2nd Opinion..

Yesterday I skipped into the ortho's office, all excited at the possibility of him telling me nice things. HA. Here's the story...

I go in, fill in a health form and get called through. He has a look in my mouth and seems to have trouble locating which teeth I had out but eventually figures out that 5 are missing (I told him that already). The he puts the oh so sexy lip spreaders in and takes photos. It was so hard not to laugh!! Next up were the impressions...the bit I hate. The top wasn't too bad because he got me to sit forward so I didn't feel like I was going to choke but the bottom was horrible because the tray was digging in to my gums at the back and was really quite painful.

Anyhoo, we go over and have a look at my gnashers on the computer screen and I'm shocked to see that I have a brown spot on one of my front teeth that I had never noticed. How come the dentist and hygienist didn't notice it either? Great, one more thing to be paranoid about. That and the fact that one of my canines is quite yellow. JOY. Used to pride myself on my white teeth and I don't drink or smoke so I have no idea how that has happened.

So he says that he wants to get my moulds made up etc and devise some treatment plans before saying anything certain but he says it looks like I have three options:-
1) Teeth out to make space to bring the others back
2) Some sort of crazy implants to pull them back one by one from the very back teeth
3) SARPE

Estimated time for any option picked - 3 years.

He also wants me to see the visiting consultant when he's over which should be in the next 6 weeks.

He looked at me and said "this is really expensive and time consuming you know" in a very patronising way. Errrr, yes, I know and am fully prepared and aware of everything! I've done my research. I've probably done too much research!

I'm leaning towards the teeth out thing but....do I really want to remove healthy teeth?

I guess I will just have to wait and see what he says.

Today...

I honestly don't know how i'm going to last till 4.30 this afternoon. I'm so excited it's untrue! I'm not particularly looking forward to the impressions because they always make me gag but I have this little dream in my head that hopefully he'll look in my mouth and say -

"Sugery? That man is a FOOL! Come back in a couple of days and we'll brace you up. 8 months and we'll be done."

Well, I can dream can't I?!

Vive la France!

I'm so excited about my second opinion on Wednesday! And also excited because on Friday I booked my holidays! Going away for 5 days to France next Monday with Benji and Hugo...road trip from St Malo to DISNEYLAND! Yay! Apparently it should only take like 5 hours to get there but we'll see. Going to try and borrow sat nav off someone. I don't know how many of you have ever tried to drive in Paris but they're INSANE and last year I ended up getting stuck in the city centre for a total of 10 hours on the way there and back. Not fun. So this lunchtime I am going to buy some tent pegs and order my Euros. Whhheeeee!

It's started again

The grinding of my teeth that is. I've noticed over the past few weeks that my jaw is aching more and more during the day and last night my boyfriend woke me up and told me to stop grinding my teeth. Oh dear. It's been years since I did that (before braces #1 I believe) and would explain why my muscles ache...must be all that clenching.

These braces can't come quick enough! I wish I'd sorted this ages ago but money prevents...

The dreams have started

Last night I had probably the first of many dreams about my teeth and it was HORRIBLE. I remembered it about five minutes ago and my heart is racing just thinking about it.

Basically, I needed a tooth removed so I wobbled it a bit with my tongue and it just dropped out...no blood or pain, nothing apart from my gum feeling weird and soft. Anway, after that every tooth I touched just wobbled and dropped out. Then I noticed a big white molar emerging from the roof of mouth which fell out and dropped down my throat. I managed to cough it back up but I was panicking because my teeth were just falling out all over the place.

This is what the interweb has to say about it...

http://www.spiritualplatform.org/dreams/teeth-dreams.html

Shudder. I feel sick.

Panicking myself

I have such an over-active mind. Seriously. Situations go though my head that probably no-one in their right mind would think of and I think i'm also a hypochondriac. For instance - my posture is bad. I know this, it's obvious. But I was convinced I had scoliosis and that I was going to end up a hunchback. Then I read about a possible link between posture and jaw problems so I'm convinced it's either both or a really severe case of one of them now! Here is a list of things that are 'wrong' with me -

• ankles roll in (pronation I believe) - this has actually been confirmed by a doctor
• hips are wonky - this is TRUE, I don't CARE what other people can't see! There's something wrong! My clothes always end up twisted. :o/
• one leg longer than the other
• bad posture which will ultimately result in some sort of crazy hunchback
• a 'high bum' - no trousers IN THE WORLD can cover my builders crack it seems
• a receeded jaw - again, confirmed by a doctor who now wants to smash my face up and start again
• deviated septum - something's not attached right in there
• wonky eyebrows - well, it bothers me
• giant ribcage - I know i'm thin but this is silly
• difficulty swallowing due to stress - well can you blame me?!

I should stop googling things :o/

Second opinion...

As i'm really not happy with what ortho Wallis said (and the fact that he is SO expensive and I have to wait SO long for even the impressions to be taken) I have booked an appointment with a different ortho. I already feel more at ease with this one as the receptionist I spoke too was really nice and explained everything well. Don't want to jinx it or anything though :o)

So, I have an appointment with Mr Bartlett on 13th August for a consultation AND impressions and all of it will cost me 94 squids! Wish I hadn't wasted the original 83 on Wallis now!

Question though - does Wallis being busier and more expensive mean that he is better or just that more posh people go there? I want a good job done obviously but I also want to feel at ease.

We shall see.

Freaking out

I have just got back from the ortho (which cost me 83 QUID) and I am a little bit in shock. Since reading about braces and orthodontia etc I have kind of thought that jaw surgery (probably mandibular advancement) would be what I needed. But today I heard it from a professional and it has freaked me out. He said I would probably need a Lefort I too. I feel like crying. Apparently I have a long face and while my teeth look like they stick out (which I still think they do - at least to some degree), it's actually my lower jaw that is recessed.

I don't know what to do. He says I have to option of just having braces but they wouldn't bring my teeth back too far because they seem to be at the right place in my face. It would be a case of bringing them back a bit and then bringing my lower teeth forward. Whatever they did last time seemed to work though and I was ecstatic with those results. He would need to shave my teeth down to make room this time he said. I'm really confused. :o( He didn't really state if the surgery would be functional or cosmetic and I wouldn't do that for just cosmetic reasons.

Anyhoo, back to him for impressions etc on 9th September.

My toofs...

So here are my teeth as they are today -

Top arch

Showing the overjet

Natural smile

Showing the overjet again

Not a pretty sight :o(

1 more sleep...

Only one more sleep till I see the ortho! I can't wait. I bet I won't be able to sleep tonight at all...it's going to be like christmas eve or something!

Anyway, to pass the time I will post a pic of something pretty. Enjoy!

Waiting...

I'm going a bit crazy waiting for my ortho appointment on Tuesday...I know I was lucky and have had to wait only 2 weeks but I want this done so much that it's taking forever. Funny thing is, I know i'll look back on this in a few months when i'm all braced up and it will seem like forever ago...

I should be working...

See above. But it's Friday afternoon and who can be bothered on a Friday afternoon? However, being at work means i'm unprepared for this blogging thing...ie, no pictures or easy references but I just couldn't resist starting after spending most of the afternoon reading other people's blogs.

Anyway, i'm getting braces again. Big woop. I know it's boring to the majority but for me it's the most exciting and frightening thing i've done for...well, ever.

The other day I was browsing through some sites and reading all about mandibular advancement surgery. I then remembered the visiting ortho telling me that I should have it when I was about 16. I was like "noooooooo" and nothing more was ever said. But now, after reading all these stories, i'm becoming more and more convinced that it's what I need. I'm not only scaring myself silly but i'm also becoming strangely excited by the whole idea.

I have my appointment on 22nd July so we'll have to see then I suppose. I'm not even sure they do that over here.