Braced! Today was B-Day! Only 547 days left to go....
Today the journey to correcting my bite officially began. My appointment at Dr. Sherman's office was at 8:35am this morning. I arrived on-time (which that in itself is a great accomplishment). The braces didn't take long to put on because Dr. Sherman's office uses an Indirect Bonding procedure (I explained this process in a previous post). Chelsea his assistant prepared my teeth for the braces and placed all but the top back brackets on my teeth. Dr. Sherman checked in from time to time to make sure things were going smoothly. And when it was time he came in to seat the brackets that also have a Trans-Palatal Arch (TPA) attached to them. Within a little over an hour the process of putting on my braces and initial wires was complete. My next official appointment with Dr. Sherman in 8 weeks on February 2, 2014. But I will visit with Chelsea next week for her to double check all the hardware.
During the installation of my braces I was a little nervous but not too bad. However, afterwards when I began to try to talk with the TPA in the roof of my mouth I began to panic. The braces themselves aren't too bad but the TPA is very frightening. It would probably help to give a visual of what a TPA looks like and the role it plays on this journey. The YouTube video below demonstrates the placement and one part of the function for my treatment.
While correcting my overbite is one part of my treatment plan, the second and most important correction that needs to be made it to move my upper molars back into my gum line.
The TPA is difficult to get use to because of the effect it has on the movement of my tongue and food. My speech is somewhat slurred and eating today has really been a challenge. But as I am with most things, I'm determined to make this process as positive and productive as possible. I'm sure I will figure out how to speak clearly and what foods will work during this journey. As for now, I'm celebrating the conclusion of DAY 1... only 547 days left to go!
Special thanks to Chelsea for her kind and gentle touch!
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