[2013.10.14] 6th month

Sorry for the super bad resolution, the picture was taken under dim lighting, so i attempted to brighten it.

i went for the nth adjustment today. Surprisingly no queue .
Dr Cheng removed the stopper at my left side by chipping it off ( was quite surprised when he did it as i wasn't alerted), and stoppers were added to my 4 front teeth ( i hate the vinegar taste). rubber band was added to my left side to pull my upper and low jaws together. i presume it's to improve the bite between the jaws. i was to wear the rubber band (named cranberry) everyday, removing it only for brushing and eating. The rubber band is to be changed everyday because it'll become loose, and it might break and hit my cheek or whoever standing opposite me. The tightness made talking (and yawning) a bit difficult.
Today's adjustment was painful.

[2013.09.23]5th month

Forgot to add this entry last month.
Basically, the tooth on my right upper jaw was the only one that was very out of place. The gap was very big. But Dr Cheng assured me that removing another tooth from the lower jaw is not necessary.

[2013.08.04] 4th month

I'm going for my 4th adjustment next week. But before that, i got a very bad feeling that i'm gonna pluck out another tooth at the lower jaw... my right upper jaw seems to have too much gap in between 3 teeth! No!!!!

Anyway, i was pretty unsatisfied after my 3rd adjustment. Dr Cheng was very busy and he adjusted my braces very fast. I realize that he didn't bend the wire at the lower jaw in, so i was enduring the pain of the sharp wire poking at my inner cheeks for the whole month.
In this case, it's better to get a less busy orthodontist, who can spend the time to ensure that your braces are all ok before you leave the room. I would love to get Dr Colin Ong (as recommended highly by my friend). i consulted him for my braces treatment, he is very meticulous and patient. But NTUC denticare's braces treatment charges was wayyy too high for me to stomach.

[2013.07.06] 3rd adjustment

Today i went for my 3rd adjustment. My 3rd adjustment was 5-6 weeks from my 2nd one because i want a saturday slot, and Dr Alfred Cheng is normally fully booked on saturday.
But waking up early on a saturday is really a torture.
Dr Cheng said that my progress is very fast, he kept saying "Good! Very good!"
This is how i look like now. The gap below is almost closed, but i kinda feel that my upper front teeth's position looks weird...

[2013.06.25]3 months

The gap is almost gone, but my front teeth meet with my lower teeth, the bite is not yet corrected.
My ortho is Dr Alfred Cheng @ Mt E., by the way.

[2013.05.18] after nearly 2 mths....

my baby's tooth gap is closing! it starts with 4-5mm... now it's 1.5mm...

My underbite is disappearing!
I don't feel much pain or soreness from braces normally, actually braces sounded much scarier than it really is!
I wished i have put on braces earlier....

[2013.05.04] 1st tightening

Hihi,

It is one months and 2 weeks after i put on my braces. At days, there is no pain, at days there is pain at some teeth. I actually enjoys the days when there is pain, because  i can see the results.

Today i went for my 1st adjustment, and this is how i look today

The doctor add a "spring" to the top arc, supposedly to prevent the teeth from moving too outward.
The gaps between my upper and lower front teeth have become smaller.
The most annoying thing about braces is that my lips become dry easily, but i don't really have ulcer.
And i still eat curry XD

Mould

Keeping a record of how my teeth originally looks like...

[2013.03.26] 1st day of braces

Sorry for the belated update!
This picture was taken straight after my braces were fixed on.
I practically slept through the whole procedure, except during gluing as the glue tasted like vinegar.
It hurt hours later and my teeth were pretty sensitive the whole week. From 2nd week onwards, it's fine. I'm able to eat rice, beehoon, fish, shredded chicken and duck from the 2nd day. I even ate sushi on the 2nd week. But i need to avoid biting on my front teeth as it's where hurt the most. Hence i just cut the food into small pieces and deliver into the behind of my mouth, breaking my food mainly based on tongue power.
Flossing was horribly slow, i would advise you to get a floss threader.

Extraction of milk tooth

I was recommended to Mt Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre to extract the tooth.
This is the view i saw when i was sitting on the dentist's chair. Paid $60 (before GST) to extract the milk tooth, i bet the scenery was also included in the $60.

This is how i look toothless!

Introduction (9 days before braces)

Hihi,

Introduction
I've created this blog for the benefit of all underbite-rs who are thinking/apprehensive of seeking braces treatment :) During my search for more information about braces(i need lots of information to make decision), i realize there is very little online information on underbite braces treatment! At that time, the anxiety of deciding whether to go for braces, and what sort of treatment to go for is very overwhelming. I've been delaying treatment for the longest time. Due to the complexity of my case, there's various recommendations. I was very confused. And it doesn't help that i cannot find information on similar cases. After I've decided on my treatment plan, I set up this blog detailing my journey to help fellow underbite-rs who are contemplating braces treatment.

My Case
Summary: Underbite, CIII. Missing 2 premolars on the upper jaw, missing 1 incisor at the bottom jaw, in place of it is a baby tooth.

(1) When i take photos, i normally will not show my teeth (I believe many of you who came to this blog will have the same sentiments).
(2) If i really have to smile showing my teeth, i'll smile slighly --like this.
(3) This is because if i smile brightly, the misalignment will be very obvious. This shows how bad the alignment of my teeth is
(4) All hope is not lost,. My upper and lower front teeth are able to "touch" each other, this means that the crossbite/underbite is not too serious.

Treatment Plan
There are basically 3 main types of treatment plan recommended to me:
1. Remove 2 pre-molars below to balance off the 2 missing pre-molars on top + remove the baby tooth (recommended by the orthodontist at Novena)
2. Remove the baby tooth(in the middle) and an incisor 1 tooth away at the same time (Recommended by my school's orthodontist)
3. Remove the baby tooth at the bottom arch. This should be sufficient. Only if there isn't enough space, then remove the incisor 1 tooth away. (Recommended by the orthodontist at Mt E)


I chose the 3rd option because i do not want to go for treatments that are too drastic. I'll extract my baby tooth on the 23rd March and start my braces treatment on 26th March.

That's it for now!