Another orthodontist appointment...and week 27

So I had another orthodontist appointment today (well, yesterday I guess. Since I'm writing this past midnight), and scratch out everything I said about the previous appointment being painful. Because this one takes the cake so far. This current appointment makes the last one seem like child's play.

The office ran late, so it didn't matter as much that I was literally two minutes early to the office for my scheduled appointment (as per my usual. I never see the point in going to medical/dental appointments too early, unless asked to. Why would I want to extend the amount of time I have to sit and wait?). I waited a whooping 40 minutes before I was seen. Honestly. I could've been half an hour late and I would've still been early. But that is neither here nor there, because I would've gladly waited another 40 minutes if I knew what awaited me for today's appointment.

Started off with an X-ray and some pictures. That was the only easy, painless part of the appointment. Everything else after this most definitely weren't easy or painless. After the X-Ray and pictures were taken, the assistant took the wires out and I waited for the orthodontist to come around. And it feels really weird without the wires on my teeth providing the pressure. Almost painful, but not quite. It's just...a weird awkward feeling with the gates on the brackets all opened, and no wires there to push against my teeth. I wonder if it will feel weird for the first little bit when I get the braces off?

The X-Ray was fine, I guess? The orthodontist did tell me that there was some slight bone loss on the lower right side, so I'll have to keep up with the oral hygiene. Otherwise, roots were fine. At least, I wasn't informed of any roots shortening. Which is good. No news is usually good news when it comes to all things medical. Then, the orthodontist did the usual looking, poking and prodding in my mouth, and he decided to change the position of four (I think) brackets. Something about moving the roots? Anyway, this is where things went from 0 to 60 real quick.

Let me preface this by saying that I do not have a low pain tolerance. I had fillings done as a kid without any anesthesia (and I had quite a bit of fillings done as a kid), sprained my ankle and continued to walk with the same ankle for weeks without seeking any medical assistance (the ankle healed by itself without any medical intervention), and injured myself countless times (I'm a bit of a klutz. I can and do trip over my own two feet while walking on perfectly flat ground). I may not have the highest pain tolerance, but it's definitely not low. I can tolerate pain. I can tolerate discomfort. Pain and discomfort aren't things that make me cry, normally.

But holy crap. Having the brackets pried off my teeth was painful. It's not mild discomforting pain. It's not like a cut or a scrape. It's not even like the pain I get when new wires are snapped in. It's just...it's painful. I don't know how to properly describe it. It's kind of like someone pulling your teeth out, almost. There's a lot of pushing pressure, and pain. And the thing is, the assistance couldn't get any of the brackets off in one go (which is good, I guess. Because it means the glue is holding up and the brackets are secured). She pried and pushed and pulled until they were off. And I sat there while she pried and pushed and pulled. She had a lot trouble getting the ceramic ones off, and fuck, those hurt the most. I teared up when she worked on those. And yes, they do shatter when they're being pried off, so it was great fun to sit there and have the assistance do more prying, pushing and pulling to get the broken pieces off my teeth.

Then after all that was thankfully done, she cleaned the teeth that had the brackets removed. Some drilling was done to get rid of the glue. Some water spraying. A lot of suctioning was done. After the orthodontist approved the position of the new brackets, she placed them on. Again, a lot of suctioning was done. My mouth got real dry. I should've smeared on more lip balm beforehand, but oh well. This part didn't go by too badly. I did endure having brackets put on all my teeth, so having 4 placed on wasn't a bit deal. Just a bit uncomfortable with having my mouth propped wide opened and the assistance maintaining my mouth dry while she places the brackets on. But all in all, this part wasn't so bad.

I didn't get any new wires this time. Just the same wires that I was already on. But the wires feel tighter than before, because of the different position that the repositioned brackets were in. At least that's what I was told by the assistance. And it hurts a bit when the wires were snapped in. Definitely felt the wire when it was placed in. Can't tell why the position of the bracket can change how a wire feels, but it is what it is. Still got the powerchain, one on top and one on bottom...and when those were placed on, yeah, that hurts. Really fucking hurts. Powerchains hurt. Was not given any new elastic configuration; instead, I am told to continue to wear elastics the way I've been. Which means, yes, I'm still stuck with the box thing for night time.

My next appointment is at the end of November, and hopefully, there will be more changes for the next time. I can take wire changes....just no more bracket removal for a while. It's fucking painful and I'm in no hurry to repeat that any time soon.

Week 27. After the latest orthodontist appointment. The wires and the elastic configurations are all the same. The brackets on my top lateral incisors have been changed and I think so have the brackets on my lower canine or pre molars. Not really sure which two on the bottom got bracket changed. But the incisors on top definitely did.