Day #2 after Tooth Extraction

I've been in a lot of pain... I have a habit to bite down my teeth together during sleeping. It has caused me so much pain when I just got my braces last week.

I woke up several time, dealing with the pain.. I went to the toilet to spit.. also checking if I was actually bleeding. I don't know if I subconsciously swallow the blood or not, because it did taste so bloody, but whenever I spit it out it was just clear liquid. Earlier today I leaned over to see the site where the bicuspid was removed from.. It was still dark red, but it wasn't bleeding..

I had to force myself to eat. I bought a chunky crab and corn soup at the grocery store yesterday. I had a hard time chewing on the crab meat, so I just sipped the soup with the corn. It tasted good. I ate half bowl then put it back at the fridge.

I was awake at 10am then went back to sleep 30 minutes later.. kept waking up every hour because of the pain.. I finally woke up at 2:45pm.. I would have gone back to sleep but I know if I woke up, the pain would subside.

Alright, I think I'm gonna go clean up then run to the grocery store to buy some ice cream and stuff.. to soothe my sore gum.. and all.. I'll probably buy a lot of cereal and milk, I'll eat that instead of anything else that leaves aftertaste in my mouth. Cereals & chocolate milk FTW!

Tooth Extraction

Today I got a tooth extraction, for my lower right bicuspid. I have overcrowding issue. So by taking out this tooth, it would help resolve this issue as well as to correct my bite (I have asymmetrical bite)

Ortho visit to discuss about treatment and payment

Today I went to the orthodontist.. As I promised, I took some photos of the results and everything that I had gone through in order to get started with getting braces. The orthodontist explained to me that he would have to take one tooth out from my lower jaw because there was crowding, and he still said I would eventually need to get the implant to straighten out the only wisdom tooth left at my bottom left jaw. He said that my treatment will be more than 2 years, but he's expecting it to be 24-27 months. He would put the lower braces first for the first few months so I can get used to it before putting the top part on. It's pretty funny because I thought that my upper teeth are the ones that are problematic and need treatment more than the lower teeth. He said that he will use spring to correct my bite. For the upper part, although there's crowding too, he said he might be able to push them to the back. It's difficult, but it can work. I really hope so!

The ortho told me to get my tooth extracted 2 weeks prior our next appointment OR after I got my braces on, I have to get it extracted within 2 weeks. Other than that, I have a bad news. The cost of the braces will be $8600 for me. I will have to pay $2100ish at my next visit, then I will have to pay $268 every month. It's very expensive! :( But I've been hearing stuff from people who get their braces off about how amazing it feels now that their bites have been corrected and their teeth are straight. And although a lot of people have been complaining about how expensive it is, some other people break down the fees into labor, materials, etc.. and it turns out that it's about right. Still I think that the first down payment is the toughest for me, the $268 monthly payment is more reasonable for me. Sigh.. I really hope at the end this all will be worth it. I read the consent form that if down the road I will have to transfer out or not able to finish my treatment, I will be charged with labor fee and all starting from $100 to $800. I really hope I won't have to go back to my home country before that.

So here you go:

the impression


close up view of my mouth


the wax paper that I bit on
and there's a sketch of my face and head,
below that sketch paper there's the original x-ray of my head.

On an unrelated note, For some reason I find the sketch intriguing. The last time I had a real artist did a sketch of me was when I was still a little girl.

Getting X-Rays

Today I went to the radiology to get x-ray and close-up view shots of my teeth, my head and all. The machines were interesting and also the techniques used for the shooting were fun. She had to use mirror and a stretcher (that I would have to hold on to while she was taking pictures of the inside of my mouth. It's been so long since the last time I went into a radiology, I just didn't remember the "radiation" that caused by the machines could make you feel sick and gave you headache. I felt very dizzy as soon as I entered different rooms for getting different types of x-rays.

All and all, the nurse was very kind although I arrived 20 minutes late. I'm scheduled to have an appointment for 29 July to discuss about the treatment and the finance. I'm really getting the clear braces. Many people try to encourage me getting the invisalign, but I know that if I can take it off, I will. I have a disciplinary problem. :)

Ok til next time. I'll make sure to take some shoots of anything from my next visit to the orthodontist.

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.

Appointment schedule to get the model of my mouth

Tomorrow I'll be going to my orthodontist again. I'm gonna get the model of the inside of my mouth. The appointment would be at 12:30pm. I have no idea what is going to happen and how long it's going to take. I asked my sister what she went through before she got her braces years ago. She said, the process of getting the model mouth would take around 2 minutes each (2 minutes for lower teeth and 2 minutes for the top).

I'll post again tomorrow!
For now I'll leave you with one of several photos I took of my hideous crooked teeth. In the other pics, you can see clearer of how bad my teeth are, but in the other photos you can also see the staining and my saliva, it's gross. So I'll just show one.

Dental Implant Cost

Cost for SINGLE Dental Implant

Procedure	Cost
Surgical placement of implant	$1,565
Abutment for implant	$605 (mean)
Prefabricated	$549
Custom	$660
Crown, porcelain fused to metal (PFM), high-noble metal	$1,119
Total	$3,289

*Costs based per single dental implant.
*All fee data courtesy of the American Dental Association.

Source: dentalimplantscost.org/

Types of Braces

Traditional Metal Braces

Traditional metal braces are the most common type of braces and are more comfortable today than ever before. Made of high-grade stainless steel, metal braces straighten your teeth using metal brackets and archwires. With metal braces, you have the option of adding colored elastics (rubber bands) for a more unique and colorful smile.

Ceramic Braces

Ceramic braces are made of clear materials and are therefore less visible on your teeth than metal braces. For this reason, ceramic braces are used mainly on older teenagers and adult patients who have cosmetic concerns. While they are visually less prominent, they do require more attention to oral hygiene as ceramic braces are larger and are more brittle than their metal counterparts. For these reasons, ceramic braces tend to be used more on upper front teeth than on lower teeth.

Invisalign®

Invisalign uses a series of invisible, removable, and comfortable aligners to straighten your teeth. No one can tell you are wearing Invisalign because it's clear! Not only do aligners appear invisible, they are also removable so you can eat and drink what you want while in treatment. Plus, brushing and flossing are less of a hassle. The aligners are comfortable and have no metal to cause mouth abrasions during treatment. Watch the video about Invisalign in our office! Learn more about Invisalign on our website by visiting www.invisalign.com.

Lingual Braces

Unlike clear orthodontic appliances, lingual braces are completely invisible because they are attached to the back of the teeth.Each bracket is 100% customized for the best results. There is minimal discomfort and speech interference. No one will know that you are wearing braces! Read more about lingual braces on www.hiddenbraces.com.

Source: theorthobee.com

Unfortunately my ortho doesn't offer the lingual braces.

Preface

I'm getting braces!

I've been putting this off for such a long, long time. My parents don't really have the best set of teeth. So did my sisters. Because we were raised by my mother alone, it was pretty hard for her to afford all of us to get the braces. I came from a country where you can't really make payments for braces. You have to pay in full then everytime you come in for tightening, you have to pay a different fee. Back in my country, the cost of braces isn't as expensive as it is in USA.

For some reasons my mom felt that my sisters' teeth were worse than mine, so they got their braces first. It cost about $1,000ish per person, and they had to pay $10ish per visit. Unfortunately, my sisters' orthodontist wasn't really that great. She was good, but she treated patients differently. If you came in bringing snacks and foods (or whatever else) for her, she'd be very friendly and nice. It's silly, but some people love to get bribed.

Anywho, after years and years of putting it off.. I finally decided it's really time for me to get braces. I have now earned money myself.. and although I don't really have that much, but I have enough. So after a year of my complete dental visit to my dentist, I finally said that I wanted to get braces and he immediately referred me to an orthodontist in the same dental building where he works. I got the referral paper from my dentist's assistant, and I immediately walked to the orthodontist to make an appointment.

And I came in this morning for initial exam. I had to make silly faces and was tested in every angle possible. I had to bite a stick so my orthodontist could see if there was anything wrong with my bite. After all the basic exam, he explained to me that I have an asymmetric bite. He showed me using a teeth model that he had how my bite was. He explained to me that he would have to apply a rubber-band when I get my braces later on to fix my bite, and he also said he would probably need to extract the one and only wisdom tooth I have left at the left bottom of my mouth. He didn't explain why, but he also said he would put an implant there. An implant would cost another $4,000; plus I don't really want to get an implant. My mom already warned me not to ever get an implant. So I'd probably need to talk to him if there's a way around that.

This has been the way I smile for so long. I don't remember anymore how to smile with my teeth showing. Even in the exam when the ortho told me to smile as wide as I can and such, I didn't know how I could smile the way he needed me to. :(

After the exam, I was given the cost estimation which would be around $6800-$8400 for ceramic braces that I had my eyes on (subtract $400 for traditional metal braces). Invisalign would cost a little more than that. The down payment would be around $2400-$3800, after that I will have to pay monthly installment in $300.

This cost is far more expensive than what I predicted. I'm still considering on whether I should get it or not. My friends and family are telling me that it's a lot of money and if it's not bothering me, maybe I can push it back for another year or so. But that little voice in my head knows that if I postpone it again, it will never happen.