Fitting Day!

Today was the day I got my braces fitted! I was a little nervous but I feel comfortable and trust my dentist so I knew I would be fine. First of all he explained what was going to happen. Then we started.

He put a round plasticy/rubbery thing in my mouth to hold my lips open. It was different to the things they used when they took my photos in a previous appointment as the nurse needs to do lots of things too so cant stand holding my lips open herself. This was fine but mine did slip out after about 5 mintues! Once it was reinserted and adjusted we were good to go again.

My dentist then cleaned the teeth using some gritty paste and I guess some sort of buffer. This was then squirted off with water and sucked out by the nurse. Obviously from here on I wasnt quite sure exactly what was happening or being used as I couldnt see. 

He seemed to dab another type of paste onto each tooth. I guess they then bonded on the brackets and it smelt a bit like when I get my acrylic nails put on so it must be a similar chemical reaction? There was some curing using a UV light. They used an orange shield to protect their eyes whilst in use. There was some pushing which was some kind of mould being put on my teeth. I think this is where the mould of my teeth came in, the people in America must have used that to create a mould to guide the dentist where the brackets needed to go.

After more curing, he said I would feel some pulling which is where the mould was being removed leaving the brackets behind. The dentist then using water and a small drill to remove any excess cement.

Then was the wire to be fitted. I was quite surprised at how little time it all took to be done. In totalI was in the chair for 30 minutes. Remember I am only having the top teeth straightened so if you are having both arches I guess it would be more like 45-60 minutes in total.

I was given some aftercare advice by the nurse and also a fact sheet to take away. I was given a special brush to clean above and below the brackets and behind the wires. I also have some wax but I didnt use this when I had braces as a teen so probably wont use it this time either.

My next appointment is in 1 months time, the 25th February. My dentist thinks my gap in my front teeth will be closed by Valentines Day which is exciting!

The braces feel quite tight but no pain or rubbing so far and I have had them fitted for approx 2.5 hours. Hopefully this will continue to be ok!I will put some pictures up soon :)

See you next time! Sal x

Filling...

Well I have been dreading this day. 

I hate fillings, my last experience was not good! I used to go to an NHS dentist and when I got a filling there, it just felt rushed and like I wasn't important, I was just another job that day. I could feel the drilling and pushing and it just was not pleasant.

I am so happy to say my experience with my new private dentist was so much more positive! I told him I was dreading the filling and he said he would be gentle. First off, the injection. He told me exactly what was going to happen and what it would feel like. He gave my the injection really really slowly. Must have taken 90-120 seconds! I was so grateful though, I could hardly feel it. He told me to just concentrate on my breathing which really helped. 

You really do pay to get a better service but it is so worth it!

Once I had the injection and about 5 minutes of waiting, we started with the filling. He had to drill out an old filling and repack it. I can honestly say I did not feel any pain whatsoever! I wont bore you with what else happened because it was pretty uneventful. 

I also handed back my signed Consent form for 6 month smile. Looking forward to going back on the 24th to have my brace fitted now!

See you soon!

Sal x

First 'Official' Appointment

Hi guys! Last time I wrote I had had my consultation and paid my money but I wanted to just give a bit of history first. Now that that is out of the way I can continue with my story!

I had my first 'official' appointment on the 3rd Jan 2014. As part of this my dentist did a more thorough check up on my teeth. He advised me he thinks I have a 'dead' tooth but as it is causing my no pain at the moment, I have decided to leave it alone. In the future I may need this removed.

I also had a tooth that needed a filling, and he advised I should get this done before the brace goes on.

As part of this appointment I had lots of photos taken, for the benefit of my dentist and also 6 month smiles themselves. They used these weird plastic things that go on each side of your mouth to hold your lips open and take close up photos. They also take photos of you from the neck up smiling. For me it was a very forced/fake smile as I NEVER show my teeth when smiling normally! They also took photos of the backs of my teeth, they do this using a mirror that does not mist up when you breathe. They rest it behind your teeth on the top and bottom.

They also take XRays of each side of yur mouth. This is where he told me I would need a filling redone. He showed me WHY I needed it done. I know that he isnt trying to rip me off and get me to pay for things that arent needed, he actually shows me the XRays and points out what they are showing and what they mean.

The next part was the casting. I had decided to only get my upper arch (top row of teeth) straightened, but after they are all done, I will be getting my teeth polished and whitened, again I have paid upfront for this as well. So I only had to go through one lot of casting. He put some purple gel like stuff into a tray and pressed it hard onto my top teeth for approx 3-5 minutes it felt like. When I had braces as a child I seem to remember the gel stuff feeling like it was going down my throat. Well my dentist had put it in the tray in a way that it wouldn't do that. He also explained exactly what was happening before he did things so I knew what to expect. When he removed the hardened gel from my teeth it did feel like my teeth would come out with it but it was fine!

They have to use a gel that will hold its shape for a long time. Normally it only holds shape for approx 24 hours, but he was sending the cast of my teeth to America for them to sork out where the brace needs to go on each tooth. For a normal brace, it just goes to a lab within the UK but for 6 month smiles it goes to USA.

The last thing he did was take my email address for his records so he could email me a Consent form to read and sign, and bring back on my next appointment. 

Once that was all done, my appointment was over. It took a total of around 45 minutes this time. As I was paying in full on a debit card I got a small discount off of everything so I was pleased with that! I got some mouthwash to start using, it is alcohol free and had fluoride in it. He said I will go through a lot of this when I have the braces!

My next appointment was booked for the 7th January so I could get my filling sorted out, and I also booked the appointment for the brace to be fitted. This is the 24th January! Eeek!

Any questions please feel free to ask me :)

Why 6 Month Smiles?

Hi guys. My name is Sally and I am about to start my 6 month smile journey! I have had my first appointment and paid my money in full but first I want to tell you a bit of history about me and my teeth.

When I was in Secondary School I had braces in the traditional metal traintrack style. I had them top and bottom for approximately two years. Unfortunately being young and silly, I didn't take care of my teeth while having the braces fixed. I didn't clean properly and so when the braces were removed I had staining on the teeth. 

Also I didn't wear my retainer. It was a case of again, me being silly and young and thinking that my teeth would be fine. My teeth were not fine. They moved back to how they were before braces. Not AS bad but still moved back so I had a small gap in my two front teeth again and another tooth moved back out of place. 

Two years and lots of NHS money wasted because I was young and stupid.

Fast forward ten years, I am now 26 and wanting to get married. There is no way on Earth I am getting married with the way my teeth are. I want to be able to smile freely without covering my mouth when I laugh, trying to talk with my mouth closed as much as possible and just generally dont want to worry about every single picture being taken of me from all angles by lots of different people!

So I do some research online and find out about 6 month smiles. I find a local private dentist who can offer them. I go in for a free consultation. He takes some pictures and explains the options to me including what can be done with my teeth and how much it will cost etc. I don't quite have the money together so I tell him I definitely want to go ahead but I will book in as soon as I get the money together. 

This was about November 2013 time. I wanted to get Christmas and New Year out of the way. I manage to get the money together and I book an appointment for the 3rd January 2014. See my next post for what happened on this appointment!

Thanks for reading so far, a long first post but a relevant one :)

See you soon

Sal x