Power Chain Pain

I was always wondering what the eff you guys were talking about with all this powerchain nonsense. It sounded like something for a car. Well, I had the joy today of finding out just exactly what all this powerchain fun is all about. PAIN!!!! Wow. Thank god I still have some pain meds left over from my teeth being pulled. I am feeling better now since I have taken one. But earlier, at work, not good.

Now, I don't consider myself a wuss, but seriously, it felt like my lower teeth were being hit with a hammer over and over. I don't know why, but it didn't bother my upper teeth as much. Thank god, the real pain did not kick in till about 4. So, I only had to suffer thru another hour at work. And I ignored the warning label on the Advil bottle (wait 4 hours, only take one or two) and I took 3 advil AGAIN.

Anyway, enough with my bitching. :) I am happy they are finally moving again. And I talked to my ortho again about surgery and he said there is a small possibility I could have the surgery as early as December. But, he said that is really pushing it. I am thinking it will most likely not be until after April 15, 2009. But this discussion led directly into the insurance talk. I informed him that although I recieved a verbal consent from my insurace co back in December, they never gave me a written consent b/c at the time, they did not have anything submitted to them (i.e. x-rays, molds, etc). He said that I am basically committed to surgery at this point b/c of the particular teeth I had pulled. (i am committed anyway b/c this is what I want), but the whole thing made me nervous and realize that I should probably call up the surgeons office right away.

Let me say that I LOVE my surgeon, but the secretaries in his office are not very nice. Even though I specifically asked for the person who deals with insurance, she insisted she could handle my question. Well, basically, long story short, she said that they do not submit anything to the insurance company until the surgery is about to be scheduled!!! WTF?! I tried every which way to explain to her that what my ortho does is completely dependent on if I can have surgery or not, so I need to get this approved asap. Well, she couldn't give a crap. She basically said no.

So, I emailed my ortho (who literally emailed me write back - LOVE him!) and he said he would contact my surgeon as soon as possible (they work together farily often). And surprisingly the surgeon emailed back within the hour and said it was not a problem at all, he would have the insurance person take care of it right away. So, that woman was wrong the whole time. God, I really can't stand the secretaries in that office.

Anyway, thanks to all of your posts, I have been quite ready for this insurance thing to be quite an ordeal. I just hope it all works out in the end. I have been told by my ortho and my surgeon that it shouldnt' be a problem. And even the insurance woman at the surgeons office (who is the only nice one there) told me back in December that they usually don't have any problems with my insurance company. God, I hope not.

Anyway, how bad were all of your guys experiences with insurance?

Very quick update

I wanted to write an update to my last post, but my boyfriend is screaming from the other room for me to "get in here". I take it he "needs some company". hehe Anyway, the pain is finally completely gone. Still not fun trying to eat though. But definitely not as bad. Ortho appt tomorrow and I swear I have never been so excited to see him!! Can't wait to get these teeth moving again. Well, I better get going, but I'd just like to say hi to all my new brace-buddies. I am really enjoying following along with your progress as well.

Talk to you soon!!

Still Hurting... :-(

Don't get me wrong, it's not unbearable pain, but I am just really really surprised that I am still in any pain at all. I know initially when I had my four wisdom teeth pulled last year, I was so much worse off than I was with these four teeth, but I am almost positive that within 3 or 4 days I was fine. I know for sure I didn't take as many pain pills. So, that is where I am at right now.. I am trying to get off the pain meds. I only took one today, so I am making progress.

Also, I still have not been eating very much. (which I think is a blessing in disguise). Besides the pain, it is just not easy at all to eat anything other than applesauce, mashed potatoes, yogurt, etc. The holes on the top are way back whereas the ones on the bottom are at the front of my mouth. In other words they do not line up at all. So when I try to chew at all, things just go right into the holes. (Sorry, I know it's gross). And I don't dare eat chips or anything that could be sharp. I wonder if I will not be able to eat stuff like that for a long time now. I guess that could be a good thing though. I really really need to start eating better anyway.

So, my next trip to the ortho is on Thursday. I am excited for things to start moving again. It's been two or three months now!! Hopefully these holes will close up fast. I just worry that when they pull all my teeth back in that there will be even less room in my mouth... And my problem is that my tongue already pushes against my upper teeth (especially when I sleep and when I swallow) and that is why they are pushed out and why I have the open bite in the first place. I guess that's where the surgery will come into play. I assume that not only will the surgeon close the open bite, but also push my jaw forward a little to give me more room. I am not sure yet at this point though.

Oh, and as an update to my last post, Iam not feeling quite as depressed as I was before. I went out all day yesterday (which was beautiful, on the water) and had some drinks (even though I shouldn't have had them with my pain medicine, but it made it even more fun - hehe). So hopefully, I will keep this positive attitude for a while.

Anyway, hopefully this pain will go away soon.. especially by this next ortho appt. I don't know if I could deal with that much pain...

Hillbilly Teeth

So, I got four of my teeth pulled on Wednesday. As I mentioned in my last post, I did not want to do this, but figured the orthodontist and surgeon knew much better than me. I did convince my ortho to pull the 5th tooth back on the top right and left (rather than the 4th). He pulled the 4th tooth back on the bottom on both sides though. I didn't mind that as much since it wouldn't be as visible. But it does look pretty funny right now!! :)

So I took Wed and Thu off of work and probably would have gone back on Fri, but it seemed silly considering that we have half days on Fri during the summer. And it's not a short drive to work. So, I have now been off three days and I really haven't eaten much other than mashed potatoes, applesauce and yogurt. I just don't want anything going down into those holes. They seem so big. Ick..

Anyway, a bunch of my friends and coworkers decided to go the baseball game tonight and I went back and forth about going. I really wanted to, but I am still in a little bit of pain... But really I think it's more I just don't feel like leaving the house. Do any of you ever feel like this and start getting depressed about your braces and teeth? I try really hard not to let it affect me, but sometimes, the braces win out. I mean, between my jacked up teeth and my yellow rubberbands (I swear, I try so hard to keep them clean, but it is not easy), I just hate having people even look at me sometimes. Hopefully this will pass after I go to my ortho next week. I am usually not like this too often. And it might also be the extra weight I have put on in the last year too.. I am just much more self conscious now and have noticed I am going out a lot less now. I know I need to forget about it and realize that nobody else cares but it's just hard sometimes. Does anyone else feel like this sometimes?

Well, I guess since I decided to be lame tonight, I might as well go study. I am studying for the 3rd part of the CPA exam. (There are 4 parts and I have passed two). I will be so happy when I am done with this. (I am scheduled to take the third part in Aug and will probably take the 4th in Oct/Nov). For those of you who are not familiar with it, it's the biggest most extensive exam there is. So, wish me luck!

All I know is, I cannot wait till a year or two from now when I am done with this exam and these braces are off and my teeth are perfect! It'll definitely all be worth it in the end.

First Time Blogger, Third Time Brace Face

So, this is my first blog ever! How exciting, right?! After reading several other blogs relating to jaw surgery and braces, I have decided it's time I start documenting my experiences as well. I am hoping that this will not only help me thru this whole ordeal, but will help others who are going thru this (or contemplating going thru this) as well. I know reading others' blogs has helped me immensely.

So, to begin, as my title suggests, this is my third time in braces. The first two times, however, were in middle and high school, so therefore, much more accepted and also cheaper (as my parents footed the bill). Now that I am an adult (28 to be specific) it was a much more difficult decision. However, I had gone back and forth with this for years and I decided it was finally time to be happy with my smile and teeth. After visiting an orthodontist two years ago and having him tell me that I would need surgery to fix everything and he just didn't think it was worth it, I decided not to do it. But, another year passed, and I decided I would just never be happy until it was fixed. The thing that frustrated me the most is that I had had braces twice and they still went back (not as much, but still) and I wanted them perfect, once and for all.

So, in December, I went to a different orthodontist who said that I would most likely need surgery as well. He seemed to point out everything that had been bothering me so much, which made me feel comfortable knowing that it wasn't just "all in my head" as some people made me feel. My open bite was obvious, however, he also noted my "flared out" teeth (as he called them), my crossbite, and my jaw misalignment. My next step, he told me, was to see a surgeon for his opinion. I did, and my surgeon suggested that I will either need upper jaw surgery or possibly upper and lower jaw surgery. So after determining that this was something that insurance should cover, I decided to go ahead with the braces. (I did not want to deal with the braces at all, if I could not get the entire problem fixed once and for all, which would require surgery).

So, I got my braces on January 3rd. I chose the ceramic braces as to make them a little less noticeable. They have already been straightened (as to the minimal crookedness I had) and the next step was having some teeth pulled. I fought this as much as I could b/c I really did not want to have any more teeth pulled (already had my wisdom teeth pulled last year). He sent me to the oral surgeon for his opinion and he agreed this was necessary as well. So, after about two to three months of waiting, I finally had my teeth pulled. But, since this first entry is running so long, I will save that for my next blog. I will have plenty of time, as I am off work recovering from that right now. By the way, I think I look sorta like a hillbilly now, although my mom says it's not even noticeable. (But she has to say that!) :)

I will try to catch up on the last 7 months in the next few posts, but my main concern is documenting the surgery anyway. Hope to meet people going thru the same thing so feel free to post comments. And I will try to upload some before pictures and progress pictures soon. I might wait till I get my rubberbands changed to post the progess pics though (Everyone with ceramic braces knows what I am talking about).

I will be talking to you soon!