day 4 post wisdom teeth removal - this freaking sucks!

it's 3am and I've now been awake 40 minutes in agony. I really really hope I haven't got the dreaded 'dry socket', but I got stitched up so that can't happen, right? I've taken 2 paracetamol since I woke up but that's just made me feel sick in addition to being in pain

This is awful. 

wisdom teeth removal

hi guys, sorry I haven't posted in forever.

I thought I was due to get my wisdoms out last month but it ended up being today! I only got the bottom 2 out as I'm only having surgery on my bottom jaw.

I'm swollen and sore right now but wanted to get the post up :) also be prepared for the no makeup double chin pic at the end!

I went to the hospital at half 8 and went in for the op about 10am. I had my mam and stepdad waiting with me but I decided to go to the theatre by myself because my mam would probably of got me more worried than I needed to be!

The anaesthetist was a really nice man who kept me calm as getting put to sleep was the bit I didn't like. Also I've got veins that are not very prominent so I was worried about him sticking a needle in a million times to try and find a good one.

Anyway, I gets in there and they take by blood pressure, stick a heart monitor thing on my finger and he puts the needle in (no magic cream anymore because I'm an 'adult'. boo!) Then they put an oxygen mask on me and I did not like that bit at all, it was just oxygen but still I felt like I was going to die or something! The guy went right this is going to make you a bit dizzy then we'll put you to sleep, injected me with this stuff that made me feel warm and a bit fuzzy but nice. It was so strange, I felt so much calmer and I'm pleased they give you it rather than just putting you to sleep. I remember going 'this feels really weird' then the anaesthetist said 'right you'll fall asleep in about 10-15 seconds' and I was out for the count.

Woke up with the stupid mask on, and for some reason I thought I was back at university and I had woke up still completely drunk after a night out, tried to take either the mask or the heart rate thing off (can't remember which) twice and I kept getting told off hahah. Then I realised I was in recovery :') I rang my dad later and told him he found it hilarious.

Saw my surgeon just before they discharged me (not even an hour after I'd woke up which was good!) and he said it went fine they just had a bit of trouble wobbling them to get them out as they were so far under the gumline. And that was it.

Recovery wise it hasn't been too bad so far. I got a bit emotional when I got home (typical girl) but all in all it's done now so I'm pleased. I had numbness for about 3 or 4 hours but I have all my feeling outside my mouth back, not so sure about inside as its just sore. Ive had some soup, icecream and loads of cups of tea (not boiling) but I can tell chewing will be off the cards for a few days at least yet, time will tell. Some swelling and pressure and I feel like that will be worse tomorrow. A little bleeding (including a nosebleed due to the tube they put up there) but nothing major. Also I feel sick which could be due to the amount of medication ive took on little food. And that is it!

Sorry for rambling on but I hope this was helpful for anymore preparing to get their wisdoms out before surgery. Any questions just ask :)

And now the post-op photo! Goodnight!

Yay chipmunk cheeks! 

waiting game

Saw my surgeon yesterday finaaaaaaaaalllly! 

Ahhhhhh it was an exciting appointment, seeing the guy who's gonna break your face apart and put it back together in the flesh is rather daunting! But he's a nice man. Between him and my ortho they've both decided that there's nothing else they can do until I have SURGERY!

Waaaaaaaahoooooooo :)

BUT - (there's always a but) - I've still got my god forsaken wisdom teeth and after I get them out (next month) i've got to wait a whole 6 months before I can have surgery so my bones heal. So surgery is most likely to be September or October time, meaning I'll miss some of my final year of uni and will probably have to spend my 21st birthday in November sober. That's if I can get fitted in before the end of the year (with my luck, not likely).

Also, the surgeon reckons I only need my bottom jaw advancing so it looks like single jaw surgery for me! I'm pleased about this part as it means less healing time and less lectures missed. He had a look at my jaws and said 'oh, you've got quite a small bottom jaw meaning it'll be easier to fracture' hahahah

Sorry this is quite an informal post but i'm in an informal mood :) Hope everyones doing well!

successssssss

Surgery is still on
I'm nearly there!

Seen my ortho today and I was there for like an hour, half of which he spent just moving my new mold things   different ways and looking at different angles. Had some photos taken too and he basically said we're almost there, just a few things to tweak. He thinks we should get the surgery over then he can see what he has to work with when i'm out.

Soooooooooo I have an appointment with the surgeon NEXT MONTH and I should be having it in the summer! waaaaaaaaahahhahaah FINALLY. GETTING. SOMEWHERE :)

NO surgery???

Went to the ortho today and thought i'd finally be told when I would be ready for surgery. Not the case at all. I went in and sat there for about 10 minutes while my ortho and some other OD talked about what would be the best option. Some surgeon (not the one i've seen before) also came over and gave his two cents. It was determined I would do for an x-ray and come back and then they'd have a better picture.
About 20 minutes later I was all x-rayed up and went back in to see the OD. After a lot of measuring of x-rays molds and god knows what else basically he still isn't sure what the best option for me is as if I have surgery my brackets could come loose and it would complicate things blah blah blah (stupid amelogenesis). He said another option is to put a metal band on every single tooth - ouch - but then the results aren't as precise. Alsoooo because i'm getting porcelain veneers after i'm getting these damn things off apparently a lot of mistakes can be disguised with them. So he's going to see my surgeon and have a chat between now and my next appointment (17th Jan).

I told him I don't really care what they do I JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO A BIG CHEESY GRIN AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT. urgh.

Anyway he left my top wire unchanged but gave me a new bottom one and put some funky bend in it to try and even out the gumline. So now i'm frustrated and in rather a lot of pain. Fabulous.

latest photos - 14 months

Just a few photos taken recently!

 Overbite is looking crazy now!

And here's a fun one thrown in from halloween of me and my housemate, we went out dressed as zombie pirates! Hope everyone is doing well :)

Referral Letter

Hey guys, before I post some photos (yes!) I thought I would share the letter written by my prosthodontic dentist to my orthodontist which started me on the braces/surgery journey. It might help some of you understand my condition better, although some of the terms I still don't really understand myself. I don't have a scanner so i've just typed it up.

Thanks for reading,

Beth.


Dear Mr Chapple

I would be grateful if you would agree to see Beth with regards to providing her with an orthodontic opinion. Beth has been a long term patient of the Dental Hospital, suffering as she does from enamel hypoplasia. She has been under the care of Paula Waterhouse since 2002 and since becoming an adult has transferred to myself for her routine dental care. In addition to the enamel hypoplasia Beth also suffers from an anterior open bite and an irregularity in the maxillary incisal plane, which is unaesthetic. Beth seems to have a Class II Skeletal Base and would almost certainly require some extractions in order to resolve her orthodontic issues. She is having difficulty accessing the palatal aspect of the maxillary incisors due to the narrowness of the arch in this location.
She is clearly concerned about the aesthetics of her dentition and would welcome an opinion as to whether orthodontics would be feasible and be available within the Dental Hospital.

Thanking you in anticipation

Dr J Ellis

(sent 18/8/2010)