First Post-Op Ortho Adjustment

I had my first post-op ortho adjustment on the 13th. It was interesting, to say the least. They are all still so amazed at how well I did. They actually thought that I would still be out of work. I was back for 3 weeks at that time! They were saying that the patients that they send to Dr. Lewis (my OS) always seem to heal much faster. He is just SOOOO gentle. Bob and I actually noticed that before the surgery. He is was just so gentle when he would look in my mouth. I would DEFINITELY recommend him to anyone! So if any one reads this and live in New York state, check him out. His website it under my “Useful Links”.

So I FINALLY got my arch wires changed! Which means that the surgical hooks are now GONE!!!! I had those puppies on for over 4 and a half months! It’s amazing how much better the teeth look without them... can’t wait to see how they will look without the braces! I still have the underlacing on. Which only sucks because I was looking forward to flossing without having to thread when they had the arch wires off. Oh well, I got a good brushing in. Which was the first time that I used an adult tooth brush since surgery. Still a little difficult to do that.

So after they took the arch wires off, they put a “button” on the back of my left #2 tooth. If you don’t know what a button is (I didn’t until then), it is like a little button that they put on the back of the tooth. Then they use this “rubber wire” that wraps around to the front to get it to turn out a little. I was actually noticing a few days before that it seemed to be turned in a little. Well, not anymore! I felt bad for the assistant. It took her 4 tries to get the rubber wire to stay wrapped around the button. The first three tries she was trying to be nice to me and trying to just tie the rubber wire in the front around the bracket. Well, as soon as I touched it with my tongue, it would come untied. So she had to do it the “mean” way. She has to force the rubber wire between my contacts (between my teeth). Yup, that hurt! But I think it had moved to where it needed to be by the time that I left the office! It hurt for a little bit, but it’s not like I can chew or use my teeth anyway, so at least I didn’t have to worry about that.

They also gave me some rubber bands to wear just at night. It hooks to all 4 of my “eye” teeth to try to “settle” the bite some. It’s not too bad since I only have to wear them at night. But when I wake up, I notice that my bottom lip and chin are all pins and needles. I wonder if it has to do with the rubber bands.

Oh, has this happened to any of you? I am a clencher at night. I don’t grind, just clench my teeth (yeah, it would wake me up after surgery because it hurt so bad. The surgeon said that a lot of people after the surgery don’t do it anymore, but not me!). Since my bottom lip and chin are numb, I will wake up and realize that I am actually BITING my lower lip. Twice now I have woken up and bit right though it and had a big chuck of my lip just hanging there. I guess it’s a good thing that I can’t feel, because it would probably be pretty sore for a few days after that.

I go back to the OS next Tuesday. Hopefully he will give me the “green light” to start chewing again! I have been trying to chew a little bit, but it just feels SO weird. And since I can’t open that wide, it’s not like I can get much in there anyway.

My volleyball team and spouses all went out for dinner last night. It was my first experience eating in public (other then at work). I was actually pretty proud of myself! I even used a REAL fork!!! I did bring my baby spoon in case I needed it, but I figured I would get some weird looks. I had some really good Mac and Cheese! Granted, in the time that everyone else finished there meals, I ate about 1/10 of mine, but that’s all I can handle right now. If I sort of guided the fork with my tongue, I was ok. I did try using a fork about a week ago at home. NOT a good experience. I ended up stabbing myself in my lip. Of course it didn’t hurt since it was numb, but it did draw some blood! Oops!

I will post some new pics later. Oh yes, I finally got my new camera. And my new car yesterday!!! A Nissan Murano! I LOVE IT!!! Had to trade in my sporty car for a more family friendly one. It was sad, but this means that we are getting closer to having kids!!!!!! I can’t wait.

I hope that everyone has a GREAT Thanksgiving! We are headed to my parent’s and my sister’s for the holiday. So it will be good! I love spending time with my family, that’s why this is one of my favorite times of year. And I want to let you all know that I am SO thankful for all of the support you have showed me. Having every one of you has made this journey SO much easier! THANK YOU!!!