12 August 2011

My first post!

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog! I'm Beth and i'm 18 years old, and in 26 days (7th September) I will be getting braces. I've decided to blog the whole process because in terms of my teeth i'm a pretty complicated case.
I've been going to my local dental hospital since I was 5 (yes! a whole 13 years!) due to me having a genetic disorder called Amelogenesis imperfecta, which put simply means I have little to no enamel protecting my teeth (head to http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/amelogenesis-imperfecta if you want more information). This means my teeth are extremely sensitive and yellow - at the moment I have various crowns and composite veneers covering them.

Unfortunately, this isn't the end of my problems - as i've grew my dentist (or dentists really) have noticed I have an anterior open bite, just to complicate things. I'll post photos before I get my braces so you can see what I mean - basically my top and bottom teeth don't join together at all. It's hard to explain.

Anyway, the solution to all of these problems is going to be a pretty lengthy process. As my teeth aren't in good condition to start with my orthodontist is unsure whether the brackets will stick to the composites, but she said we will try braces and see what happens.
As of today I have had bands cemented to my back teeth in order to try to get the wire to stay in place better, and I can tell you they are hurting like hell, basically ripping into the side of my cheeks. Again, you'll see them in my 'before' photos.
After I get my brace fitted I have a nice wait of 1 1/2 to 2 years before I have jaw surgery, then after that we have another 6 months of braces. Then after that, when my teeth are nice and straight but not necessarily attractive, I have the whole restoration process which will be when I get porcelain veneers glued onto what is left of my actual teeth.
So, I have a long road ahead of me. I aim to have the perfect smile by 7th September 2014 - three years from the day I get my braces. But we'll see, to be honest i've waited 18 years to smile confidently with my teeth, whats another 3 going to do?

3 comments:

  1. I feel terribly sorry to hear how unlucky you are :/ I hope it all works out and that the dentists know what they are doing too. I've had braces for about 1.5 years now, probably another half to go but I need surgery to extract an adult tooth growing at the roof of my mouth :| then implant a fake tooth in the gap. It's a horrible procedure with a lot of pain and probably dieting on soft foods and weight loss until you get the perfect smile. It's all worth it in the end :) good luck, I'll be interested in seeing the results!

    http://helloitschloe.blogspot.com/

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  2. Hey Beth! Welcome to the world of orthodontics and jaw surgery! Your case really sounds like a rare one and a not so pleasant one. I really do wish you the best of luck along the whole process. The good thing is that the time will fly by. It feels like yesterday I was looking for a new orthodontist, and now I'm almost ready for surgery. Be strong and trust me, blogging about it helps so much, its so good to have opinions and comments from people going through the same types of processes.
    I look forward to your updates!
    Terra

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  3. Chloe - what you're going through sounds even more painful! I hope everything works out ok for you, you deserve it :)

    Terra - thanks so much, i'm jealous that you're nearly ready for surgery, I can't even imagine that happening to me yet! and I totally agree about blogging, I like hearing other people's stories and seeing how different people react - good luck, i'll be sure to follow your blog so I stay informed :)

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