P.S. I got my clear retainer for the top teeth - another $425, but luckily again...covered. I can't drink or eat with it, so it's in and out a lot. The metal retainers on the insides of my uppers and lowers will stay on FOREVER. DO NOT... repeat... DO NOT let your orthodontist convince you that you don't need it after a period of time. You will ALWAYS need it. Several formerly braced individuals who had theirs removed have convinced me (as well as my orthodontist) to never remove these. If you want your teeth to remain straight, keep them in. You can't even notice / feel them. It's a total no-brainer. The clear retainer by the way, needs to be worn for one year. My orthodontist said that if I can wear it constantly for 6 weeks, and then every night for a year, he'll be happy. Most people put it in the drawer when told they have to wear it 24/7 for a whole year, so he let me off the hook on this one. I'm happy to oblige.
A couple other things - as for the elastics post-surgery, I wore them religiously. I really did keep them on for 7 months - 4 months day and night, 3 months night only. I think this did some good in terms of speeding the de-bracing process.
Cheers, all. I will post again after the crown lengthening.
Oh wow! How long is the procedure going to take? Are you going to miss any work?
ReplyDeleteThe surgery doesn't sound bad at all and it's great that you're 100% covered!
ReplyDeleteGood news - my braces are coming off next month! I'll be sure to post before and after pics, too. I'm so glad this is coming to an end....finally! :)
I was wondering. How much did they move your upper and lower jaw?
ReplyDeleteThey moved my upper jaw at least a centimeter. My lower jaw was brought forward about 5mm on one side, and 7mm on the other.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteDo you have any TMJ pain at all now?
Did your jaw clicks/pops before with pain?
Hi Kim. No TMJ pain now, fingers crossed. My jaw clicked and popped and grinded before. It locked once, and then I got some headaches as well. It was pretty bad. I saw Dr. Psutka and had an MRI done a couple years ago just to get a good picture of what was going on. My joint was degenerating and basically arthritic. Anyway, I'm sure what damage was done is done, but it doesn't seem to be getting worse anymore - it certainly seems better overall. My orthodontist actually said "It's a miracle!". He never says stuff like that. :)
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI'm about to schedule a consultation with Dr. Claudio Tocchio.
How did you find him? Would you recommend him?
Do you know any other Tocchio patients?
My orthodontist recommended him (Dr. Christopher Cameron). He's had several patients go to Tocchio and they all had great results. I was very happy with mine. I would recommend him. I think if you go through some of the comments on this blog, you will find at least one other Tocchio patient. He's done thousands of these surgeries. Very confident / lots of experience. I think he teaches / taught.
ReplyDeleteOne more q. Did you ever have any ear pain/stuffiness/crackling related with the jaw problems?
ReplyDeleteThanks.
I didn't have any problems with my ear, no. Just jaw grinding and headaches.
ReplyDelete