Part of the problem of misaligned teeth is that they can be more vulnerable to knocks and chipping. That is exactly what happened with my front teeth that crossed over – the tooth that angled in had a vulnerable edge that the years have not been kind to. With the repositioning to sit nicely beside its partner it became apparent that some reshaping was needed. Oh, that’s OK I’m an old hand at that now. So without the slightest hint of anxiety the drill bit was called for, my tooth was gently molded to match its shapelier partner and I didn’t even ...
Adult Braces Journey – A Recontour
December 9th, 2010
I am slowly learning that having braces is so much more than just brackets on teeth and a few wire changes. Now that I am nearing the end of my braces journey the fine-tuning begins. Me: So…how’s it all going? Dr Levinson: Not bad…that upper tooth needs to move half a mm still….and I think we will do a bit of interproximal enamel reduction on your lower front 4 teeth. Me: interproximal what? Dr Levinson: Oh we will use a double diamond head drill bit and run it between your lower front teeth…here…here…here and here to shave off a tiny slither on each ...
Adult Braces Journey – Fantastic Elastics
October 27th, 2010
I have seen other people using their elastics, with fun animal names like Bear, Impala, Monkey, Penguin, Kangaroo… and now it is my turn! This visit I needed a lower wire change, upper remains the same, and hooray my buttons were removed! They really didn’t bother me from a discomfort point of view – my tongue has long since adjusted to their presence – it was just the food getting stuck around them that was particularly annoying, so I was well pleased to be rid of them, even if it did mean having a whirring drill bit thing in my mouth… After ...