Crazy rubber bands? You can say THAT again!My ortho cut down the wires (hard to see, but now they only cover the front teeth, not the entire archs) today, and zig-zag'd "crazy rubber bands" up and down my entire mouth to tighten up the bite. I have to wear this for a whole week. Then remove the rubber bands and roam free for another week. Then go see her again to make sure there are no relapses. Then she will - drum roll, please - remove the braces!
This snapped me all the way back to the weeks immediately following surgery. My jaws are, in essence, wired shut again. AARRRGGGHHHH! The difference? This time I can remove the rubber bands when I eat. AND, yes, I can eat. Woohoo!
The timing couldn't BE any better. In a few hours I'm jetting over to Boston on a redeye (the price I pay for keeping my ortho appointment and saving two weeks) for training. Which means, my colleagues won't see me like this but for one day on Friday. Yep, I'm THAT vain. :) Plus, it's near impossible to "talk" through clenched teeth.
I wonder how anyone managed to understand me over the phone this afternoon. Bless their hearts!
6 comments:
Ouch! But why the crazy rubber bands? What are they meant to do at this stage? I don't understand!
Ahhhh ... the memories!
Chinderella, this type of elastic configeration is meant to align the upper and lower jaw in the proper bite configuration (vertically rather than horizontally). I'm not sure how often Orthos use this type of configuration when patients are six months post op, but you'll often see *triangle* configurations (like Bradyleigh has/had) at this stage of recovery.
Yikes! You poor thing! I guess you're an expert now though so I know you'll be alright. You're so close to freedom!
Hey Kristen,
That is the almost the exact configuration I had two weeks after my surgery, and my teeth were killing me for a couple days. It did go away though. I got done with those and got the new triangles which were even more fun! BUT! this means I'm almost done too! I have an appointment September 4th to take x-rays and set a debracing date! WE could be getting our braces off at the same time! I can say that the configuration you are wearing will will change your bite. You will be amazed at how much tigher and better it feels when it is all done in two weeks.
Can't wait to see your teeth naked! I'm so excited for you!
Brandy
I didn't realize that we were so close to the same schedule. You were braced Feb 7th and I was braced Feb 3rd. You had surgery before me but more work afterwards, I had a lot of work before surgery, and hopefully not much more now. WE seriously may end up getting our braces of within a week or two of each other. I don't have an official date yet, but I can tell it will be soon!
Doesn't it seem like so long ago that you had your surgery? I'm only 3.5 months post of and aside from the lingering numbness in spots, it feels like a distant memory. It is so wild what we have all been through, and now you are almost at the end! woo hooo!
Mylene, just like Bill said, the elastics are supposed to tighten up the entire bite, and close off the spaces between the teeth. Right now even though there are no visible/obvious gaps, the teeth are "loose" to allow movements. But as the ortho work comes to an end, they need to tighten it up and make it more "compact".
Post a Comment