Progress in pictures

Ok, time to give y'all a photo update. It's been a month since I got the power chain and new wires on. Next adjustment is November 7th. For all photos below, you can click on it to bring you to my Flickr site where you can view them larger. These are all comparisons of week 0 and week 4 following my last adjustment.



Above: Notice how 2-2 have moved closer together.



Above: Notice how the lower teeth are out in front now. The gaps up top have almost closed.



Above: Notice how the lateral incisor has moved forward. This tooth is called a 'peg lateral' due to its shape. Peg laterals are genetic, so somewhere down the line my successors won't even have this tooth! Eventually I will get this one bonded so that it has a proper shape.



Above: And from the other side, same thing. You can see how far the lateral incisor has moved forward. I'll hazard a guess that my next adjustment will include a new and longer power chain to move my 3-7's forward.



Above: And here's one of my underbite. I've always had this, except now that my teeth are in much better alignment it is much more apparent. My jaw reconstruction surgery will correct this. Compare to my pre-op/pre-braces photo and you will see just how much of a pointy arch I used to have.

I got my top left wire trimmed last week. It had been poking me for some time and I couldn't stand it any longer. A little snip and I was good to go.

Last night I went to a restaurant, something I haven't done for over 6 months! It was a Thai place and I ordered sweet and sour tofu with mixed veggies. I was pleasantly surprised at how little trouble I had chewing the crunchy veggies (green pepper, cucumber...). I used my back teeth of course and tried to be careful. Got a bit of it stuck in the braces, as expected, but my trusty proxa-brush was useful until I got home. The other night I tried to carefully bite into a butter tart. It was the kind with a pretty thick crust...couldn't do it.

I've noticed that making certain sounds has become more difficult. Seems that 'S' in particular is a nuisance. I think this is due to my top incisors being angled back where they ought to be, and my braces making it harder to pose my lips to make certain sounds. I gather that my LeFort will give my tongue a little more room to correct this. Just have to wait it out for now.

I also went for a cleaning with Cheryl at Dr G's. She told me to 'keep doing what I'm doing', so I take that as meaning I'm doing a good enough job of keeping things clean. I've been using both my Rota-dent and manual brushes, my rubber tip tool, and flossing when I feel I need it (which probably should be more than I am, but it's such a hassle threading it through the wire!).

As far as numbness goes, I am still somewhat numb behind my top front teeth. I notice it most when chewing. I doubt it will get much better until my front teeth are fully aligned as it seems the movement makes it temporarily worse.