So my TMJ is hurting allll the time now. I sort of feel like my bottom jaw is shifted to the left and its really causing a lot of pain. The images are mirrored so the left is your left. I'm getting a lot of headaches. Chewing hurts and it also makes my jaw really tired and sore. I hear a lot of cracking in the tmj when I open my mouth. At this point the surgery is 7 months away. I know its not very far but I wish it was sooner. I really want it out of the way. My underbite is becoming more noticeable. I'll try to post some better pictures when I get a chance. Its pretty amazing how fast time goes by. I started looking into this process 7 months ago, so its been about halfway to surgery from that point.
The time goes by really fast and one day you seem to wake up with a really horrible bite and realize that you're getting a lot closer. My open bite has closed a lot, which is a relief because it was really effecting my speech. I notice my speech improving with my bite closing which is soooooo nice. I don't feel that weird about the braces anymore since I know I'm getting closer and closer to saying goodbye to them.
I'm going to the orthodontist on oct 17th for an adjustment, xrays and to book my surgery. I'm really excited to get new elastics because it seems that no matter what colour you get, they discolour to a degree.
I went to the dentist a few days ago and he said I look like I've lost weight since the last visit, he said my face looks a lot thinner. I've heard this from other people too, I think its just the underbite sort of changing the shape of my face. Eating has been really hard and I try to stick to soft things or liquids. Anyway I just went for a cleaning and he was happy with the movement in my teeth, explained some stuff to me and asked me to have my surgeon send him some information.
I'm feeling pretty exhausted with this whole pain thing. I sort of wish I could do the surgery in december, oh I wish!!!
Terra, have the braces, or rather the movement of your teeth intensify your TMJ? I can see the change in your bite. That's awful that you are having trouble eating, especially since you should be enjoying as much pre-surgical eating as possible. I've been meaning to ask you, how do you keep your teeth so white? I know I love my coffee and curry but my teeth look ridiculously yellow.
ReplyDeleteHey Kristi! Yeah the movement has been causing serious TMJ pain, Its almost everyday and its giving me horrible headaches. I don't really know what to do at this point. I'm going to call my orthodontist tomorrow and see if I can be ready sooner in any way.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how my teeth are staying white anymore, I do use a whitening toothpaste, I don't drink coffee. I know though that the silver elastics don't discolour nearly as much as the others and that tends to make my teeth look whiter too. Hope you're doing well, good luck on your journey!
Terra, I'm sorry about the pain you're experiencing. Maybe you can talk to both the doctor and ortho and see if you can get an earlier date due to the pain you are in.
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