Deprogrammer update.

It's been about six week since I've had the deprogrammer (haven't totally kept up with the count).  I can tell that the angle of my jaw and the placement of my jaw has changed quite a bit.  I used to be able to bring my lower jaw forward and see what my "bite" might look like after surgery.  So, I used to be able to place my bottom front teeth directly behind the top front teeth.  My bite has opened up so much now that I'm not able to posture my bottom teeth behind my top teeth, there is just a space.  I'm not sure that I explained that very well...  Sorry that I have no pictures to show it either.  It's busy season at my work and I haven't kept up with photos.

I can't comment, so...

Blogger is apparently acting up again, and so I haven't been able to reply to comments on my blog.

So, Tara, Max, and Nora, thank you so much for your encouragement!  Yes, I have a TON of neck and shoulder tension problems because of how I posture my head.  I am hoping to have PT before surgery to help get ready for the new jaw placement.  It will be such a relief to be free from all this pain!  That is what I am most looking forward to.

Profile and my forward head.

When I saw my ortho last, he said he was very surprised at how fast my bite was moving since I got the splint.  He had to do a major overhaul of the splint and told me that I could go ahead and schedule my surgery so that I could have a date in place, but it will take longer than is typical for my joints to settle into their proper position with the splint.  This is because of the amount of the asymmetry and how my body has compensated for the asymmetry.

Over time I developed what's called a forward head posture.  It was probably to compensate for my bad bite and jaw alignment.  My body tried to put my jaw in a place where it would be more comfortable and functional.  Unfortunately, it has caused all sorts of neck and shoulder tension, plus poor posture.  I need to work on correcting my forward head position in order for my joints to sit in their sockets properly.

Here are some pictures to show what I mean.  (I took them myself, so they're not the best...)

Here are my right and left profiles (they're different because of the asymmetry).  In these pictures, I am holding my head in the correct position.  This is what my profile really looks like.

             

Here is what my profile usually looks like, because I always hold my head in this forward position.

Tool you may not have thought of.

Maybe it's just me, since I haven't seen this problem come up for others...

I include a pair of tweezers in my toothbrush travel kit that I take with me to work and elsewhere.  Why?  At least three times I have gotten a bristle of the standard type toothbrush caught in my brackets and I haven't been able to pull it out with just my fingers.  So, the tweezers have come in handy in those instances.  I don't seem to have the same trouble with my electric toothbrush, though.

I have a date!

It's official!!  My double jaw surgery will be...

MAY 30, 2012!!!!

I had a rather involved ortho appointment today.  I'll have a post about that later.  It will explain why the surgery will be later than I had hoped, but at least it's scheduled!

:)

Deprogrammer Update.

Well, my "bite" has shifted quite a bit since I've gotten the deprogrammer.  It doesn't allow me to posture my chin at all, but puts my jaw in its natural postion, so it's very easy to see the asymmetry and deformity. Thank goodness I can get this fixed!  I've taken some pictures of how my profile changes as well, but I'll post those later.  Here are pictures with the deprogrammer in:

* I apologize for how I look--I had a bad headache when I took these... *

Here is my bite with the splint--I can only bite with my anterior teeth, something I have never experienced!

Here is my real bite, right after I took the splint out:

Here is my smile without the splint.  Seems I can't smile without sticking my tongue through the gap...

Deprogrammer.

Yesterday I got my deprogrammer splint.  Here is the little description that came with it:

The deprogrammer should be worn full time even to eat and sleep.  Dr. (Orthodontist) has this appliance designed so your back teeth are slightly apart.  This allows for jaw repositioning.  This also allows for Dr. (Surgeon) to know more accurately your jaw alignment.

This is similar to a retainer.  It can be taken out to clean.  You may brush this with toothpaste when you brush your teeth.  It may taste like plastic the first couple of days but that taste will go away.  At first, you may want to soften your diet to get used to eating with your new appliance.  

The assistant told me to call the office right away if I were having any problems, even slight, as the splint is supposed to relieve symptoms.  She said, "Remember that doctor's world is in microns; he seeks perfection, so call if you need to."  That was VERY reassuring on many levels.

I go back in a week for my first adjustment (as the jaw shifts, the occlusal plane of the splint has to be adjusted to give the correct "bite").

Also, the very BEST news is, I wear the splint for sixteen weeks, and then I can have my surgery.  And, since the sixteen weeks is a definite time, I can actually SCHEDULE my surgery!!!  I am calling my OS right after the new year!

Here are some pics of the splint:
* (note: this is a pre-surgery splint; I don't think it is anything like the splint some have after surgery)
** (those little metal wires hook over loops in my braces to hold the splint in)

Hopeful.

I am getting a new type of splint on Thursday.  It's called a deprogrammer splint.  It's the last step before surgery.  I will probably need to wear it for about 4 - 6 months before a date for surgery can be set.

Although I don't feel like I had much luck with the MAGO splint I wore before braces, I am hopeful for this one.  I've been having a lot of pain, headaches, and muscle tension, and I'm hoping that wearing this occlusal splint will help with that by preventing clenching at night and by overall giving me a better bite surface, since I currently have no bite surface at all.

The bummer part is that I'll need to wear this splint 24/7, which means I'll have to eat with it in.  That gets gross pretty fast.  I was supposed to wear the MAGO 24/7, but in the nine months I had the thing, there were times I didn't wear it -- like when I had a meeting with a big client or a Friday night out with friends.  This new splint is supposed to be smaller, so we'll see.

By the way, surprisingly, the impressions they took last week were not too bad in themselves.  But, I was in quite some pain for the next days afterwards from having my mouth open so long and stretched out.  I can't wait for this to be over!!

One Year.

Today marks my one year anniversary of getting lower braces (well, now it's one year + 10 days since I had trouble uploading the pictures on the actual day).  It's hard to believe it's already been a year.  It's gone by fast and slow at the same time.  While I'm eager to have the surgery sooner rather than later, I have to say that this year wasn't as bad as I thought it would be even though it seems I need to wait longer than most to be surgery ready.

Here are some flash back pics and the current state of affairs:

Before anything began... until now...

Happy Birthday!

Today is my birthday!  And how would a jaw-nerd celebrate?  By getting her teeth cleaned, of course.

Sorry it's been awhile since I've posted.  Nothing much has happened this month.  Nothing seems to be moving too much.  The highlight was how excited my dental hygienist became when she noticed my bite.  It was funny, because she'd been cleaning in there awhile--she was almost done--and she says, "Hold on, I think your teeth are catching on something on your braces.  Your bite is off."  And then she got it, "Oh! That's why you're having surgery!"  Then she got all excited and had me bite down a few more times, and she was very fascinated by it.  I thought it was pretty funny.  And, I was rather proud of my wonky bite.

Well, happy November jaw buddies!  Everyone who's recovering looks GREAT!