results from my adjustment

(from Tuesday)
Had a great visit to the ortho this week. We were going to take molds this week, but decided to wait for my gaps to finish closing. It was heavenly to brush and floss without wires! I was making so many noises of joy that the 8-yr brushing next to me gave me a strange look. Who knew getting gunk out from between my back molar bands could bring such happiness?

My next appointment is July 9th, right after a family vacation. The ortho will take molds and we'll set a surgery date.

I kept the same wires but they ortho added a metal twist under my two front teeth to help bring them out. Great news. These teeth did not move much at all over the last month.

Wednesday - my teeth have ached for almost 48 hours now. No more wight loss, though, since I remembered how comforting cookie dough can be! I remind myself that each bolt of pain is progress. The constant discomfort definitly makes me less patient with my small children. Poor dears.


Addendum - This morning, my surgeon called and I have a date. Woo hoo! I am growing more nervous as the day passes, but I am thrilled. I'll go down to Charleston (100 miles away) on July 16th to have surgical molds taken, and then the big show is set for August 26th. So many family decisions are depending on having a date set - a giant hug of appreciation to my husband for his patience in all this. With dates in hand I can begin arranging for child care.

summertime

My youngest is teething (finally) and woke me up at 4:15 today. Instead of reaching for another cup of joe, I decided looking at some favorite pictures would perk me up until supper time.

Here is a fun snapshot of my oldest playing in the pool with my brother.

celery cheeks

I am waiting for an adjustment tomorrow after my first month with power chains. The space in my lower teeth seems pretty persistent, though the constant-but-different teeth aches over the last 2 weeks encourage me that something is going on. :)

The lack of a surgery date has not kept me from dreaming about jaw surgery. It's weird how it's taken over my dreams lately. The inside of my mouth has lots of tender spots from I guess, night time "chewing". When I slide my tongue inside my cheeks, it feels like a piece of celery, with all its' tiny ridges.

A good thing about my gray power chains is that they don't stain as badly as the ligs did. For my birthday last week, DH and I ate fabulous Korean curries, drank red wine, and split a decadent dessert & coffee, without any telling dental signs!

My toddlers are in their first swim lesson this week, which means I'm skipping my exercise classes and pretending to be a teenager again. Where did those long summers at the pool go?

jaws are all around you!

Now that I am on this jaw surgery journey, I notice folks with jaw problems everywhere. I mean it. Kinda like when I was pregnant with my first baby and, kaboom, there were pregnant ladies all around me. :)

Sometimes this amuses me and other times it disturbs me. The other night I ran to the grocery store after the kids were in bed. On almost every aisle another shopper and I stumbled into each other. This woman had kind eyes, a bit tired, and smiled each time we passed. What struck me though was how far her lips hung from her mouth. Her lower jaw was so recessed that her lips appeared to be spilling off her face.


I fought the urge to give her a giant hug and pester her with questions. Had she struggled to breath through her nose, too? Did she have headaches? Had her jaw recessed more over time or was it always like that? She was middle aged, so I also wondered if she'd considered surgery or over time accepted her situation. Of course, there was NO WAY I would ever actually speak those thoughts to her. And situation isn't the right word, but you know what I'm trying to say. As I paid for my groceries, she pulled in line behind me and I snuck another glance. I thought, "Wow, I am really blessed. My lips can meet if I pull 'em with all my might." As I drove out of the parking lot, her car stopped behind mine at the traffic signal. It was really weird.


Reading about Leah's, Holly's and Heather's recent experiences has helped me grow more comfortable with the idea of surgery and all. And yet I still fret about how other people will react to me after the fact. I wonder how others will judge my decision - maybe because I struggle with judgment in my own heart?

The other jaw stuff on my mind has been a renewed interest in mouth breathing. I am slowly solving the riddle about my "long face syndrome". More on this later...

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I am breaking from my usual journal format to send a hearty THANKS to each of you who have shared an encouraging word or a helpful comment. Your thoughts have really meant a lot to me. They have helped me find perspective on what can be a highly subjective experience.

We are celebrating my youngest daughter's first birthday this week, and I decided to make a photo collage with one photo from each month of the past year. It is amazing to see just how fast time passes. Even though each day brings a slightly new dental discovery, all in all, the last four months have fluttered past as I went about my usual routines. The photographs made me smile, albeit with melancholy for the passing of such a sweet, sweet time. You readers with children know just what I'm talking about. :)

My self esteem is in a better place today, and as I scanned through hundreds of photographs, a couple of thoughts struck me:

• I miss not having braces, but am sooooooo glad I'm finally got 'em!


• when I smile with sincerity, my jaw problems are way less noticeable!


• life is too short for me to take myself as seriously as I have been!

So I just wanted to say merci beaucoup - grazie - gracias - danke to everyone. Let's smile!