Photos and B-Day!

I had another appointment on Monday 27th to have photos taken of my face and smile for my before and afters. It was a very short appointment and I didn't really get to ask any questions as the orthodontist who is in charge of my case accidentally slept in as she thought it was a Scottish bank holiday, oops!
So now all I need to do is visit my dentist and have to necessary teeth removed before getting my braces put on which has been provisionally booked for 15th JULY. Argh so excited and nervous at the same time. I don't know which teeth need to be removed yet as I was told the dentist would discuss it with me when I go on 10th June. I'll get some before photos up before my teeth  come out and braces on so you can have an idea of how they look now.
Also I'm starting back at work on 17th June so I'll probably have huge gaps in my mouth for a month or so before I get my braces which will be slightly embarrassing but hey ho I've perfected the art of smiling with my mouth closed for 27 years I'm sure I can handle it for another month. All in the name of a nice smile in a few years time.

Moulds

Today I had my first step onto the treatment wagon. I had an appointment with the orthodontist to get moulds of my teeth and bite. It was quite a quick appointment so nothing to much to report other than the fact that the plastic stuff they use to take the mould tastes disgusting, is very messy and your mouth will be stretched further than you thought was humanly possible!  The orthodontist thought perhaps I might only need one tooth out (one which had root canal treatment) but she'll discuss the treatment plan with me at my next appointment and I'll get my 'before' photos taken too. Things are moving so quickly now, hopefully won't be too long until I have those train tracks on and can start posting photos of my mouth transformation.

Treatment waiting list

I got great news I am now officially transferred from the consultation waiting list to the treatment waiting list, yipee! Not much to report other than they gave me a quick check up to assess if I had any further decay ( I didn't) and if i was still happy to get braces (yes yes yes!) and that was that. I now have to wait for 2-3 months for my next appointment which will be the teeth moulds, measurements probably x-rays etc.
So here's to looking like a 12 year old but a journey to straighter teeth.

Light at the end of the tunel

So a few thing have happened since I last posted which i forgot to blog about. At the end of November I ate a small piece of chocolate something super healthy from the fridge (you know the rock hard kind) and chipped the edge off a tooth which had root canal treatment on at the start of last year. I was worried that this might affect my chances of getting braces but  I was informed by the  consultant that would definitely be extracted if I did get braces. I attended my 6 monthly check up to my dentist mid December and luckily everything was fine, no more decay. So today I'm posting as I received my consultation appointment for the dental hospital again. The date is 7th February (1 month away eek!) hopefully this time I'll get assessed probably x-rayed and if all is ok hopefully I'll get told I'm going to get orthodontic treatment. I'll be back to let you know any updates.

Thumbs up

So today I had my review at the dental hospital to assess whether I was eligible for orthodontic treatment on the NHS. I nervously perched upon those torture like chairs they have at dentists. A lovely lady dentist assessed me exactly like my previous visit to the orthodontist, lots of numbers being shouted out and recorded. So eventually the dentist called over a consultant to discuss her findings with me and basically she said that the only thing that could hold me back from receiving braces was that I have so much 'restorative treatment', i.e. too many fillings, root canals etc. So I was sent off for an x-ray to assess the health of my teeth and make sure there was no underlying problems. Once the dentists had assessed the x-rays they called me back in to let me know the verdict. I was told that I have to wait 9 months to make sure that their are definitely no dormant problems which will need fixed and that I can go for a while without needing a filling! Other than that I definitely qualify for treatment, which I couldn't be more happy about. Actually after waiting for 2 hours during the whole appointment I think I would be happy if they told me it would take 9 years to be seen again! It sucks to have to wait so long for another review but I'm just glad to be getting the ball rolling. So if I go quiet on here for a while you'll know it's due to the wait however I'll pop on and keep you all updated with any news from dental check ups etc. and finger crossed I'll eventually be the 'brace lady'.

New Appointment

Just to keep you updated I received a letter from the Dental Hospital for my new appointment date. It is on the 24th May, so that makes it about 8 weeks between being referred between orthodontists, I'm rather surprised at how quickly I got my appointment I expected to be waiting another few months.
So about another 5 weeks to go and I'll post again to let you know what happened at the clinic.

Initial consulation

Today I had my appointment to assess my 'need for treatment' and whether I would be eligible to receive adult orthodontic treatment on the NHS. I was nervous but soon my name was called out and I was ushered to a dentist chair by a lovely dental assistant. I sat down and was introduced the orthodontist who owns the practice. He proceeded to ask me what my dental history was and after rattling off a long list of extractions, fillings and root treatment we finally got down to the assessment. I sat back nervously whilst being asked to  open and close my mouth repeatedly, smile from the side, be measured up by a little metal ruler and listen to him shouting out lots of different numbers which the assistant noted down. The only parts I really caught were that I have an over jet of 4mm and that the aesthetic component of my smile was a 7 possibly an 8.
So eventually eventually I was informed that the crowding in my teeth that would be easy enough to fix, however the hardest part would be correcting my over jet and alignment. The orthodontist suggested that I may need a consultant orthodontist to carry out the work and so I have been referred to my local dental hospital for assessment there. I'm still unsure if I am actually going to receive treatment but I assumed from the fact that my treatment would require a bit of specialist work that perhaps I do qualify, but who knows, confused.com!
I was then left with two lovely ortho assistants who were to take photos of my mouth. For someone who never smiles open mouthed in photos this was extremely unnatural. I had the taken front on with no smile, side on with no smile, front of with huge teeth showing smile, close up  front on with mouth retractor and close up of each side with mouth retractor.
Apparently my areas target for dental hospital orthodontic referrals is to be seen within 15 weeks, so I'm looking at up to the middle of July before being assessed again.
My advise to anyone thinking about a NHS referral for orthodontics is to ask as soon as possible, as it the process for assessment alone is a length one and that's not including treatment time.
Will update once I have my new appointment.
Keep on smiling :)

UPDATE: I just found this assessment guide online  which gives the full detail of my assessment today, thought it may be useful to know exactly what they are assessing for.