The End!

I wrote most of this in December, but I never got round to getting these photos done. Then Christmas happened, then I got distracted by my new camera, then Spring didn’t happen, then I realised it’s been ONE YEAR since my operation, so I thought I’d better get this post published.

It might have taken a REALLY long time, but it was definitely worth it.

Feb 2008, before everything happened.

 
April 2012, after the braces had done what they could, and the day before the operation

 
April 2013, a year after the operation

 

X-Rays are Cool

I’ve got my retainers now. I’m still going to write about it, but I’ll do that later. I think this is cooler though.

It took quite a while to get them, but a few months and £30 later (!) I have the X-Rays on a CD.

2007

This was before any braces were put in, and before any teeth were pulled out. You’ll be able to tell at that time, my front and back teeth were meeting fine, but the ones in the middle weren’t. What you can’t really see here is how overcrowded they were. I’m sure they did an X-Ray showing it, but they didn’t give it to me.

:-# --> :-D

After 5 and a bit years (on and off, and on again) I had my braces out on Tuesday afternoon, and about time too! Though it was one of the weirdest appointments I've had at the hospital...

I got in on time, Monsters vs. Aliens was showing in the waiting room, pretty standard. My orthodontist was running late as usual, but when I eventually got called in, I saw another orthodontist instead, in fact she was the first consultant I saw 5 years ago. She said that the braces were coming off today and that I would need impressions taken. I was surprised how quickly the braces came off (there was a fair amount of pain involved), and at how long she took polishing the teeth to remove the residual glue.

eeew, dentists

7 months after the operation

I had an appointment at the dentist yesterday, for a change. I was getting a bit concerned at the amount of tartar that built up quite suddenly on the front of my teeth, but he said there was no decay :) He wouldn't clear the tartar for fear of dislodging the braces, but in true dentist fashion, he revelled in inflicting as much pain as possible cleaning the back of my teeth. Stupid dentists.

Looks like I'll be going back there again as soon as the braces are taken off.

...still nearly there...

5 months after the operation

Another appointment, another configuration of elastics to wear. I'll probably keep up with it for two, maybe three days this time.

Just as I was leaving the surgery, I saw another consultant talking to a young girl, telling her for the first time that she might need braces. The girl looked horrified. Pfft. Try having them for 5 years and having an operation on your jaw part way through.

This might well be the last set of elastics for me to wear. Let's hope so. Next appointment? Nobody knows.

Nearly there..?

4 months after the operation

Well, I'm back from the Alps now (and have been for quite some time). Unfortunately that insurance premium I paid just went into the company's pocket, but if I hadn't paid, the rock that punched me in the face would have hit the fracture rather than my cheek, or the baguettes I had for lunch would have destroyed the blocks on my braces, or something.

It's been ages since I wrote about my jaw, but that's because nothing much has happened.

“You look like Dan again”

9 weeks after the operation

Now there’s a good observation from my housemates! Honestly, I thought I looked like myself again quite a while back, but hey.

Speaking of “quite a while back”, I noticed my stitches magically disappeared recently. They might have gone quite a while ago, I just didn’t notice at the time.

Further minor observations

7 weeks after the operation

I woke up one morning, after yet another night with the elastics in. On biting together, it felt like the elastics have pulled some of the teeth up too far. Now they are the only firm contact point. I’m no orthodontist, but I reckon if I keep that band in for the 2 months until my next appointment, they’re going to do more damage than good. So for a few days I’ve decided not to wear the band on my left side, in order to let the right side catch up.

I’ve ‘officially’ recovered! (and jaw post #10)

6 weeks after the operation

I didn’t realise at the time, but yesterday was 6 weeks after my operation – the official time the doctors said it would take my bones to recover. Also, yesterday was the first day I had real pizza (I say ‘real’ because the cheesy bread that was Adel’s takeaway which I had last Wednesday doesn’t count).

No more milkshake :(

5 weeks after the operation

That’s it. I’m all out. But hey, at least I’m eating normal food now, so I don’t need them anyway.

I found a website where I could buy them, but at £3 each I think now might be a good time to kick the habit and go cold turkey instead.

Elastic #2

4 weeks after the operation

Good news everyone! The stiffness in my jaw is going away, I can open my mouth wider each day, and it's apparently not because the surgeon stitched it up in the wrong place!

So now I’m craving the milkshakes.

3 weeks after the operation

Short post – I don't have much to write this time.

Now that I'm eating a (more or less) balanced diet, I appear to have developed a sort of dependency to those milkshakes… This can't be good. I'm not having the advised 4 a day anymore, just one at breakfast and sometimes another in the afternoon/evening. But still, there exists some amount of craving.

Well, I definitely look different!

16 days after the operation

Since the bruising and swelling and all things horrible have died down a fair bit, I thought I'd get some pictures up.

Firstly, there’s me on the left before the surgery showing off the incredible hospital fashion. The Converses are mine, but the socks aren’t.

My lips are so sore!

12 days after the operation

Have your lips ever been sunburnt? That's what it feels like right now. Or that feeling the day after you drank that hot chocolate that was much too hot? I've got that feeling too. The numb areas are still completely numb, but the areas with sensation are sore.

One week on…

9 days after the operation

“Ode to Codeine”

Codeine tastes awful,
But makes me feel all fuzzy.
That’s all right by me.

Yeah, I don’t do poems. Here I have written 3 lines and fitted them to a haiku. Some day this will appear in those poor GCSE kids’ books, analysing it for imagery and rhythmic structures. Do let me know if I used any, because I have no idea.

All the gory details (minus all the gory photos)

3 days after the operation

I'm just going to add here, painkillers don't make good writing aids. I apologise in advance for my poor writing standard.

Sunday 1st April
The leaflet told me to not eat dairy food, but it didn't say from what point, so we decided not to have any milk, cheese, tea etc. from Sunday.

T-35 hours

Now that I'm back home, the prospect of my surgery is finally starting to sink in! Mum has stocked up on frozen peas, ice cream and cans of soup. We have a blender, I've had a haircut and since I won't be able to speak for a week, I have a whiteboard, the Dasher app and a LoveFilm trial.

All about my teeth

Hi. I'm Dan, I'm 19 and I have a class III malocclusion on a skeletal III base. Well, that’s what they told me. In English, that means I have an underbite.

I just want to let you know what has happened, and what is going to happen.