Saturday, July 17, 2004
Working on the Bottom Teeth
I had my appointment at NYU Orthodontics on Wednesday. This was my first time with Dr. Weinstein doing all the work, as Dr. Weston is graduating. Now that my lower teeth have come together at the tops, Dr. Han wants them to be moved more upright so that the gaps at the bottoms can be closed better. So they took off the powerchain and instead I got a band around my two front lower incisors, and the lower wire has been bent in a down-up-down-up pattern. This whole procedure took about 90 minutes. This is going to cause my lower teeth to stand up straight but will increase the gaps between them, which will be closed later with powerchains again. When Dr. Weinstein went to "engage the wire," it caused me severe pain, so much so that Dr. Han came over to ask if I was OK. I guess I was squirming quite a bit in the chair. Dr. Han instructed Dr. Weinstein in how to engage the wire in a manner that would cause less discomfort to the patient (me), and upon his third attempt the wire went in. The top archwire is being left as is for now. I am to continue wearing the rubber bands as I have been, but the loops on the lower wire are gone so I am now clipping into the tabs on the lower brackets, just to the outside of where the lowere loops had been. Before I left, I said goodbye to Dr. Weston and thanked him for putting up with all of my emails.
I had my appointment at NYU Orthodontics on Wednesday. This was my first time with Dr. Weinstein doing all the work, as Dr. Weston is graduating. Now that my lower teeth have come together at the tops, Dr. Han wants them to be moved more upright so that the gaps at the bottoms can be closed better. So they took off the powerchain and instead I got a band around my two front lower incisors, and the lower wire has been bent in a down-up-down-up pattern. This whole procedure took about 90 minutes. This is going to cause my lower teeth to stand up straight but will increase the gaps between them, which will be closed later with powerchains again. When Dr. Weinstein went to "engage the wire," it caused me severe pain, so much so that Dr. Han came over to ask if I was OK. I guess I was squirming quite a bit in the chair. Dr. Han instructed Dr. Weinstein in how to engage the wire in a manner that would cause less discomfort to the patient (me), and upon his third attempt the wire went in. The top archwire is being left as is for now. I am to continue wearing the rubber bands as I have been, but the loops on the lower wire are gone so I am now clipping into the tabs on the lower brackets, just to the outside of where the lowere loops had been. Before I left, I said goodbye to Dr. Weston and thanked him for putting up with all of my emails.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Cleaning With Susan
I had a cleaning last week with Susan, who is new at the NYU Periodontics department. She is not a student; it is her job to maintain the patients. And since I won't be starting my implant until after the braces come off or way at the end of treatment, I won't be getting a new student periodontist for a while. She did, however, have Dr. Lee examine me briefly. The cleaning itself went well, there was relatively little discomfort, but it sure made a mess. The water sprayed everywhere and I felt like I had taken a shower. I go back for another cleaning in October. The charge was $100. Insurance won't pay for this one, as it has been less than six months since my last one.
Seven Acupuncture Treatments
I stopped going to see the acupuncturist after seven treatments. At $60 per visit I simply could not afford to go three times a week anymore. She told me to come back twice a month. I feel that the acupuncture helped relieve some of the swelling and inflammation (I can actually tell that the left side of my face is less puffy and it feels better to the touch), but the numbness persists. There is also still something bad going on under the skin on the left side. The right side, however, feels almost 100% normal.
The Rubber Bands
I've been wearing the rubberbands religiously. Well almost 100% religiously. Sometimes after dinner I have left them out until bedtime. I've worn the front box shaped band every single night as instructed. I feel that they are in fact helping my bite a great deal. This is especially evident first thing in the morning.
Mind the Gap
The gap on the bottom where I had the incisor pulled is almost (almost) completely closed at the top, but at the base the gap is still quite substantial. The "black triangle" gap on top is still very much evident as well.
I had a cleaning last week with Susan, who is new at the NYU Periodontics department. She is not a student; it is her job to maintain the patients. And since I won't be starting my implant until after the braces come off or way at the end of treatment, I won't be getting a new student periodontist for a while. She did, however, have Dr. Lee examine me briefly. The cleaning itself went well, there was relatively little discomfort, but it sure made a mess. The water sprayed everywhere and I felt like I had taken a shower. I go back for another cleaning in October. The charge was $100. Insurance won't pay for this one, as it has been less than six months since my last one.
Seven Acupuncture Treatments
I stopped going to see the acupuncturist after seven treatments. At $60 per visit I simply could not afford to go three times a week anymore. She told me to come back twice a month. I feel that the acupuncture helped relieve some of the swelling and inflammation (I can actually tell that the left side of my face is less puffy and it feels better to the touch), but the numbness persists. There is also still something bad going on under the skin on the left side. The right side, however, feels almost 100% normal.
The Rubber Bands
I've been wearing the rubberbands religiously. Well almost 100% religiously. Sometimes after dinner I have left them out until bedtime. I've worn the front box shaped band every single night as instructed. I feel that they are in fact helping my bite a great deal. This is especially evident first thing in the morning.
Mind the Gap
The gap on the bottom where I had the incisor pulled is almost (almost) completely closed at the top, but at the base the gap is still quite substantial. The "black triangle" gap on top is still very much evident as well.
