Teeth whitening

6th May 2015

I started whitening my teeth today. I have the polanight 16% carbamide peroxide gel. 

I was a little apprehensive after my boyfriend told me how painful his teeth were when he whitened his. This gel says that it has a unique blend of soothers, conditioners and a water content high enough to further reduce sensitivity. 

Sounds good right! 

I put a small amount of gel in the retainers as the instructions stated and put them in my mouth. I followed the instructions and left them in for 90 minutes. l think I was a little too cautious with it because the gel was mainly near the edge of my teeth when I removed them. I will put more in tomorrow. I didn't experience any sensitivity really, only a little in my front tooth. Might be because I didn't put enough in :-/. 

Here is day 1 of whitening. 

Day 2 

I put abit more in today and spread it around a little to make sure it went on evenly. Whitened them for around 60 minutes tonight, had no sensitivity at all :). 

Month 31

16th April 2015

I have been so excited for today..... today was the day I had my braces off.

Max started by taking the lower brackets off which just popped off. The ceramic braces were a little more difficult and needed some grinding off. The left molar band didn't want to budge and Max had to grind it to weaken it!

It took an hour to get them all off and was a little uncomfortable pulling the ceramics off. It was all worth it when Max handed me the mirror, I really couldn't believe they were my teeth. I have always seen people's nice straight teeth and never thought mine would ever look like that even after braces.

Max then fitted my upper bonded retainer and took moulds for my retainers.

Here are my before treatment pictures (cringe). Can really see how prominent they were here.

My teeth after braces :) I couldn't be happier. I can't stop feeling them with my tongue and looking at them.

 

 

I am getting an extra set of retainers made to start whitening them, I will blog my progress once I start.

22nd April 2015

I picked my essix retainers up today, the bottom one hadn't arrived so It will be mailed to me next week. I am to wear them full time for 2 weeks and then just at night. 

28th April 2015

I received my lower retainer today in the post. Wow it was tight at first I thought is this someone else's 😳. It took some pushing and I got it in. Very painful to take it out and has irritated my gums. My ortho also asked me to write a testimonial for their website. Here are my teeth with my retainers in. 

1st May 2015

My lower retainer has started to feel lot more comfortable and looser. I will start whitening them soon now that my gums are feeling better.  I feel so much more confident with my new teeth, best decision I have made. 

Month 30

Wednesday 4th March

Everytime I see Max now, my wedding date pops up on the PC. The countdown is on! 

Today Max removed my top wire and asked me to take a critical look at my teeth and tell him what I thought. I said my bite on the left still isn't aligning well and he agreed. He did say from day 1 that the left side would never be perfect due to my uneven bite.

He put a more rigid wire on to bring them more into line and fitted some elastics from my molar to canine on both sides. 

I go back in 4 weeks, Max said depending how my top teeth look he will remove my braces at my next appt. He will remove the bottom ones regardless and fix my permanent retainer. I am so excited for my next appt eeeek. 

Month 28

Wednesday 21st January

First thing Max did today was take an impression of my lowers for my fixed permanent retainer. 

I then told Max that I'm not that happy with my front teeth. I feel the left central incisor is still crossing over the right. He agreed and said he can sort it. 

He then took the brackets off the central incisors and left lateral incisor. Max has taken a few of my lower brackets off in the past and I thought the ceramics would be pretty much the same. NOPE! Ceramics are alot harder to take off, alot of pulling and crunching. He had to grind a few off where they had broken when he was trying to get them off. I got a little sneak peek of how my teeth will look with my braces off, eeee I am excited. I couldn't stop looking at them and feeling them with my tongue. 

He attached an elastic to my molar to help pull it back and gave me some small elastics to put on my left second premolar to my canine at night only. 

Max reassured me we have enough time to make all the small adjustments and have them off by the wedding in May. I go back in 6 weeks. 

Month 29

My bite has definitely changed since using the elastics. The gaps on the left are still there though. The elastic has alao opened up the gap between my canine and lateral incisor. 

My central incisor looks a bit better but I think I have to stop being as picky. They are a million times better than they were before.  

Month 27

10th December 2014

Went to the ortho today thinking my gaps hadn't closed but Max was happy with them. I was expecting them to close more but maybe that is just the shape of my teeth?

He removed the elastics and attached a bracket to my back molar to close the gap. He said next time I go he will attach elastics to my canines to bring them inline more. 

17th December

Wow that back molar was painful with the new bracket, reminded me of having my braces for the first time again. It was painful to chew and my bite was really off. I took some paracetamol and was fine then after a few days. 

Month 26

5th November 2014

I went for my adjustment today feeling a bit disappointed that the gaps still haven't closed yet. They have changed so much though and I am very happy, think I just want it done now. I am also worrying a little that they won't be done in time for my wedding in May. I am sure they will be. I also want them whitening before the wedding if I have enough time.

Anyway back to the 5th of November. 

Max (my ortho) also seemed disappointed about how little they had moved. He said we can put the elastics on differently and they should be closed by your next appointment. I hope so. 

They did feel alot tighter afterwards :) always a good feeling as I know they're gonna move! He also took the bracket off my lower incisor to 'fine tune it'. It has made quite a difference to my bite already. 

I go back in 7 weeks so here's hoping the gaps close, then it won't be long until i'm done. 

I can't remember if I mentioned this on my blog or on the metal mouth messgae board. When I first got my braces my lips became very chapped and dry and have been ever since really unless I use a balm. I have since narrowed it down to flouride toothpaste. I now use a natural toothpaste and my lips are in a much better condition. I still use my balm, but not as often. Just thought I would share that :) 

Month 24

Wednesday 24th Sept

I went for my adjustment today. The gaps hadn't closed as much as he hoped so he replaced the elastics and wires. 

He told me that once the gaps close ( should be closed for my next appointment in 6 weeks) we can just do a few adjustments and I will be finished :). 

He said my front teeth were different shapes so he rounded my front right tooth off a little. He also straightened my bottom tooth out and they look alot better. 

Month 22

Wednesday 30th July

Went to my ortho today for my adjustment. The gaps have really started to close up. Thought It was going to be a normal new wire and elastic appointment.......WRONG! 

My ortho got some bolt cutters out eeek and cut my TPA! Was a huge crack but didn't hurt. He ground down the excess to smooth them off. Aaahhh I have the roof of my mouth back :). 

Then he said he can get my lowers straighter so he took 3 brackets off, ( came off easier than I thought they would) and replaced them. I got clear bands too. 

He replaced my upper wire and elastics too. I have a wire with a spring (I think) to help pull my uppers back. 

Hopefully when I am back in 8 weeks the gaps will have fully closed. He said just a few fine adjustments left then. 

20th August 2014

The first week after my adjustment my teeth were uncomfortable again and I found it hard to bite into things. My tongue was getting cut to shreds from the molar bands where my ortho has ground them down, so i used wax. After about a week my tongue 'manned up' and it is OK now.

The gaps are closing up more, i can't fit my tongue in the gap anymore :) ( I am realsing how much I stick my tongue between the gap now lol).

I go back for my adjustment in 5 weeks time.

Month 21

I haven't posted for a while because there hasn't been much movement. It's been quite slow! 

Today I went for my adjustment and my ortho meant business and put double elastics to start really pulling them back. 

They were abit tight for a while and I really noticed the difference this time :). 

He said we are looking at having my braces off at the end of the year eeee. 

My teeth on 5th June 

Month 16

22nd January 2014

Today I went for my adjustment. Ortho said it's time to start pulling my front teeth back into the gaps he created. He changed my wire and added elastics to start pulling them back. He also adjusted my bottom teeth. 

They were abit tight for a few days and a week later I can just about bite into my wrap at dinnertime. 

Here are my teeth today, not a huge difference from the front but check out the difference from when I first got my ceramics. 

This was back in August 

This is now :) 

Month 15

27th November 2013

I went for my adjustment today. Nothing too eventful really. 

My ortho changed my top wire and put a powerchain on my front 4 teeth. He

changed my ligatures at the back to a silvery colour. He also adjusted the back bottom teeth slightly.

Not too painful either so I got off lightly this time. 

He said when I go back for my adjustment in 8 wks he will start pulling my teeth back to close the gaps. :) looking forward to that, will see the changes then. 

Month 14

3rd October 2013

It's a week until my next adjustment and today I had a brace drama. I was eating crackers and all of a sudden my back molar felt funny.... The ligature had come off the bracket and the wire was bent around 2 teeth. Eeek panic! I phoned the ortho n she told me how to put it back in myself. I have to becareful what I eat now. Other than that my teeth feel great. I am used to my TPA now and I can eat more or less anything i want ( until today). 

9th October

I went for my adjustment today. My ortho changed my bottom wire and adjusted them, ouch! It was quite uncomfy this time. The wire is alot thicker, so instant tightness. He complimented me on how clean my ceramic braces were. He said they usually stain easily. I don't drink tea and coffee and I haven't had curry, but other than that I haven't avoided anything. He then adjusted my uppers and changed the ligatures and off I went. I go back in 7 weeks. 

15th October

My lowers were quite painful for around 4 days after my adjustment. When my lowers have been adjusted it always makes me feel asthough i'm getting a sore throat. I think it's because they give me a funny headache and my mouth aches. I took paracetamol and I was fine. I ate soft things again for a few days but i'm back to eating whatever i want again now. 

I have noticed my bite on the left side is changing. My teeth actually meet more now. Before braces my bite was that bad I couldn't chew on the left side at all. My teeth just didn't match up. 

Month 12

21 August 2013

I know I haven't blogged for around 6 months, but it has been a slow process moving my top canines. 

FINALLY they have moved enough for me to get my ceramic braces today. I will only be getting half my ceramic brace and also molar bands and a TPA.

Here is a picture of how they are now, lovely and gappy :). I will update when I get my ceramics. 

Right side

Left side

23rd August 2013

Wohoo I got my ceramic braces on the 21st. 

First of all my ortho put the bracket around my upper back teeth which is attached with a wire to the roof of my mouth... That was quite painful, very tight! He then attached my ceramic braces. Tightening them was abit uncomfortable but not too bad. 

I am sooo pleased with how they look and he gave me a white wire, I was expecting a metal one. 

That night my back teeth were uncomfortable, but my teeth feel fine other than the back ones. The lowers were more uncomfortable when I had those on. The wire on the roof of my mouth will take some getting used to as it is quite low. Its difficult to swallow food and it gets stuck in it, eww. Any pressure from my tongue on it also hurts my back teeth. I will get used to it though. 

I am back to really soft foods, I can't really chew all that much. 

I am glad to be rid of that removable brace! I didn't keep it, I kinda think I should have done now, oh well. 

I go for an adjustment in 7 weeks. I can't wait to see the changes :) 

Month 6

6th February 2013

Today I went to the orthodontist thinking I was going to get my ceramic braces. Turns out i'd got a little confused. Now I have had my teeth out the ortho has instead activated the springs on my removable brace to push my fangs into line. He said this will make it quicker and easier to push my teeth back when I get my ceramics. He wants to see a gap and my top fang sitting kind of behind my bottom fang. He said my bite is coming on well :) go back in 5 weeks for another adjustment.

Here are my teeth today 5 weeks later (12/3/13) I definitely have a gap now.

Month 5

23rd January 2013

Yesterday was the day I had been dreading since the day I first discussed braces with my ortho.... Teeth out day!

I have never had any teeth out by a dentist before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. The injections he gave me in the roof of my mouth really hurt, but after that the actual pulling of my teeth wasn't too bad and was over quite quickly. I had my two first premolar teeth out at the top.

They have been abit achey today and a bit tricky to eat. I haven't worn my removable brace since as the dental nurse advised me not to. I will put it back in in a day or two.

I have an appointment with my ortho in two weeks to get my top ceramic braces fitted.

 

 

Here is one of my gaps. You can see how prominent my front teeth are from the side. Not for much longer :)

 

Month 4

2nd December 2012

It has been over 4 months with my removable brace and nearly 2 months with my lower fixed brace.

My first adjustment

I went for my first adjustment on the 28th November. He had a look at the tooth that had previously been bothering me and agreed it could be due to me clenching my teeth at night. Due to me having such an uneven bite he said I bite down very hard on the right side. Luckily I have had no pain since...touch wood. I have some deep fillings in my back teeth so the ortho said he wont be surprised if any of those may need root canal at some point.

So he then unhooked the wire from the bracket on my bicuspids ( I think) and tightened just those two teeth. It was a little bit uncomfortable but I was expecting alot worse. My teeth have felt fine since and I can still chew yay!

My ortho said he will write to my dentist now so I can have my two top bicuspids taken out eeek, and then fit me with springs. I have no idea what these springs are going to be like but I googled springs and they look painful. It'll all be worth it though and he said they will reduce my treatment time by 3 months :). I plan to have my teeth out late January, then around a week later I will be fitted with my upper ceramics, I think, and the springs.

Here are my teeth today, my lowers have changed so much and feel so straight already. I can'y wait to get my upper fixed brace and see the changes on my top teeth.

Month 3

23rd October 2012

So it has been nearly 12 weeks with my removable brace.... nearly half way through :), time is flying. I had a temporary filling put in my back tooth after my filling fell out, panic over! I will have a white filling when I have finished my orthodontic treatment.

It has been 5 weeks with my fixed bottom braces and I can already see some changes in my teeth. When I take my removable brace out to clean them, I have a sneaky bite down to see if they have changed at all and I can definitely feel a difference.
My teeth aren't painful at all anymore, although the back teeth do sometimes still hurt when I chew even soft things. There are still some foods I cant eat and I definitely can't bite into anything, I use a knife and fork.

Here's my teeth today, I will update again when I have my first adjustment in 5 weeks time.

Month 2

23 Sept 2012

I have now had my removable brace for 6 weeks, my lisp has more or less gone and it has been easier to eat.
My jaw has stopped aching and I can feel a slight change in my bite when I take the brace out to clean my teeth.

On 19 Sept 2012 I went for my fixed lower brace fitting. The orthodontist had a cancellation and scheduled me in earlier than expected.
The fitting only took half an hour and wasn't painful, it felt a bit tight and strange in my mouth but was OK. He has attached a bracket to my very back tooth which hasn't come through properly hoping to pull it up. I was given a care kit with fluoride mouthwash, ortho toothbrush, toothpaste, inter dental brushes, dental wax and disclosing tablets.
The next day my teeth were sore and it felt like constant pressure on my teeth, I could hardly chew anything. I was only eating soft foods again. Brushing is also difficult, I am worried about breaking my wire and making sure I clean my teeth properly and inbetween the brackets. I attempted to floss but they were too sore so I'm sticking with my interdental brushes for now.
When I am asleep I want to close my mouth which is impossible with my removable brace, so that is really painful now my teeth are sore from the brace.

The pain has eased over the past few days and it is getting easier to chew some things, my ortho said it would be like this for a week or so. I had a bracket rubbing my cheek a bit at first so I put some dental wax around the bracket and bonjela on my cheek and it's been fine since.

Yesterday a filling fell out of my top back molar which my removable brace attaches to :( hopefully I will still be able to wear my brace after I see my dentist tomorrow because my overbite is too big not to, I will break my lower braces.
I am excited to see the changes in my teeth now I have my braces, I have my first adjustment in 10 weeks time.

Month 1

11 Aug 2012

Getting my removable brace . On the 8/8/12 I went to pick up my removeable brace, I didnt have to have impressions done again because he used the impressions from my consultation. When I got there my ortho said I wont be having my bottom back tooth out anymore as my back teeth wouldn't sit together properly afterwards, phew kinda glad, just 2 to have out now.
I put my removable brace in, wow it felt strange. I had a lot of salava and found it difficult to swallow. My removable brace has a deep palette to correct my bite so my mouth is always slightly open, and it gives me a lisp when I talk.

Living with my removable brace.The ortho told me to only take my brace out to clean my teeth, which I knew was going to be difficult. The first time I had a drink I nearly choked because I couldnt feel it on the roof of my mouh. Chewing is difficult as my molars dont touch so I cant bite down I am only eating soft things like curry, tuna, cheese, potato and lots of yogurt, I could really do with being on a drip for the next 6 months ( ok abit of an exaggeration). It is getting easier every day, so I am sure in a few weeks it will be a breeze.

My teeth aren't that painful at all but my jaw aches, I think that's because my bite is being corrected rather than my teeth moving. My lisp has improved now I am getting used to it and I can already feel the difference in my jaw when I take it out to clean my teeth.

I wasnt going to have my fixed lower brace put on until next year, but my ortho suggested we "bite the bullet" and get my fixed lower brace put on as soon as possible.He said to get used to my removable brace first and then put the fixed lower brace on so in October I am getting my fixed lower brace. I will keep you updated between now and then.

My removable brace, this is as far as my mouth with close.

The beginning...June 2012

So I have been thinking about having a brace for years now. I finally took the plunge and made an appointment with an orthodontist. I have decided to blog my progress with pictures along the way, hopefully I'll also help other adults in making their decision to have a brace.
I already knew my teeth were in a bad way, with a large over jet, crowding and uneven bite. I read a lot of stories online especially archwired.com which really helped me.
I went to my appointment yesterday and the orthodontist said i have an 11mm over jet :-/ uneven bite and would need 3 teeth extracting, 2 from the top and one from the bottom. That part worried me the most... who wants healthy teeth out!! But i have to sacrifice them, it'll be worth it in the end. I will be having a removable top brace for 6 months, then a fixed metal brace along the bottom to sort my bite problem and fixed ceramic braces on the top, for a total of 2 years. At the end of the treatment he said i will have a permanent wire at the back of my teeth to keep them straight. He said the right side of my mouth would be text book perfect at the end of the 2 years but my left side wouldn't be as perfect due to the overbite. It's got to be better than how they look now.
My appointment for the impressions for the removable brace is in August so will update then.

This is what my teeth look like now before the braces, but not for much longer :).