Good evening my lovely jaw people,
I do apologise for not having written this sooner, but I've been busy with recovery... Nothing to do with simply forgetting...
ANYWAY, I SURVIVED!
On Friday (5th Sept 2014) I checked into Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford. Firstly, I must comment on how great all the staff there were. We checked in early, was seen within 15 minutes and went through and was given my own little area. There was a beautifully comfy chair.
Then one-by-one we met with different staff. First the anaesthetist, then a dentist, and then a senior member of the orthodontic staff, who would be performing the surgery. All were lovely, but my family and I was particularly impressed with the final member of staff, who we found out will also be working on my big surgery next summer.
Anyway, I went through, was chatting with the anaesthetist, and then fell asleep. When I awoke, it was over. Simple. I was disappointed, however, that I wasn't allowed to keep the teeth. See, dear readers, I had a plan for my teeth. Together, all four would have made a charming charm bracelet for my girlfriend. It would've also covered four events as a gift. Just think, Christmas, anniversary, birthday, another Christmas. All would've been covered. But no. The surgeon just laughed at me instead...
I went home, ate plenty of yoghurt and jelly and slept lots. Recovery over the past few days has just been slowly going on. I've had a constant pain on the lower right socket, but I've just gotten through. I'm now at the stage where I'm coming off my painkillers, which is a good sign!!
I have no pictures of swelling, mainly because there really wasn't actually. I was very lucky in this sense. The only problem I had was not being able to normal food. I love food. Have I ever told you that? Anyway, being on a partially liquid diet for three days was torture. But now I'm back to normal, and have been baking cakes and cooking all sorts of beautiful things (pancakes, bacon and maple syrup...yum...).
Otherwise, I'm just getting ready to back to University and have been reading a great range of literary works- from Victorian science novellas to post-war British literature, I love my degree!!
Next ortho appointment: 17th Sept 2014. I doubt anything will happen, but will provide a quick update :3
Hope everyone is doing well!!
So, to summarise, I'm four wisdom teeth lighter, but much the better man for it...
Wednesday 10 September 2014
Tuesday 12 August 2014
Wisdom Teeth Removal
JAW BUDDIES!!
I write to you today after my joint consultation earlier. The appointment had good news and bad. I want to begin with the bad.
Bad news, my surgeon is changing. My family and I liked him, but he is leaving, so sad times!
Good news, I'm getting my wisdom teeth out on the 5th September!!! I was under the impression that I was getting them out at Christmas. Having it done sooner is, of course, a good thing!
At my appointment, I will meet my new surgeon.
So, basically, a good day.
I write to you today after my joint consultation earlier. The appointment had good news and bad. I want to begin with the bad.
Bad news, my surgeon is changing. My family and I liked him, but he is leaving, so sad times!
Good news, I'm getting my wisdom teeth out on the 5th September!!! I was under the impression that I was getting them out at Christmas. Having it done sooner is, of course, a good thing!
At my appointment, I will meet my new surgeon.
So, basically, a good day.
Thursday 7 August 2014
Katharine's 21st for M.E.
This isn't a post related to orthodontics/orthognathic surgery (etc), but I'd still really appreciate that you read this!
Katharine Cheston, one of my closest friends, maintains an amazing blog. Linked here.Katharine suffers with M.E. Despite this, she is strong, intelligent, mature and beautiful. This year, for her 21st birthday, she is asking for donations to M.E. Research UK instead of gifts. I have linked her just giving page.
With the internet, you talk, laugh, cry with people who you don't even meet in real life. Small donations go a long way, and you'd be helping develop research in an area that affects so many people.
Someone reads this blog, the figures go up whenever there is a new post (albeit however rare those are) and I'd like to think we've formed a community. If even one person who reads this blog donates, I'll be eternally grateful!!
I've tried linking the video, but blogger is playing up. So, you've guessed it, another link.
Have a read of Katharine's blog at the very least, just for me- you'll find it an amazing read I'm sure! Being an English student, Katharine is naturally gifted with an ability to write...a trait, I find, many English students have....
For those of you on Twitter, I'd recommend following her Twitter as well: https://twitter.com/kacheston
Thanks for reading, and for any donations that you make!! Remember, 12th August is my joint clinic, and that's when there will be the next orthodontic related blog post! Until then :)
Thursday 24 July 2014
A detailed, much needed blog post, I hear you all cry! Well...go on then...
Good afternoon, my loving jaw buddies!
Today, I had an appointment! Wow, I hear you all cry, isn't that normal? Have you not had any appointments since the last post?
Well, I have, but this post is going to be a detailed explanation of all that has gone before. My next appointment is a joint clinic (on the 12th of August, for those of you who care), which will hopefully provide more interesting information about getting my wisdom teeth out.
So what has happened in the previous months? WELL (!) my teeth have slowly been moving into the perfect alignment that I've always wanted. The tooth that was stuck up (in many ways, it seemed...) on my left hand side has since been pulled down, and I am now on a single wire on all my top teeth. This, complimented by the removal (hooray!) of the Quad Helix, means that my top jaw is slowly fitting into place.
On my bottom jawline, thing are moving slower, but still in the right direction. Today during my appointment my orthodontist repositioned my brackets, which will hopefully fully turn that final tooth around.
As the beginning of the post alluded too, I'm getting my wisdom teeth extracted during the Christmas holidays. For such, I've got the joint clinic next month to discuss everything with my surgeon and the head orthodontist. Details coming soon.
In terms of timings, at my last appointment the head orthodontist came in to see how I'm progressing. After a brief discussion with him, we asked the important question: when can I expect surgery? To this, he replied: next summer! This is means my timings are exactly going as I planned, and my final goal of graduating without braces is well in sight and possible.
I'm currently home for the summer after an amazing first term in Durham. Studying English means, luckily, that 'work' for me is reading. This can be done in the garden, in the car, in bed, in the shower (though the final is often less successful). This summer I intend to relax, and simply prepare myself for the second year of University. This time, it actually counts! I cannot believe how quickly my first year has gone, and with this first year at University comes the first year of being under Orthodontic treatment.
Isn't it cool how I connected the dots?
This sort've leads into the 'subplot' of this post- making it clear that it is always worth waiting, regardless of how long it feels like it is taking, because once you begin time flies so quickly! Whenever you speak to people about time, they always say 'Isn't it amazing how quickly this year has flown?' 'One minute it was January, now it's July!' Waiting for something always makes it seem like it is taking longer. For anyone who is getting fed up with waiting (which I definitely was!), just keep going, it'll only take a little longer.
On a less philosophical note to end, my orthodontist had to remove the two front brackets on my bottom teeth to replace them earlier. For a few moments, I was able to feel a de-braced mouth. Not going to lie, it was pretty good. An incentive to keep going, if you will.
Until next time, which will be in a few weeks, for those of you who are completely devoted to me, and who check 'blogger' daily to see if I've written a new post. To those people, I say thank you. To the rest of you, I still say thank you for sticking with me and my blog, it'll get there eventually, as will I.
Ant :)
Today, I had an appointment! Wow, I hear you all cry, isn't that normal? Have you not had any appointments since the last post?
Well, I have, but this post is going to be a detailed explanation of all that has gone before. My next appointment is a joint clinic (on the 12th of August, for those of you who care), which will hopefully provide more interesting information about getting my wisdom teeth out.
So what has happened in the previous months? WELL (!) my teeth have slowly been moving into the perfect alignment that I've always wanted. The tooth that was stuck up (in many ways, it seemed...) on my left hand side has since been pulled down, and I am now on a single wire on all my top teeth. This, complimented by the removal (hooray!) of the Quad Helix, means that my top jaw is slowly fitting into place.
On my bottom jawline, thing are moving slower, but still in the right direction. Today during my appointment my orthodontist repositioned my brackets, which will hopefully fully turn that final tooth around.
As the beginning of the post alluded too, I'm getting my wisdom teeth extracted during the Christmas holidays. For such, I've got the joint clinic next month to discuss everything with my surgeon and the head orthodontist. Details coming soon.
In terms of timings, at my last appointment the head orthodontist came in to see how I'm progressing. After a brief discussion with him, we asked the important question: when can I expect surgery? To this, he replied: next summer! This is means my timings are exactly going as I planned, and my final goal of graduating without braces is well in sight and possible.
I'm currently home for the summer after an amazing first term in Durham. Studying English means, luckily, that 'work' for me is reading. This can be done in the garden, in the car, in bed, in the shower (though the final is often less successful). This summer I intend to relax, and simply prepare myself for the second year of University. This time, it actually counts! I cannot believe how quickly my first year has gone, and with this first year at University comes the first year of being under Orthodontic treatment.
Isn't it cool how I connected the dots?
This sort've leads into the 'subplot' of this post- making it clear that it is always worth waiting, regardless of how long it feels like it is taking, because once you begin time flies so quickly! Whenever you speak to people about time, they always say 'Isn't it amazing how quickly this year has flown?' 'One minute it was January, now it's July!' Waiting for something always makes it seem like it is taking longer. For anyone who is getting fed up with waiting (which I definitely was!), just keep going, it'll only take a little longer.
On a less philosophical note to end, my orthodontist had to remove the two front brackets on my bottom teeth to replace them earlier. For a few moments, I was able to feel a de-braced mouth. Not going to lie, it was pretty good. An incentive to keep going, if you will.
Until next time, which will be in a few weeks, for those of you who are completely devoted to me, and who check 'blogger' daily to see if I've written a new post. To those people, I say thank you. To the rest of you, I still say thank you for sticking with me and my blog, it'll get there eventually, as will I.
Ant :)
Wednesday 4 December 2013
H P Lovecraft
However, one of the MA English students is studying a particular module which delves into the supernatural in literature (I know what I'm doing on my MA!!) and someone posted an article of the famous supernatural writer H P Lovecraft onto her Facebook wall with a picture of the author as part of the link.
What I saw surprised me:
Yes, the famous writer himself had an underbite (or at least it looks like it!).
Who knew?!
Just a fun fact for you all, you cannot say my blog posts are uninteresting and uninformative!!
Ant
Sunday 15 September 2013
A full week as a braced individual...
Firstly, I must apologise for not posting when I was meant to; buying for uni and getting ready has been a stressful and busy time :P
So, I thought I'd begin this post with my 2 month braces (4 months QH) update, with pictures, and then move on, at some point, onto my new top braces with pictures and some concerns which I'm hoping you, my glorious jaw peoples, will be able to satisfy and put my mind at ease.
Anyway, let us now do our wee countdown..
QUAD HELIX- 4 months
BOTTOM BRACES- 2 months
So the first part of my braces I wanted to address was this little bit of added metal to try and bring down that tooth. Also, please note on my tongue the main source of pain for the last week, that ugly, disgusting ulcer. How I got it I do not know. I assume my tongue got caught in one of the parts of my QH and then the cut became an ulcer.
I digress, I'm hoping this tooth will have been pulled down by my birthday in April :)
So, I thought I'd begin this post with my 2 month braces (4 months QH) update, with pictures, and then move on, at some point, onto my new top braces with pictures and some concerns which I'm hoping you, my glorious jaw peoples, will be able to satisfy and put my mind at ease.
Anyway, let us now do our wee countdown..
QUAD HELIX- 4 months
BOTTOM BRACES- 2 months
And here we have it, the movement and straightening of that tooth to the left. I'm much happier about the amount of movement this time round, despite Fi's previous encouragement and am now just waiting for that other tooth. My ortho said that this movement was going to be slow and, as previously, only turned that wire around that tooth by a 1/2 as opposed to being turned a whole rotation like all the other teeth.
Another picture of my top jaw just showing the extension of my QH- so fare it has increased my top jaw by 5.5mm, with my last appointment recording a total movement of 3mm. My ortho said she wasn't going to expand it any more which I can only take to be a good thing although, ideally, at my next meeting my top jaw will be at 60mm (currently 59mm) since I'm odd like that...
And now time for the best bit and the bit you've all been waiting for, my top braces:
So the first part of my braces I wanted to address was this little bit of added metal to try and bring down that tooth. Also, please note on my tongue the main source of pain for the last week, that ugly, disgusting ulcer. How I got it I do not know. I assume my tongue got caught in one of the parts of my QH and then the cut became an ulcer.I digress, I'm hoping this tooth will have been pulled down by my birthday in April :)
My next picture (below) isn't very good but I was suprised when I was looking through my pictures to see that terrible staining on the back of my front teeth. I don't know if anything can be done to remove it and I know no one can see it (unless of course they stick a camera in my mouth, take a picture, print it etc etc etc) but it did suprise me.
This picture also, I think, highlights how my front teeth have been pulled forward so win!
And this is how my mouth is currently. I know it looks terrible and I'm pretty sure my teeth have gotten worse the past week. I look at one of my 'before' photos and I can tell my front teeth have been pulled out excessively, by comparing the movement against the currently unbraced tooth, and I know that, over the course of the next two years, my teeth will straighten out perfectly :)
QUESTION:
My front right tooth is exceedingly wobbly now. When I was younger I hit this tooth by accident, causing some of the chipping. I assume this was normal for most people to have teeth which, under the pressure of braces, become weaker/ the roots aren't as strong anymore? But any experiences shared would be welcome.
My next appointment is on the 11th November. At this stage, I will almost be 1/4 through my pre-surgery process :)
Hope everyone else is doing well, especially Corrinne, and that they enjoy the cold weather as it comes through.
I've got one more post planned before I leave if I can. This blog has become like my own interactive classroom, having to plan posts etc Again, my sad brain working overtime.
See you all soon,
Ant
Monday 2 September 2013
59mm!! :D
Evening all,
Today I had an appointment, it went well enough :) My QH has caused my upper jaw to extend another 3mm, bringing our current space to 59mm and the overall movement being, so far, 5.5mm. My ortho said she wasn't going to extend my QH any more which is a good sign a guess.
I also got new colours for my bands this time. My theme for fresher's week is Hollywood and so, in my infinite creativity and cleverness, I am going as a red carpet... naturally, my bands had to be a dark red....
So the appointment was going well until it came to booking a new appointment... :(
The only date they had available was the 18th... the day I leave for a small break with my Aunt and Uncle in Jersey (favourite place). Consequently, we booked an appointment for the 4th of October, during my freshers week. We weren't happy but we came home and booked my national express journey of 20 hours which involved basically getting to Colchester and back from Durham in one day, not fun. We then check my emails which states I have to be at uni on the 4th...
So we called my ortho, got my appointment moved and cancelled my coach ride. The good news being that my new appointment, the one where I'm getting my top braces, is on WEDNESDAY!! I've chosen blue to be the band colour, blue is for boys after all.
I'm getting my top braces so soon now, all the waiting has been worth it. I seem to be forgetting the surgery at the moment...meh... it'll come soon enough :)
Goodluck to Corrinne who has her surgery THIS WEEK!!! I'm exceedingly jealous... -.-
Until next time! :-D
Ant
Today I had an appointment, it went well enough :) My QH has caused my upper jaw to extend another 3mm, bringing our current space to 59mm and the overall movement being, so far, 5.5mm. My ortho said she wasn't going to extend my QH any more which is a good sign a guess.
I also got new colours for my bands this time. My theme for fresher's week is Hollywood and so, in my infinite creativity and cleverness, I am going as a red carpet... naturally, my bands had to be a dark red....
So the appointment was going well until it came to booking a new appointment... :(
The only date they had available was the 18th... the day I leave for a small break with my Aunt and Uncle in Jersey (favourite place). Consequently, we booked an appointment for the 4th of October, during my freshers week. We weren't happy but we came home and booked my national express journey of 20 hours which involved basically getting to Colchester and back from Durham in one day, not fun. We then check my emails which states I have to be at uni on the 4th...
So we called my ortho, got my appointment moved and cancelled my coach ride. The good news being that my new appointment, the one where I'm getting my top braces, is on WEDNESDAY!! I've chosen blue to be the band colour, blue is for boys after all.
I'm getting my top braces so soon now, all the waiting has been worth it. I seem to be forgetting the surgery at the moment...meh... it'll come soon enough :)
Goodluck to Corrinne who has her surgery THIS WEEK!!! I'm exceedingly jealous... -.-
Until next time! :-D
Ant
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