Well, I've made a big decision about my treatment. I have discussed things with Dr Ward, and I am not going to have the gap left from my extracted tooth filled (by moving my teeth with the brace). Although I like my lingual brace and I wouldn't change my treatment so far at all, I don't want the brace on for another 12 months - which is how long it would take to complete the movement of my teeth to close the gap. I have opted for a Maryland Bridge. This will allow me to mask the gap and have the smile I want! (You will have to ask your orthodontist if moving your teeth or opting for a bridge or implant is right for your treatment). Last week, I had my final wire on my lower arch to tidy things up. My 4 front teeth are sensitive to touch, but not to hot/cold after the final wire on my top arch was put in on Monday this week. This set of adjustments wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as previously - thank goodness! My treatment will progress in a way that Dr ward is happy with and also matches what I would like to achieve. I have an elastic now as well. It is goes from my lower canine to upper first molar on the left hand side and this is to help get the centre line of my teeth correct. This means that the top two and bottom two teeth will line up which can assist in improving bite positioning. Now you're going to wonder if yours line up too... go ahead, have a look! As a side note, I have been using a manual toothbrush during my treatment. We often recommend electric toothbrushes to patients who generally have a difficult time keeping their teeth clean. However, I do have excellent oral health and am able to clean around my brace. We always want our patients to display a high level of proficiency in brushing and oral care. If you have any questions about brushing around your brace or 'what if'... just ask your dental nurse or orthodontic nurse. He or she will be able to guide you to maintaining your brace so your teeth will be nice and healthy when you get your brace off! Thanks for reading, G.

Easter Braces

It seems like it has been ages, but this is what it is like with braces. It is not a quick fix (despite what some people say!) On Friday, 8 March Dr Ward did my first full adjustment on my lower arch. He took the old wire out and put a new wire in. This is done to progress the treatment to the next stage. The first stage of lingual treatment is to align the teeth. My adjustment took about 15 minutes to complete. My teeth felt tight immediately and about 3 hours later... they began throbbing! I would say it was a similar discomfort to a tooth ache or when you touch a bruise. I didn't have to take any pain relief that day, but at 5:00am on Saturday morning I was searching for the Paracetamol. I ate mostly soft-ish foods over the weekend, it was still uncomfortable but I didn't need any further pain relief. Wednesday, 13 March had me visiting the great team at Grover and Marsden Dental Practice in Merstham. I needed to have my upper left second premolar extracted. It was a simple 15 minute procedure under a local anaesthetic. I was able to work through the day, it was a little uncomfortable but very bearable. We even had our team complete basic life support training in the afternoon! That evening I had softer food again - mash and fish fingers. It was made for me and as we all know, food always tastes better when you don't have to cook it yourself :) Finally, on Friday 15 March I had my fixed adjust on the upper arch. It was a similar process to the lower arch one week earlier, but Dr Ward also put a white filling material to mask the gap left by my extracted tooth. It would be noticeable if I was smiling, so it is a great interim solution before my teeth start to move to close the gap. This adjustment was MUCH more uncomfortable than lower. It is likely a combination of the change of wire and extraction only a couple of days apart, but WOW I felt it through the whole weekend. I took Paracetamol regularly through the weekend until Sunday. It is almost one week later and I am still on a soft food diet. That means no biscuits (what?!?), but there are cupcakes in the practice today and those will be ok! It kind of feels like like my teeth and gums are bruised. Next on the agenda is a fixed adjust in 6 weeks time. That will be exciting as I will move on to the next stage with a new and stronger wire. Until then, I just hope for less sensitivity so that I can carry on eating what I want. Please email or leave a comment on my blog page if you have any questions. Until next time,G.

Getting Fixed (and not in the spay or neuter kind of way)

I had my first adjustment appointment a week and a half ago. A fixed adjust appointment is where the orthodontist moves on a stage with treatment which can include changing the wires to a different size. Dr Ward is pleased with the progress I have made and was happy to leave my top teeth as they were. My lower teeth were ready to move on a stage... this resulted in him moving the wire on my lower teeth into a different position and re tying this in. For the following few days my brace felt tighter (as expected). Things were a bit uncomfortable although nothing that needed painkillers - I was just more aware my teeth were there! I haven't had any other problems since the initial first week when they were put on. I'm now eating (almost) normally but just trying to avoid anything to hard or crunchy to prevent breakages. My next appointment is in six weeks. To be honest, I have been surprised by a few things I have experienced. I guess the thing to remember is if you have any questions or concerns with what is going on with your brace, don't hesitate to contact your orthodontist. Wiggly teeth = normal, sensitivity = normal. If you have any questions on your treatment, please message me :) Happy Monday to you, G.

8 days in to the new year and I'm eating 'normally' now. I tried a bag of crisps last night and it took a while to get through them. Really, some foods are just not worth the effort! The onion rings I had for dinner were definitely worth the time though :) My lower jaw and teeth ache a bit and my orthodontist, Paul Ward says it is due to clenching my teeth at night. This morning was the first time I considered taking something to help with the pain, but otherwise it has been manageable. My top jaw and teeth have felt ok, but when I touch them, they are a bit sensitive. I am allowed to chew gum, but so far I am sticking with mouthwash to keep me fresh and minty. I've had a recommendation from a colleague that I might try chewing on some brace wax to help increase blood flow to the area and help with muscle contraction. Sound weird? Maybe, but I'm willing to give it a go. More importantly, tonight is my first ever Zumba class with one of the girls from work, so wish us luck... I might be more concerned with my aching muscles than my teeth tomorrow. Wishing you a great Tuesday night, G.

New Braces New Year!

Welcome and thanks for reading. My name is Georgina and I am a dental nurse at the Redhill Orthodontic Practice. I am writing to tell you about my new orthodontic treatment. I had my Incognito hidden braces put on 3 days before New Years Eve. That may sound crazy, but it fit with my schedule, the orthodontist's schedule... and definitely got me off the sweets before the new year! My biggest struggle has been eating. My diet has consisted of jelly, cup-of-soup and mashed potatoes for three days now. My tongue rubs on the wires if I try to eat anything else, but hopefully that will change soon. Even though I am a dental professional, I was apprehensive and 'prepared for the worst and hoped for the best' with my new braces. The first three days have been a pleasant surprise. My colleagues have commented that my speech has barely changed (even though it feels like it to me) and because they are hidden on the inside of my teeth, you can't see them. I will share a picture next time, but for now you can get more information at http://www.bracelands.co.uk/redhill/incognito-braces-redhill-surrey.html. If you have any questions about my treatment, please feel free to comment. Wishing you a happy new year! G.