Before Brace Photos

I finally got around to taking some before photos of my teeth. It's now only 6 days until i get my braces put on and i'm getting excited. Today I got one tooth extracted (upper right 5) and it's actually been fine, no pain although i almost fainted int he dentist after i had it done!
Right now i'm worried about how restricted i'll be food wise when the braces are on, but i've stocked up with soup for emergency rations.  I also need to get together a little travel brushing kit for brushing after eating, it will take some getting use to.

So here are my photos from  a few days ago and today after I had my tooth out. I cannot wait until this is not the teeth i see when looking in the mirror, roll on Brace day! My apologies before hand as my teeth are a mess with lots of fillings/root treatments etc.

close up

my bite

right side view

left side view

upper arch (before extraction)

lower arch

upper arch today after extraction (sorry its still a bit bloody and grusome)

 Next time I post here I hope to have my brace face on, and will hope to post regularly with my progress and just generally how things are coping with them, so check back soon.

B-day v.2

Ok so there may have been some confusion over my last appointment and what happening. It turn out the appointment on the 15th July was for the orthodontist to assess which extractions I needed. So good news is I only need one tooth out and I am definitely getting my braces on the 19th August. I have been informed to have the tooth taken out at my own dentist 1-2 weeks before  the 19th. I have been giving an estimated time of 2 years for the braces to be on, seems like ages now but I had it in my head that it would take longer so it was a nice surprise. So I'll get some photos before an after extractions and will be back with those soon and then to show off my tooth bling in a few weeks time.

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'.