catgyrl

I’ve finally decided to take care of something that should’ve been done 30 years ago – take care of this overjet problem I’ve had since grade school. (Warning to Kids: This is what chronic thumbsucking will do to you!)

I got a referral from my regular dentist for a (FREE!) consultation with an orthodontist who works right next door to him, and I was able to get in to see him the very same day. His office was very busy; however, he had a lot of techs there with him and everything moved quickly and smoothly. (I have no problems with crowded doctor’s offices; however, I do have problems with chaos, and there was none of that here.) I noticed a girl getting her braces removed and he actually sat down on a little sofa and took a pic with her (to go on the wall later) and gave her a goodie bag. He was very professional, and is very good friends with my referring dentist. He was my first and only consult, but I felt so comfortable, I agreed right away. (Didn't want to think about it some more and chicken out!) Besides, I’d already read so much from these forums, that I was not surprised with whatever he had to tell me.

Due to overcrowding of my top teeth, and the angle of the overjet (leaning towards the right), he said I’d probably have to have at least one of my premolars (top left) extracted. He’d then put the braces on and check later to see if I needed anymore extractions. Now, even though I wasn’t surprised he told me this… I still was not too happy at having to remove a perfectly healthy tooth. But I know in the long run, it’s the best thing. (My last experience with a tooth extraction was my wisdom teeth over 10 years ago – two were no problem; the other two were agony.) He strongly recommended metal braces vs. ceramic braces due to many factors: cost, ease of keeping them clean (no worries about staining the clear ligatures), and the fact that the metal braces would better camouflage the gaping hole where my tooth used to be.

I was so comfortable with him, and with what I needed to do, that I decided right away this is what I wanted to do. He's a very busy doctor, with two separate offices, so it's not like he NEEDED the business. His staff were so efficient, that even though it was late in the afternoon, they were able to get my impressions, x-rays and pics taken the very same day. (I was not expecting this, as I’d had a bad cold and looked and felt like complete and utter CACA. I guess those will be great “Before” pics!) The woman who took my pics said she had the same ortho and he “saved her life” (and teeth). As I mentioned/complained about having to yank a tooth, she told me she had to take out SIX! That shut me up pretty quickly.

Next Steps: Doc will review my records and get back to me with a treatment plan. I’m assuming that will mean an appointment with my dentist for the extraction, and then if all goes well… a week or so later I’ll have my braces! I shall keep you all posted. Wish me luck…