Sunny

In September 2006 I had my 8th adjustment.

Uppers ... no change
Lowers ... upgraded archwire and new purple ligs

Plus ... class III elastics to start work on my bite.

The elastics go from my upper ...

3 August 2006

I had my seventh adjustment on 28 June 2006.

Dr C is still concerned with my bite, and after putting three more brackets on my lowers ... now every tooth is bracketed, he said I was going back a wire strength ... stronger than ...

I had my sixth adjustment on 17 May 2006.

I now have a bright blue powerchain (7 loop), upper left to right front central. It's been moved across one. Dr C said he's doing this to bring my midline close to where it should be, as it was ...

I had my fifth adjustment on 5 April 2006.

Dr C changed both upper and lower archwires.

He said he wouldn’t replace the lower right back bracket as more important things to do.

I asked for ...

I had my fourth adjustment on 15 February 2006.

It was basically a non event ... funny how the last few have been like that!

The assistant prepared all the stuff for Dr C to replace the bracket that had come off the right lower second premolar, but when Dr C had a look he decided to leave it off. He said there was a filling on the side of that tooth and he was surprised the bracket had remained put for as long as it had. He then moved the archwire back to the right, ...

Dr C is all smiles and we chat easily as usual ... mainly about Christmas coming.

So I do it just as I'd planned ... "Dr C I want christmas colours this time." I guess his look told me the answer ... damn it! I think he realises from the look of total ...

Went to the oral surgeon first ... his report ...

• recommends that the impacted upper right canine not be touched! He does not think it should be exposed or removed as there is risk it will damage the nerves of the teeth around it and therefore

...

Had my first adjustment, six weeks after getting upper braces ... and I thought it would be uneventful, but that wasn't to be the case.

First Dr C asked me to open, bite, open, bite, open, bite etc. He wasn't happy about where my teeth where coming ...

Dr C then discussed my treatment plan and after looking over the x-rays (official report yet to be received) he decided to put only the top brackets on, as he believes the top will need a lot more work. Lowers to go on in November following meeting with oral surgeon.

The putting on of the brackets (five ceramic 3M clarity, four Nu-Edge cobalt chromium metal brackets and two buccal molar brackets) ...

Upper Arch


Lower Arch


This shows the gaps in the upper arch (between lateral incisor and first premolar for impacted canine and a gap between my upper central and lateral) and the lack of a lower arch, which was part of the reason for my double bite and probable jaw and neck pain.

Front


Right


Left

• I have a double bite ... which means I bite in two places, one where I should, and one that causes stress on my jaw joints.
• an impacted upper right canine
• an extracted lower right

...

I had been told I needed to have my impacted canine (upper right) sorted, since a dentist first told me about it when I was in my early 20's. But ... I was busy, newly married, teaching high school and we were planning to have children. There was no time for such things ... plus no money.

A decade later, I was having recurring bouts of pain in my neck and jaw. Most people I consulted seemed to consider it came from my back, but a variety of treatments did not help.

...