Chapter 7.
I sat there pretty stone faced when he turns his computer monitor showing my X-Rays. He shows where my teeth are positioned and how they narrow out in the back of my mouth. He explains that this is how my teeth have always been and is usually tried to correct by widening the jaw in younger patients. He stated this obviously didn’t occur with me and my teeth have kinda stayed in position since. He took a model out and showed how my bite is supposed to line up vs how mine actually is. He did agree that looking at my teeth from the front you would never know there were any issues, but where my teeth are right now are causing problems and will continue to unless corrected. He could tell I was trying to take the info in and process it. The biggest question going on in my head over the last few days was now my main focus and I basically blurted it out. How do we fix this and what are my benefits? He chuckled and said well your benefits are a nice healthy smile, while includes a good and healthy bite with no issues down the road. Getting there is where it takes some time. I swallowed trying to gauge how I was feeling. He could tell I wasn’t too familiar with a lot of the terminology he was using. He pulls out another model with perfect teeth and points to all my molars. He starts with the upper and says we need to widen all of your upper molars. In your case we would fit you with an expander which goes across the roof of your mouth and is going to attach to bands that go completely around your first premolars and first molars. He explained that it is used to try and widen the palate and get your upper molars to where they need to be bite down correctly with your lower molars. I was following him and seemed to make sense to me. He goes back to the tooth model and now points at my lower teeth. He exclaims that we need to do the same with my lower molars and expand them out a little further so they will then be in the proper position to line up with my upper teeth. This too seemed to make sense to me yet didn’t know exactly how this would all get done specifically. He puts the tooth model down and then lifts up the one right in front of me that I seemed to glance down to throughout this conversation. He says last but certainly not least, your molars will be shifting around and now we need to align everything together and close some of the gaps the expanders will create. We do this using braces and for your specific case I wouldn’t recommend anything other than these, the metal braces almost identical to the ones my roommate sported throughout a year of college. At this point the words resonated through my head and I began feeling flushed. He began describing many other things that just seemed to go in one ear and put the other. I heard him say I know its a big commitment but will be worth it in the end and turns out your new insurance will cover a good portion of the cost. I ask what now to which he says well we agree on the treatment plan, put a down payment down, and figure out when you want to begin. My juices were flowing back to the thoughts circulating in my head the night before and I blurt out lets do it. I ask what’s next to which he says I would need to come back and get some molds taken for the appliances and spacers put in to make room in my teeth for the bands. The appointment had taken less time than I had imagined and I joked asking if we could start today before I change my mind. He laughed back and said if you wish stating that it shouldn’t take long. He escorted me out to the chair and discussed with the assistant the plan of action. He came back over and explained the process one more time ensuring that I was onboard. He did make it a point to say that while my mouth is quite narrow right now, the appliances are going to feel extremely bulky in the beginning and assured me that I was still on board. I agreed and rested my head back in the chair. The assistant completed the molds taking them away and dropped a handful of what looked like blue cheerios on a little moveable table next to me. The assistant explained that these go on each side of the teeth that are going to be banded and that I will feel a fair amount of pressure. I complied and looked over briefly trying to count how many I was about to get stuck between my teeth. I count 12 and think there’s no way all of those are going on but I do as I’m told and lay my head back. Sure enough I can feel one by one them getting stuck between my teeth. I sit up and she hands me a mirror showing them and giving a quick run down on how they work. I can immediately feel the pressure and can’t say I completely hate it. As Im looking in the mirror I can see them clear as day. 8 on the top, and 4 on the bottom. I can’t say they were as discreet as I would have imagined but what was I going to do. I got up and worked my way to the door to meet with the receptionist one last time. She instructed me that they will call me when my appliances come in and to allow a few hours for my next appointment. I agreed and headed out the door thinking the process has just begun.
