Friday, July 08, 2005
The Braces Come Off
At my appointment on June 14, the braces were taken off. This was not as great a relief to me as I had hoed, due to the fact that the numbness in my left upper lip persists. It has been two years now since the palatal surgery. At the June 14 apointment, Dr. Weinstein took molds of my upper and lower teeth and made a temporary set of plastic retainers for me to wear. He called me back in the following day to have the molds re-done, as the first set was not good. At the June 14 appointment, he and Dr. Han filed down one of my lower incisors. I thought it looked just OK, and it felt horrible. I am glad to have not had any more of that done.
A Permanent Retainer Is Bonded to My Lower Incisors
Also on June 15, Dr. Weinstein attached a permanent wire retainer to the inside surface of my lower front incisors. This is to keep those teeth in proper alignment. I can't stand this thing. To begin with, it looks like it has been applied in a crooked manner. I cannot floss these teeth normally, and also it feels strange. Further, Dr. W and another dentist at NYU also told me not to bite into anny apples with the lower retainer. Fat chance I will give up apples after all I have been through.
The Plastic Retainers
The plastic retainers were awful. Not only was my bite still off with them, but they were difficult to remove and put back in, and they were terribly difficult to keep clean.
The Positioner
I went back on June 29 to get the positioner. Dr. han was not there for this appointment. The purpose of the positioner is to move my teeth into their final alignment, and then to act as a retainer. I was instructed to wear the positioner as close to nonstop as possible for the first three days, then overnight and as much additional time as possible subsequently. Unfortunately I developed a nasty sore throat almost immediately after getting the positioner. Two trips to the doctor later, it turns out that I have an ulcer in my throat caused by a virus, which is incredibly painful. I am on anti-viral medication and have been using magic mouthwash" prescribed by Dr. Patel. Dr. P assured me that the sore throat is not from the positioner (as I had suspected). My challenge now is to wear the positioner as much as possible. I have it on now. The more I bite into it, the more it seems to be helping, but I am concerned about my two front teeth, especially the one on the right, popping out again.
Missed Appointment With Dr. Weinstein
I missed my April 12 appointment with Dr. Weinstein, because I was in Michigan handling my parents' affairs following my father's death on March 27 and my mother's move into assisted living on April 14. During that time in Michigan, a lower molar bracket popped off, so I went to the office of my sister Peggy's roommate's father, who is a dentist and orthodontist, and they clipped the wire for me. I was able to reschedule with Dr. Weinstein for May 17, after I had returned to New York. At that appointment, Dr. W said I would get my braces off either the next appointment or the one after.
Dr. Schwartz
I had a consultation on March 23 with Dr. Jessica Schwartz in the Periodontics Department regarding my implant. I hit it off quite well with her. She explained the procedure to me and answered my questions. She also did some probing of my gums (I was numbed for this) to see if I need any additional bone grafting during the implant. I missed my cleaning appointment with her on March 28 due to the death in the family, so I went back on May 23 for a cleaning. The implant is scheduled for July 20. I am to receive a small bone graft at this appointment. I had to pay a deposit of $1300 for the implant and bone graft.
At my appointment on June 14, the braces were taken off. This was not as great a relief to me as I had hoed, due to the fact that the numbness in my left upper lip persists. It has been two years now since the palatal surgery. At the June 14 apointment, Dr. Weinstein took molds of my upper and lower teeth and made a temporary set of plastic retainers for me to wear. He called me back in the following day to have the molds re-done, as the first set was not good. At the June 14 appointment, he and Dr. Han filed down one of my lower incisors. I thought it looked just OK, and it felt horrible. I am glad to have not had any more of that done.
A Permanent Retainer Is Bonded to My Lower Incisors
Also on June 15, Dr. Weinstein attached a permanent wire retainer to the inside surface of my lower front incisors. This is to keep those teeth in proper alignment. I can't stand this thing. To begin with, it looks like it has been applied in a crooked manner. I cannot floss these teeth normally, and also it feels strange. Further, Dr. W and another dentist at NYU also told me not to bite into anny apples with the lower retainer. Fat chance I will give up apples after all I have been through.
The Plastic Retainers
The plastic retainers were awful. Not only was my bite still off with them, but they were difficult to remove and put back in, and they were terribly difficult to keep clean.
The Positioner
I went back on June 29 to get the positioner. Dr. han was not there for this appointment. The purpose of the positioner is to move my teeth into their final alignment, and then to act as a retainer. I was instructed to wear the positioner as close to nonstop as possible for the first three days, then overnight and as much additional time as possible subsequently. Unfortunately I developed a nasty sore throat almost immediately after getting the positioner. Two trips to the doctor later, it turns out that I have an ulcer in my throat caused by a virus, which is incredibly painful. I am on anti-viral medication and have been using magic mouthwash" prescribed by Dr. Patel. Dr. P assured me that the sore throat is not from the positioner (as I had suspected). My challenge now is to wear the positioner as much as possible. I have it on now. The more I bite into it, the more it seems to be helping, but I am concerned about my two front teeth, especially the one on the right, popping out again.
Missed Appointment With Dr. Weinstein
I missed my April 12 appointment with Dr. Weinstein, because I was in Michigan handling my parents' affairs following my father's death on March 27 and my mother's move into assisted living on April 14. During that time in Michigan, a lower molar bracket popped off, so I went to the office of my sister Peggy's roommate's father, who is a dentist and orthodontist, and they clipped the wire for me. I was able to reschedule with Dr. Weinstein for May 17, after I had returned to New York. At that appointment, Dr. W said I would get my braces off either the next appointment or the one after.
Dr. Schwartz
I had a consultation on March 23 with Dr. Jessica Schwartz in the Periodontics Department regarding my implant. I hit it off quite well with her. She explained the procedure to me and answered my questions. She also did some probing of my gums (I was numbed for this) to see if I need any additional bone grafting during the implant. I missed my cleaning appointment with her on March 28 due to the death in the family, so I went back on May 23 for a cleaning. The implant is scheduled for July 20. I am to receive a small bone graft at this appointment. I had to pay a deposit of $1300 for the implant and bone graft.
