Double post

I'm doing a double post today because my day just went downhill after getting the splint out this morning. So - as it turns out - I miss my splint. Yes, you heard me right. Since taking it off and merely rubber banding my braces - I've realized that it REALLY HURTS to have rubber bands pulling your teeth together when they don't quite line up. When there is an "open bite" or a little bit of space between your upper and lower teeth, but rubber bands are pulling for all they are worth to get them to meet - it hurts. A lot. So, I figure, no prob, I'll pop some Ibuprofin and deal.

Then I had my ortho appt. at 2. Oh the humanity. So, the first thing he does is snaps off a bracket on my very last molar on my right side so he can reposition it better. Ouch. Then when he goes to reposition it, he finds I can't open my mouth very far to get all those instruments in and says "I guess I should have seen how far you could open your mouth first." Um yeah. So, he proceeds to get his assistant, and between the 2 of them, they PRY MY MOUTH OPEN far enough to get the instrument in that holds it open and has the little suction attached to it. So now, not only did it initially hurt to get the "mouth jack" in there - but now it had to STAY in there for the remainder of my treatment today. My jaw could barely handle it. It was starting to spasm with the effort. Since the bracket needed to be cemented to a crown, there is a bunch of prep work that has to be done, like double-etching the crown (wait for each of the etching to dry), then prime (wait to dry) then glue the bracket on. Then between the both of them, they maneuverd the "mouth jack" out of my extremely sore mouth. Ow, ow, ow! Also, I told him that I thought my crown was loose, and he proceeded to push and pull on it and said "I think it's ok" except for now it feels MORE LOOSE! Anyway, after putting in a new wire on the bottom with the new position of the bracket, and a new, thicker wire on the top with new rubber bands I was all set to go. Almost. He informs me that at my next visit in 2 weeks (when I will be "done" with Dr. Egberts instructions and can be turned completely over to my ortho) he will put brackets with hooks on the INSIDE of my bottom molars and then rubber band the inside of those molars to the outside of my upper molars in order to move my lower molars out a little. I asked if Egbert opened my top jaw too far and he emphatically said no, that my bottom molars simply needed to be moved a bit further out, and thinks he can accomplish that in "about a month". I didn't dare ask when he thought I'd get my braces off. I'm sticking with what he said last time about it being the end of the year. I said I was going on a cruise at the end of Sept, and worried about the funky rubber band's during that time, and he said for 5 days I can just leave them off. Phew! I hope the bracketts on the inside of my mouth don't bug too bad!

Anyway, for most of the afternoon I've been in pain, in bed, with heating packs. Finally, I just put my splint back in and rubber banded my teeth closed around it. It felt better to have a buffer between my upper and lower teeth, so the bands weren't pulling fruitlessly, with no relief.

On an UPSIDE though - I ate out, by myself, for the first time. I went to Pei Wei and had their lowmein, sans veggies with a few shredded up pieces of soft chicken. It was DIVINE. That experience almost trumps the negatives of today. Today was a humble reminder that I am nowhere near finished with this process and will be ever more grateful when it's alllll over. Thanks to everyone for offers of ice cream and support! You're the best!