Well, it wasn't so bad. It's in and granted I've had it for only an hour or two but all I really feel is a little pressure in my cheek bones.
I've got the wax waiting in the wings if the rubbing from the molar bands gets too uncomfortable.
I'll post some pictures when I get home.
Keep your fingers crossed that it works and I can avoid "the knife'.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
My First Post - 6/27/08
So.....here I sit, 'blogging'. I should have started this months ago when *it* all started but I simply never got around to it. Allow me to tell you about the last 9 months.....
It all started on 9/11/07 (no, I'm not making that up). It was around 9:30 pm and we (my then fiancee & I) were out with the dog one last time before bed (we're old). As we headed back up the driveway to the house, I was jogging with the dog when she decided run directly in front of me. Well, I being somewhat of a clutz, tripped over here and my chin landed squarely on the driveway (thank God for that - more later).
So there I lay face down with my hand over my mouth. When I pulled my hand away it was absolutely covered in blood (ick). So Greg (fiancee) scooped me up and got me in the house to assess the situation. It sure looked like all I was suffering from was a rather nasty cut on my chin but all I kept saying was "No. My teeth feel funny." so we decided to by sure and we rushed off to our local ER.
Fast forward 2 1/2 hours later and a *very* painful CAT scan later, it was found that I had broken my jaw in 3 places (mandible & both condyls) - makes sense considering the horrified look the doctor gave me when she was feeling my face. There was nothing they could do for me so I was given a phone number to the Oral/Maxillofacial department at Washington Hospital Center and a script for Percocet and told to call them in the morning. Gee, thanks!
The people at WHC were really great and I was scheduled for corrective jaw surgery the next day. A 6 hour surgery later, I was the proud new owner of a titanium plate in my chin, 23 stitches all told, a crap load of swelling and a mouth full of wiring.
**Side note: I think I forgot to mention, I was getting married on 9/22/07 and because everything had already been paid for, we couldn't cancel. No matter, the wedding was beautiful and I had a great time. Sadly, the honeymoon was postponed because there was no way in hell I was going to suck through a straw in Key West!
Because of the wedding they didn't fully wire me which was really nice of them except for the fact that 2 1/2 weeks later, I had to be back in and have my jaw rebroken and be completely wired because chin had started to slip backwards. Gee, thanks!
After 12 weeks wired shut, the wires came off and I wore elastics and archbars for another 3 months. Thanksgiving, in a word, SUCKED.
Anyway - here I sit 9 months later and I'm now headed into the orthodontic process to hopefully correct my bite which hasn't been the same since - apparently the right condyl healed incorrectly and is a tad too short. I'm getting a Rapid Palatal Expander put in on 7/3/08 and rumor has it I'll have it for about 3 months. After than, God willing, I'll get braces on the top and bottom.
There you have it - the short version anyway. It's been one hell of a journey and a big lesson in my strength.
Check back - I'll try to keep this updated as often as I can.
It all started on 9/11/07 (no, I'm not making that up). It was around 9:30 pm and we (my then fiancee & I) were out with the dog one last time before bed (we're old). As we headed back up the driveway to the house, I was jogging with the dog when she decided run directly in front of me. Well, I being somewhat of a clutz, tripped over here and my chin landed squarely on the driveway (thank God for that - more later).
So there I lay face down with my hand over my mouth. When I pulled my hand away it was absolutely covered in blood (ick). So Greg (fiancee) scooped me up and got me in the house to assess the situation. It sure looked like all I was suffering from was a rather nasty cut on my chin but all I kept saying was "No. My teeth feel funny." so we decided to by sure and we rushed off to our local ER.
Fast forward 2 1/2 hours later and a *very* painful CAT scan later, it was found that I had broken my jaw in 3 places (mandible & both condyls) - makes sense considering the horrified look the doctor gave me when she was feeling my face. There was nothing they could do for me so I was given a phone number to the Oral/Maxillofacial department at Washington Hospital Center and a script for Percocet and told to call them in the morning. Gee, thanks!
The people at WHC were really great and I was scheduled for corrective jaw surgery the next day. A 6 hour surgery later, I was the proud new owner of a titanium plate in my chin, 23 stitches all told, a crap load of swelling and a mouth full of wiring.
**Side note: I think I forgot to mention, I was getting married on 9/22/07 and because everything had already been paid for, we couldn't cancel. No matter, the wedding was beautiful and I had a great time. Sadly, the honeymoon was postponed because there was no way in hell I was going to suck through a straw in Key West!
Because of the wedding they didn't fully wire me which was really nice of them except for the fact that 2 1/2 weeks later, I had to be back in and have my jaw rebroken and be completely wired because chin had started to slip backwards. Gee, thanks!
After 12 weeks wired shut, the wires came off and I wore elastics and archbars for another 3 months. Thanksgiving, in a word, SUCKED.
Anyway - here I sit 9 months later and I'm now headed into the orthodontic process to hopefully correct my bite which hasn't been the same since - apparently the right condyl healed incorrectly and is a tad too short. I'm getting a Rapid Palatal Expander put in on 7/3/08 and rumor has it I'll have it for about 3 months. After than, God willing, I'll get braces on the top and bottom.
There you have it - the short version anyway. It's been one hell of a journey and a big lesson in my strength.
Check back - I'll try to keep this updated as often as I can.
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