Ortho Update!

Hey Y'all!


I had an orthodonist appt. on August 1st, this was the first time I had gone since I had my braces were removed! and everything is great! :) He did a quick look at my dazzlers, checked my retainer and I took some very flattering pictures and I was done! I don't have to go back for another year, I don't have to see my surgeon for a year, as far as physical therapy that has been done...blah what a waste of money! So it's been over a year and I'm doing well! My teeth and jaw work great! I'm a happy camper! So I probably won't have any more updates about my jaw any time soon, unless my jaw falls off or something else amazing like that happens! Thank you all for reading and caring :) until next time....

XO/LB

7.7.11 - 1 Year Post Op!!!

madness! It was already 1 year ago that I had a face of an obese person and a body of an anorexic. I can't believe it's been 1 year! yay!

I had my 1 year appt. with my oral surgeon a few weeks ago. As I waited for him the nurse or tech. or whatever was asking me how I was doing since the surgery and if there were any issues I was having and I told her that my eyebrow on the right side still didn't raise and that Dr. Kallal knew this was an issue before and it still doesn't completely raise. She was so confused by this statement and asked me what I meant, and I repeated myself. and then I said see...and I raised both eyebrows and of course only the left side raised, and she still didn't get it. She's like wait do it again, and then she see's it and she's like you can't raise the other eyebrow? Like she thought I was kidding or something it was really awkward. So then Dr. Kallal comes in, and I tell him the same thing and I told him that I went to physical therapy and he just said "Yea, it might not come back" ...so whatever...it is what it is. I'd rather have a pain free jaw. Then I had to get some x-rays and pictures taken and he told the tech. to take pictures of my eyebrows raised. So during that photoshoot she said, okay raise your eyebrows, and 1 raised...obviously. and she said..."You can't raise the other one at all?" ummm NO! wtf?!? like this is the whole point, why would I bring it up if I could raise it...it was soooo weird! anyways so I took a picture of my xray shown below! My 5 plates and 20 screws! (4 on top, 1 on bottom left..but bottom right in the picture) and my permanent retainer shows up on my bottom teeth too! So from now on I get to see my surgeon 1/year for the next 5 years, unless some issue happens and screws start falling out of my mouth :/ and I'll see my orthodontist in August...first time since my braces have been removed! so yea, still going strong! pain free! happy as can be! Thanks for all of your support and love during all my jaw drama! love you! :)

11 months and 1 day POST OP!

WOWZERS, almost 1 year! I like forget I had surgery until someone brings it up, haha. So my jaw is feeling spectacular, the pain is really gone, sometimes it gets a little sore on my left side from eating something hard but it's nothing compared to the pain I used to feel :) I'm still numb in my upper front teeth!

I finished physical therapy for my right side facial movements a few weeks ago, it's not all back to normal, but it has improved and all I can do is keep practicing my exercises and massaging my face....hopefully one day I'll get there!

Here is a recent pic of Ashley and I at a 1920's party! so much fun :)

More PT & first cleaning with no braces!

Soooo, I'm still in PT until the end of May. There is improvement when I raise my eyebrow, not sooo much but it will take time, the fact that's it's even moving a little makes me feel a lot better. I just have to keep practicing!

I got my teeth cleaned a few weeks ago and I was a little worried my teeth would hurt, but I didn't feel any of the scraping or cleaning or flossing on my top front teeth because I have no feeling in them! Which is fine, who wants to feel that anyways! My dentist Dr. Kelly says everything looks great :)

I'm really happy with everything I have no pain! just some nerve glitches for now. :D

Physical Therapy & 24!

So I had my first appointment for my lack of movement on the right side of my face specifically above my right eyebrow. My PT is so nice. I did some fun facial expressions so she can see what's going on, and she said she does see some movement, the nerves just need a little help to wake up! and it turns out it's not just my eyebrow/forehead area, it's also a little bit the right side of my nose, right side of my mouth, right side of my cheek, and right side of my neck! so everything on the right side is a little off, but nothing serious. Will be focusing first on my eye area. She just massaged it a bit and then used the virbrating tool that moves in a circle to massage the area also. So my at home stuff is to raise my eyebrows and scrunch them together 10x, 3x/day. So I'll see her next Wednesday and go from there!

My bday was last week and I was sooo excited Ashley came in to surpise me! & I met Lady Gaga! ...something like that :)

NO MORE BRACES!

WOAH! I got my braces off yesterday!! so crazy!! so exciting!! ahhhhhh! whata journey!!

and they are so pretty! I had no idea what to expect with the removal process of the braces, so I took some advil before hand just in case! so literally it took my orthodontist like under a minute to take my braces off, it was nuts, I didn't even realize they were off. Pretty aggresively he takes these clippers and (this is what I think he's doing at least) clipping the wire in between each tooth, then he goes to my back teeth where I have the braces around the entire tooth (it's on each of my last teeth for those who never had a brace face) so he yanks on those, I thought he pulled my tooth out from the amount of pressure, but they are still there! so he pulls all 4 of them off, then he's like "go brush your teeth, there is still glue on them but we'll get it off" so off I go, and I look in the mirror and my braces were off! I had no idea he took them all off! like in one clean swoop! so he wasn't cutting the wire, because my braces were still intact, it's pretty amazing. so I'm like holy crap my braces are really off! HELLO HUGE TEETH! are my first thoughts, damn I look like a horse! but I was trying to relax...just gotta get used to them (and I am now :) ) after the brushing I had a permanent retainer put in my bottom front teeth, on the inner side (again for those of you who never had braces). then I took some x-rays, then I got the glue off my teeth with some crazy drill, again pretty aggresivley this dude is just going to town on my teeth. I have water all over my face and the smell of a bowling alley ball return in my nose (from the burning glue). then he buffed it all out? or something? he told me my gums would be swollen for a few days, and yes they were and a little bloody. and then I took some pictures, then I got fitted for my retainer I have to wear at night...almost forgot that, good thing I'm writing this now...and it looks like invisalign, and it's not annoying to wear or anything. Then I left and came back a few hours later to pick up my retainer and I got a PINK case for it! then I spent the rest of the day licking my teeth...super duper smooth. I feel like they aren't my teeth. Michele says they are too perfect and look like veneers. So that's fine with me :) I don't have to see my ortho. for another 16 weeks. I do have a physical therapy appt. for my eye that just won't raise! wahhh! so we'll see what she says and I'll keep whoever is reading this updated. so far so good! my jaw feels good, my teeth feel good, my maxilla is still numb and some parts of the right side of my face. My scar is almost invisible. and yes I'll be 24 on Thursday! whoop! :)

6 Months Post Op!

Happy New Year!
It's been 6 months since I've had surgery! Crazy!!! I went to the orthodontist on Wednesday and he did a little tweaking and said "We just need to close this space and you're done!" and...I don't even know what space he's talking about, so it can't be that big, which shouldn't take too long to close then right? It's somewhere on the top though, he put a power band (I think that's what it's called) on the all of my top teeth, its bascially a rubberband that stretches across your teeth and pulls them in close and tight! So I'm a little sore from that. So my next appt. is on 2/2! There is a very good chance my braces will be off then! That's going to be weird! I don't even know the process of braces removal, that's kind of freaking me out...it probably hurts. and I have no idea what kind of retainer I will have...permanent? that clear invisalign-esque one? or that metal one with the pink stuff in the middle that looks like a sliver from a strawberry? do they even have those anymore? Not sure. But I did make an appt. to get my teeth cleaned immediately after my braces are off...hopefully there isn't too much discoloration. I just can't wait to FLOSS awkward-free! My top teeth in the front are still very numb. I haven't made an appt. with the physical therpaist for my eye yet, because I'm trying to make it work myself and save some money! :) ok I think that is all for now.....I got a new camera for Christmas so I'll put up pics...eventually :)
tata for now!