, that's what it's called: Dental Impression.

It's made of alginate, which I heard is the same materials used for making casts for legs and hands. It's sticky but smells good. The tray was very wide for my mouth. It was a little difficult for it to pass through my mouth, but once it's inside, it fitted okay. It took about 1 minute or so for the material to set and harden. She had to repeat four times. I think each time focused on one particular side of the mouth. Bottom right, bottom left, top left, top right = 4 times. After each set, I was told to rinse my mouth and clean up before the next set. It didn't hurt at all, and it felt nice because it was kind of cold, but I did notice a little discomfort when the tray was being pushed hard and the hardened material press the gum pretty hard.

After all the impression were finished, the last procedure is to get my bite. I was asked to bite on a thick wax paper for a few minutes. I had to bite really hard.

What's next?
I'm scheduled to get complete x-ray at a radiology near my house on July 7th.
Then I'll have to go back to the orthodontist with options, and to discuss more about the payments.