6 months post surgery - Braces off!!! All done!!!

Well after 31 months I have my braces off. What a transition! I had forgotten what my teeth felt like. I'm not brave enough to bite into an apple because my teeth still feel a little fragile to me. I'm happy to wait a little bit longer but so happy with the finished result. It has been a long road and many times I have thought I had made the wrong decision and regretted it but now it' all over, I'm very happy.
All the swelling has gone and I can open my mouth up completely. I still have the occassional twinge of pain in my jaw when i yawn but its constantly improving.
I now wear a brace behind my teeth that can't be seen. It will keep them in place and stop them from moving again. I also have a retainer to wear at night for the next 2 years.

I feel like a new person and achieved everything I set out to do. Very happy.

9 Weeks - WOW!! Before & After

WOW!! What an amazing difference. 

I'm close to getting my braces off now. Only a few months to go. I have to wear bands for a couple more weeks to pull my teeth closer together.

You can see I now have a jaw line now and my neck is firmer as a consequence.

It's funny. I didn't recognise myself in the mirror just after my operation. Now I don't recognise myself in these before photos:)

Week 7 - Back to work.

I started my new job this week, answering phones and talking to people all day. By the end of the day my lips were all tingly and my mouth had a few new ulcers from the movement of my teeth settling in their new position. 

I stopped taking Panadol daily and only took it a couple off times at night so I could go to sleep. 

My mouth is so much better now. I still have a few teeth that feel loose to me when I eat. Apparently they are not loose, it's just that my teeth are not yet aligned properly, so the teeth that actually touch are quite sore. When I bite down the root of the tooth hurts my gum and because of this I am still avoiding foods that are a bit hard. It's hard work trying to gently chew food twice as long as you would normally because it hurts to much to bite down with your full force. I have become a bit lazy and avoid anything harder than a banana or a sandwich.

Speaking of sandwiches........I had a ham, cheese and tomato sandwich the other day and I couldn't stop smiling. I must have looked like an idiot, sitting by myself smiling at my sandwich, but my teeth had cut through the ham and the tomato like a cookie cutter. I had never seen my own bite mark before. 

I think it's all up and up from here.

Good luck with your operation:)

Week 6 - Check Up

I have just been to see the Orthodontist. My teeth still don't join up properly. I will need a few more months of adjustments.

I now have a rubber band running along the top row of back teeth and down to the bottom jaw to pull them together. I can take it off to eat and clean my teeth but it is supposed to be on all the time. I will be taking it off if I get a job interview because it looks like a piece of dental floss stuck in my teeth. It does help line my jaws up properly. 

A  couple of times while I've been talking I've had a shooting pain go from my jaw through my face as if my jaw is going to pop out of place. The orthodontist said it could be a pinched nerve but we will wait and see. It may just be in need of healing properly.

It is such a waiting game. I also saw my doctor today and he said if I was 18 years old I would have completely recovered by now but being older it will take a while longer.

My teeth still hurt like they did when I first got the braces but the doctor said I should be chewing by now.  I can use my front teeth which is great. I haven't been able to bite properly before so I'm enjoying taking little bites although my mouth doesn't open very wide yet.

I have a lot more feeling now. Still numb in some spots but it's much better.

I've seen a few people that I haven't seen  since before the operation and they have noticed a big difference.  People that are close to me say it's not much different. I just look younger. 

So glad I did it! As time goes on I'm forgetting about the first 2 weeks and just focusing on the now. Very happy:)

Week 5 - Better day today

I have to keep reminding myself that it's only week 5 and my recovery is going well. It feels like the opreration was so long ago. 

I usually work on a reception desk and have given up my job to have this operation, giving myself plenty of time to recover. I'm feeling more confident in my speech now and my smile has progressed a little which is important so I can start looking for a new job. It still feels like I have a way to go but I'm sure I will get by and most people wouldn't notice.

I'm so happy with the results so far. I realise there is still some swelling but it's minimal now. I've noticed the skin on my neck and jaw line is now much tighter than before. It's like I've had a mini facelift as well.

My teeth are still too sore to use. I'm just chopping my food very fine. I have tried to bite into sandwiches and soft bananas but it just doesn't work yet. I cant open my mouth wide enough to take a good bite and I'm not sure if it's the numbness in my bottom lip or the lack of feeling in my bottom teeth but it feels like I'm trying to bite using Lego blocks. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like to eat a hamburger and being able to bite all the way through, but that might be a while away.

I've also cut down my pain medication. I'm only on Panadol now although I still wake each night having to take it to get back to sleep. All in all, a good week.

 I wouldn't recommend it for everyone and I was seriously doubting my decision on some days, but now I'm really glad I went through with it. I know I would have always regretted not doing it.

Week 4 - It's wearing me down

Another week has gone by and it feels like my progress has been very slow.

Each morning I wake up and the lower part of my face is very stiff. Firstly I reach for the painkillers and sit in bed waiting for them to kick in. I am still taking Panadol & Brufen. Once they've dulled the pain I can start my mouth stretches. It takes a few minutes, but my mouth and cheeks loosen up and I feel like I can face another day.

I am getting more and more feeling back each day but with the new feeling comes new pain. I get little twinges here and there. It is mostly the back teeth and gums. The roof of my mouth still feels very bruised and I still can't open my mouth wide enough to see inside. I also have a sore throat some days. It comes and goes. I still have a bit of swelling along my jaw and across my cheeks. 

I have been having afternoon naps each day. I tend to wear out after lunch. I was expected to loose about 5kg but I still weigh the same. I need to eat something each time I take the painkillers otherwise I get pains in the stomach so I'm actually eating more than I would normally.

The doctor said after week 4 I could start eating what ever I was comfortable with but I think I will stay with mush for a while longer. 

You can see in my photo that one side is still recovering quicker than the other.

I thought I would make a bit of an effort a wear a little bit of make-up for today's photo. I really couldn't be bothered over the past month but now I'm pushing myself to stay up beat.

I have good days and bad days. I'm sorry today is a bad day but I'm getting there :)

Week 3 - So happy

Well after 3 weeks I'm back in the land of  living and so happy with the way it's coming along.

I saw my Orthodontist and he explained that now we had joined the front teeth, the back teeth are no longer touching. So in 3 weeks time, when everything has settled down, he will put elastics on my back teeth to pull them down from my gum.

I also saw my doctor and he is very happy with the progress I'm making. I have to stay on soft foods for 1 more week and then eat whatever I can manage. He also gave me exercises to do. Basically I need to retrain my face muscles, so lots of mouth stretching.

One side of my face has bounced back quicker than the other but it shouldn't take to long to even out. I have another check up in 3 weeks after the elastics go on.