Still Amazed and TMJ

Hello to all, I hope everyone is doing great! I am still amazed at how many people read my blog about getting braces as an adult. I am also amazed at that there are people from other countries that read it as well. I hope that in some small way I have helped you in making a decision about getting braces. It is definitely not a decision to take lightly. Give it some serious thought. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or post a comment. I'll try to answer as honestly as I can! After I had my braces for awhile, my TMJ seem to clear up. My jaws weren't near as sore as they had been in the past and the headaches that I had been having from TMJ had cleared up for the most part. This luck continued after I had my braces off, which they have been for about a year now. However, lately I have been noticing that more and more, my jaws are sore and the headaches are back. I'm sure there might be other reasons for both things to reoccur, but was really hoping that the braces and retainers would take care of it. The orthodontist had said they would help. Like I've said, they did at first so beware if you have TMJ, braces may not be a permanent solution! Take care and have a great day! Ellen

Thank You

Hello to all, I hope everyone is doing great. Thank you so much for continuing to read my blog. i really appreciate that there is still so much interest in it. I had someone request to post about braces treatments for adults on my blog. I turned them down. My idea for this blog was to provide real life experiences from someone who had braces rather than to just inform. There is so much more to having braces than just having them put on, having them adjusted and having them taken off. I am doing well with my retainers, but may go in soon just to have them check and make sure they are still fitting ok. Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions. My e mail address is Lnrosy2000@gmail.com. I'll do my best to answer your questions. Take care and have a great day!

Retainers & Would I Do It Again

Hi to all, I have been wearing my retainers at night. That was what they said to do when I went to my last appointment many months ago. Sometimes when I put them on at night they go in just fine. Other nights, it is a tight fit and it makes my mouth sore for a bit until I've had them on for awhile. I'm not sure why this happens. Maybe if I eat something hard during the day it makes my teeth move more than if I don't. I'm going to try to keep track of things I eat during the day or if maybe I am clenching my jaws during the day from stress and see if it goes with how they fit in at night. I am not sure that if I had to do this all over again that I would do it. It seemed to help my TMJ for awhile, but now I have problems with it again. I've had more root canals done since I had my braces then before. I can't say for sure that it is related to my braces. Though, the Endodontist did say it could have been because of the trauma to my teeth from being moved. I do know that if I had to do it again, I would research more and get a second opinion from another Orthodontist. Don't be afraid to do that. I ended up being very unhappy with the one Orthodontist and don't think he treated me fairly especially when it come to the bill after I decided to have them removed. I'm not telling you to not get braces if you're an adult. Just do your research and get a second opinion! Take care and have a great day! Thanks for reading. Please feel free to e mail me if you have questions I haven't answered!

Retainers

Hello to all, I hope this finds you all doing well. I am surprised when I check in to see how many people are reading my posts. Thanks! I am only wearing my retainer at night. It doesn't bother me to sleep with it and I know it's something that I'll have to do for the rest of my life to keep my teeth from moving. I'm hoping that the one I have now will always fit me. When I had braces when I was younger, I outgrew my retainer. I don't think that will happen now as hopefully I'm not growing anymore! There are nights where it is a tight fit getting both of them in and then there are other nights that it goes in just fine. I really thought having braces would help my TMJ and it did at first. I still have problems with it and my jaws get sore. I have an exercise to do that helps calm it down, but not all of the time. I had surgery on my back in June and went without my retainer for at least 4 days. It was tight getting them in, but everything still fit. Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful day!

I'm Surprised

Hello to all out there. I hope this finds you all doing ok. I have to say that I'm surprised that there are still people that read my blog. I'm curious to know if any of you have gotten braces and of you have what your experiences with them are? I have my retainer and wear it every night. Sometimes it feels a little tight when I put it in. That doesn't last long and fits comfortably after that. I have noticed that when I have it in at might that I tend to drool more. I'm not sure why. I have to remember to call the orthodontist on Monday. I'm having back surgery later this month and will be in the hospital for 3 or 4 days. I'm not sure how long I can go without wearing my retainer. I know that if you go to long without it, your teeth can move. Time to go relax and spend time with my family. Have a great day!

Root Canals

Well, the root canals went well. The very back molar on the lower left was a new root canal. The tooth in front of it was the one that had to be redone. They both went well even though it seemed like it took forever! This is Saturday and my mouth is still sore on that side, especially if I open it wide or happen to chew on that side. I have an appointment on the 29th with the dentist to have a crown done since the tooth is still cracked. I'm sure that will go fine, too. It hasn't had an effect on my retainer yet and shouldn't since the retainer only goes to the re-done tooth. I'm hoping that having a crown done on the last tooth won't hurt the alignment of my mouth or obstruct the retainer in anyway. I will keep you posted! Take care and have a great day! Ellen

Bet You Thought

Hello to all! I bet you thought you wouldn't hear from me again! I have to call the orthodontist today to ask them a question. On Thursday this week, I have to have a root canal done. Then a week later have to have a crown put on because I have a crack in my last molar on the lower left side. I hadn't thought about it until now that my retainer may not fit because the crown might not be the same exact size as my original tooth. I'm hoping that the retainer won't have to be remade. This is the 2nd root canal I've had done in just over 6 months. I'm so frustrated by this all that I told my husband that I'm going to have all my teeth pulled and get false teeth. No, I won't really do it. Just tired of having dental work done. I keep thinking of all the household items I could by or bills I could pay for what the dental work is going to cost, even with insurance. Back to the weaving loom. Take care and have a great day! Ellen

Sorry & No More Appointments

Hello to all, I am sorry that I haven't posted for so long, life got in the way. My oldest son went into the US Navy and is in Maryland going to school. Work's been busy as well and I'm not sure if I'll have a job next year. Anyway, on the 4th of this month, I had my last orthodontist appointment. He said that everything looks good and that I don't need to come back unless I have problems with my retainer. I am suppose to wear them for the rest of my life, bit only at night, which isn't to bad. I suggest to anyone out there who is considering getting braces as an adult, to think long and hard about getting them. Ask yourself why you want them or need them. It is not an easy undertaking and ere are so many things to consider. I think the biggest mistake I made was not shopping around. I think the price I was charged, especially with getting them off early was ridiculous. They were recommended to me by my dentist. Get recommendations from friends, too. Talk to different orthodontists. Don't be embarrassed to get a second opinion. I guess that's all for now. Please feel free to e mail me with questions or comments at Lnrosy2000@gmail.com Have a great day!