Week 16 with the Damon Braces and My First Cleaning

Status Summary: Feeling good again.

A quick update before I talk about my teeth cleaning - My pain pretty much dissipated after 2 days after changing my wires and it feels just like I never had them changed. Also, after 3 days of using wax on the wire scratching my cheek, I found out it actually was OK and didn't need to have to see the ortho - it could have just been the bracket and I was just blaming the wire. One big change I have noticed is that my lower teeth are slightly more forward than before.

Teeth cleaning. I was supposed to have my teeth cleaned about a month ago but I kept delaying it because I thought it would be too much of a hassle. I thought I would have to have my wires taken off, then have my teeth cleaned and then have my wires put back on. Since, my orthondist and dentist are about 15 mins away it would have meant maybe 2-3 hours off of work.

I then decided to call my orthodontist and ask them about scheduling an appointment to have my wires taken off for a cleaning. They said most dentists can work around the wires, so I called my dentist and bingo! I did not have to have my wires removed. So I had them cleaned today. My dentist said that I didn't really have that much tartar even though I had my braces for 3+ months. He said, typically, he recommends people with braces to have their cleaning done every 3-4 months but since I didn't have too much tarter mine would be in 6 months - the standard :D.

Here are my pics:

Week 15 with the Damon Braces and my 2nd follow-up

Status Summary: In pain after my 2nd follow-up

I had my 2nd follow-up today with the orthodontist and I got many, many things done.

Here is the list:

1) New Brackets. I got 4 new brackets on all of my 2nd molars. They seem to be more of a low profile bracket - actually slim and sexy but not shiny. Most probably because it it doesn't really have doors on them, just a hole and a hook.

2) New Wires. I think I got stronger wires on both my upper and lower. Hopefully, these won't break :P.

3) No More Gum. Yes! Those white gum composites have been removed! I didn't expect it it, and once it was removed, I realized how sharp my teeth really are.

After all of these changes I am feeling like the first day again. First of all, one of the wires is a little too long and it is poking my cheek. It stinks every time I have to open my mouth specially to eat! Secondly, my teeth, especially my lower teeth and my molars, are feeling itchy and are also in pain. Pain, you know what that means right? Yes, it means I can't bite down properly. I managed to eat some rice with my wire and my toothache but it is definitely not fun. Hopefully, the ortho can squeeze me in and trim off that wire tomorrow.

At the end of my appointment today, my orthodontist said everything was looking great and I "have made great progress." Now that the gum composites are gone, my teeth will align more and I will see a bigger difference by the time my next appointment is up. And I must say I agree... especially will this pain I feel now :P

Here are my pictures. I actually noticed my teeth have moved and the gap between my incisor and front tooth has almost closed (but there is a bigger gap on the other side of the incisor) - you'll see this in the pic.

Week 14 with the Damon Braces

Status Summary:Nothing new.

Next Tuesday will be my official 2nd follow-up appointment with the orthodontist. The ortho said he will be putting brackets on all of my 2nd molars and will be changing the wire on my lower teeth. I am not sure if I will be getting a new wire on my upper teeth. From my last appointment, he said, "As long as the wires are bent, they are working,"

I am sure my teeth have been moving but it it hard to tell because teeth movement is literally only millimeters over a period of months. That is why I have been delaying posting a progress post showing pictures of my teeth throughout the months. I'll probably wait until next year to do this.

For some reason, I have been getting lazy in brushing my teeth after every meal. But, it is probably because I really eat 6 times a day so I find an excuse for myself :P.

I met up with my friend the other day who has traditional braces. He's had them for about 6 months (twice as long as me), and his teeth have straightened out a lot. He also said his dentist had to grind and polish his teeth to make it straight on the edge. I wonder if I will have that done too to get that "perfect" teeth look?

Here they are some pictures I took earlier today:

Week 13 with the Damon Braces

Status Summary: No new wire

I went to my orthodontist after breaking my lower archwire. I was a little disappointed as he did not want to give a new wire but I guess Dr. knows best. According to my orthodontist, the reason the wire broke was 1) there was a large space between the molars and 2) my upper molar kept pushing the lower molar causing extra movement. Both of these observations were true and I trust him.

These past couple of weeks have been uneventful beside the wire breakage. I haven't really felt any additional pressure on my teeth. Has anybody else had the same experience?

Lately, I do notice my lips are dryer but that could be because winter is coming soon.

I have also made an update to my blog titles - I am going to start tracking by weeks instead of days as I noticed they will be increasingly large days if I don't change it. Yup, that also means I will most likely be having weekly updates from now on :D.

Day 85 with the Damon Braces and a Broken Wire

Status Summary: Yup, I broke my lower archwire.

The day my archwire broke (last Thursday), I was doing some poking as usual. Yes, I use my fingers to poke my wires because I am just that impatient. As I poked that day, I felt the wire snap in between my 2nd molar and 1st molar on my bottom right hand side. I knew exactly what happened. I then tried to pull out the lose piece of wire. As I did, it fell off but I did not see it on table. I then rushed the bathroom (afraid of swallowing that piece of metal) to rinse my mouth with water. I didn't see anything come out and at this point I thought I swallowed it already - fortunately, I went back to my desk and found it there :D.

It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted pictures so I am hoping there are greater observable improvements today.

Overall, I haven't had any new pain. I almost got blisters on my lower lips after being very talkative one night, but it healed overnight. Yup, the more you talk, the higher chances of getting blisters.

Here are my pictures for today:

Day 54 with the Damon Braces and Flossing

Status Summary: No major changes since last week.

Visually, I haven't seen major changes. I have also not felt much tightness on my teeth as in the past few weeks. The only difference I have started noticing is the fact that my lips are much dryer than before. However, that could be due to the change in weather as Fall is rapidly approaching.

One subject I have been wanting to write about is flossing. Flossing can be a pain, but it does not have to take 30 minutes - it can be done in as little as 10 minutes. I few weeks ago I was chatting to my friend who has traditional braces about flossing. We were both complaining how tedious it was before I went off to floss. I got back in 15 minutes and my friend was surprised at my quickness. It was then when I realized not everyone knows the trick. The trick is simple, tie one end of the floss to the floss threader hoop. This way, you do not have to re-thread every time you floss one tooth. That's it!

It is important to floss every day, so don't be lazy and spend that extra 10 minutes flossing.

Here are my latest pictures to track my progress:

Day 48 with the Damom Braces

Status Summary: Sore cheek.

I am starting to feel some soreness in my inner-upper right cheek. There is probably a small blister and I am wondering if it is caused by the small end of the wire sticking out or the hook on the bracket. Whatever it is, as long as I don't move my lips too much, I am OK. I would put some wax on but I left the kit at work :(. Now that I think about it, I think my inner upper lip is also starting to feel sore.

I took some pictures tonight but am not too happy about them. Why not? Well, here is why:

1. I noticed there is a growing gap between my upper left incisor and the tooth before it. And, I don't see the gap closing.

2. I don't really see much of a difference anymore with regards to teeth movement.

3. I don't feel any more tension on my lower teeth, not even in the mornings after waking up. Could this be because the archwire is too weak?

4. My teeth are yellow and I can't use any Crest White Strips.

I'll be doing a side by side picture comparison probably next week and compare progress through pictures.

Here are tonight's pictures:

Day 42 with the Damon Braces and My First Follow-up Appointment

Status Summary: I got a new archwire!

Today was my first checkup / follow-up appointment since I got my braces on. I got there at exactly 3:00pm and was out by 3:20pm. What did they do? Not much actually.

I spoke to one of the orthodontist as this practice (they have 2) and he said this appointment is to basically check how I was doing with the braces. He asked if I had any major uncomfortableness in the past few weeks and how long it lasted. As far as I remember, the first week was probably the worst but very bearable.

He also asked if the composites were bothering and I said no. Unfortunately, these did not get removed and I don't think they will be taken out any time soon. The ortho said they will be grinding them down until they are completely gone to avoid my teeth hitting the lower brackets.

The next step was the change of the upper archwire. It took about 1 or 2 minutes. The assistant snapped the doors open with the tool, took the old wire out, put the new wire in, shut the bracket doors and that was it. She had minor problems with 1 bracket, but it seemed like it was because she did not place the tool properly. Other than that, it was a pleasant experience.

The ortho said the lower ones will stay as they are still bent - which means they are still working.

The new archwire are definitely stiffer than the old ones. I don't feel any real pain, just a very minor, almost unnoticeable pressure on the teeth. I am sure tomorrow I will feel it more just like the 2nd day with my braces.

My next appointment is in 8 weeks! Now, that is torture...

Day 41 with the Damon Braces and Blisters and Cuts

Status Summary: Anxious. I guess they are still moving... slowly.

Yup, I am getting a little anxious and don't seem to see as much progress with my teeth as I used to. But, this is probably normal as I don't think they really move more than just a few millimeters every couple of weeks or so.

In terms of comfort, everything has been feeling O.K. I spoke with a few coworkers who used to have braces and they all ask if it has been an unpleasant experience so far. Truth be told, it hasn't been too bad at all. I only had to use wax the second day and haven't had any blisters or cuts so far. I am assuming it all depends on your teeth and your lips.

There is also a major difference between the half clear brackets and the full metallic brackets. The half clear brackets have sharper edges, so when I speak a lot I noticed there is more rubbing and scratching with my upper inner lip.

Here are my latest pictures:






Tomorrow is going to be my first follow-up appointment. Wish me luck!

Day 34 with the Damon Braces and Brushing

Status Summary: Slight pain on my lower left incisor

I apologize as I do not have pictures available today. I will be taking some later this week (hopefully).

Today I wanted to write about brushing your teeth while having braces. I still remember what the assistant told me on the first day, "You must brush your teeth after every meal. If you can't, make sure you rinse your mouth very well."

For the first week or so I had no problems brushing after every meal. This meant brushing in the morning, brushing after lunch, brushing after my 4pm snack, brushing after dinner and brushing before sleeping after another snack. I skipped breakfast but that was still a total 5 times of teeth brushing per day. I guess I was still in the "honeymoon" period, so it did not seem too cumbersome.

It has been almost 5 weeks and I must tell you I have been slacking! I hope the orthodontist doesn't yell at me next week at checkup. Right now I cut back on brushing to about 3 times a day - in the morning, after my 4pm snack, and before sleeping.

Don't get me wrong, brushing is extremely important and I should not be so lazy. I am not an orthodontist but it makes sense to brush after every meal. With the braces, your teeth are actually moving - some are even loose. I guess they are a lot more vulnerable and food will easily get stuck between teeth and even go under the gum. If you let it accumulate, it would probably cause gum recession. The other problem I could see happening is that food stuck on the brackets could hinder the effectiveness of the archwires (and they might smell after a while).

I have to admit - being healthy is not easy. I try to eat small meals to avoid overeating but that leads to more brushing of the teeth.

So be warned, braces comes with a lot of brushing :D.

P.S. You are supposed to brush each tooth for about 10 seconds. There is a technique for brushing which I will write about in a later post.

Day 26 with the Damon Braces and Bean Soup

Status Summary: No big change.

Time really goes by fast - it has almost been a month since I first got my Damon braces on. The last week or so has been ok. I haven't had any major problems with the braces - which is kind of disappointing.

I feel like my teeth are pretty used to the braces and the current archwire. Two of my premolars are actually loose but they still have not moved to where they should be. Besides that the only slight tightness I feel is usually in the mornings right after I wake up.

I can't wait for my next appointment in 2 weeks. Hopefully they will change the archwire.

Here are some pictures I took earlier tonight.






Tonight I made some pinto bean soup to bring back the good old days when I couldn't bite down on anything and was having beans for a lot of my meals. I am no cook, but this was pretty simple to cook and was also very tasty.

Ingredients:
- 1 Tomato
- 1 Cup of Pinto Beans
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Large Potato
- 1/2 Onion
- 1/2 cup of ground pork/beef
- Salt and pepper

Instructions:
- Pre-soak the beans overnight
- Cut the vegetable into pieces
- Add all of the ingredient into a soup pan with about 3 liters of water (upto you).
- Done!

Day 15 with the Damon Braces and Eating

Status Summary: I am finally eat properly.

It has been a long 2 weeks. And yes, I can finally eat properly. I remember I tried eating an apple on Day 6 and it was unsuccessful and ended up throwing it away. It was cut into tiny pieces but my teeth were still too sensitive.

Here is how small I cut them.


Now I can pretty much eat anything. I guess the thing anyone should avoid is having hard food hit the brackets and knock them off.

Pain? Not really, a couple of molars felt itchy yesterday but I realized this means they are loose - just like how it felt when I was loosing my milk teeth. I also noticed I tend to push them, kind of giving them a nudge, so that that can move faster - probably not a good idea.

My bite has changed. I can definitely feel that my bite is slightly different. From the pictures it is actually closer than before even with the 2 composite materials still holding my bite slightly opened. This is probably why I can bite better and eat better now.

Day 15 pictures with the Damon Braces System (I will be taking more of these so that I can track my progress better):

Day 10 with the Damon Braces and Coffee

Status Summary: The painful teeth have become itchy.

Today I have this urge to bite. My teeth are starting to feel itchy and they are no longer painful. It still feels weird biting as I am sure they are still kind of adjusting.

My diet so far has been soft food and liquid food. This includes soups, rice with soup, overcooked pasta, noodle soups, mashed potatoes, tofu, ground meat. With this diet I think I have lost probably 1 pound.

Wearing braces really makes you think twice before you eat as you are supposed to brush after every meal.

Stains?
I have been drinking coffee daily (at least 5 times per week) even after having the Damon braces put on. I had read on forums that if you have the Damon 3 (half clear, half metal), the clear portion will stain but will wash off with brushing. Good news! It is true thus far. My braces are as clear as they were the first day I got them. Maybe it will be a different story after a few months of coffee but so far so good.

Day 7 with the Damon Braces

Status Summary: Slight discomfort, not much of a "pull" feeling anymore

It has been a week since I got my Damon Braces put on and there is a huge difference in feeling. I don't feel as much tension on my teeth anymore. I hope this doesn't mean they will stop moving.

Some of my teeth are a bit lose and some are more sensitive than others still but to a lesser degree when compared to last week. I figured that the more sensitive teeth are the ones moving - which makes sense.

I was comparing a picture I took yesterday to a picture I took on the first day and I must say there has been a very slight change. I am very excited! My teeth have actually moved! Hopefully it wasn't just the angle of the camera.

Here they are (Day 6 followed by Day 1)

Day 5 with the Damon Braces plus a Smoothie

Status Summary: Not much pain, but still having problems eating.

With every day that goes by I feel more and more used to having braces. In fact, I sometimes feel proud. I know, it sounds weird.

A habit I have noticed is the fact that I look at my teeth in the mirror a few times a day. This is hoping to see some progress with my treatment. It was not done in vain, I have been able to track some progress. Yes!! I used to have a wire touching one of my tooth but the gap between the wire and the tooth has grown by a millimeter which means my teeth have moved. That is pretty impressive. When flossing I also noticed some gaps are tighter while others are wider, another sign teeth are moving.

Another thing I noticed while poking around my teeth is that some of them are actually loose. I am glad the bracket is glued on so that they won't get lost if they do fall off :P. I did read a few forums and this is totally normal.

Eating hasn't been easy. I tried eating some Ramen noodles but I ended up having to use my tongue and my front upper teeth to "bite" the noodles. Yes, we are supposed to eat soft food and etc but my case is a little different as my bite was opened with 2 pieces of composite so I can't really bite down fully.

For those who are also having problems eating here is my smoothie recipe:

Peanut Butter, Banana, Smoothie:
- 1 frozen banana cut in pieces
- 1.5 cups of milk
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

Instructions: Blend all together and enjoy.

Day 3 with the Damon Braces

Status Summary: It still hurts, but it is much more bearable

Day 3 has been good to me. I think the worst is over (for now). Yesterday I was very frustrated with the feeling of the braces and the tightness on my teeth. Today there were even times when I would forget I had the braces on, maybe my brain is adjusting.

Eating is still very hard specially with the composites that opened up my bite. However, it still hurts when I bite anything about the same level of pain as yesterday.

One immediate benefit I noticed is that I can't bite my fingernails anymore! It is a little frustrating but I guess in the long term, it will be good for me.

Here is a picture of the toolkit and my braces again.