9 months in

I decided i'd do an update on my treatment, as I realised it's been nearly half a year since I last posted. I guess this just reflects that in the world of moving teeth nothing happens quickly!

To summarise what's happened since April:

- I've had something called an e-link attached to the hooks on the upper wire at the front to hooks on the molar bands at the back, to close an extraction gap on either side at the top where the first molars were extracted shortly before my braces were put on in January. The gap on the right hand side has closed significantly faster than on the left, which is a bit frustrating in a way as obviously both gaps would need to be fully closed before my treatment can progress to surgery. The fact that the gap has closed up quicker on one side has I believe shifted my mid lines which are certainly more out than before.

Right upper side has elastic link to close extraction gap.
Also shown is elastic band.

Extraction gap of left side has closed a lot slower.

Midline has shifted

- My front teeth have continued to be brought forward at the bottom and back at the top, to continue to decompensate them, which has certainly opened up the gap at the front. I know the underbite was always there but when you see the gap grow from 1mm to about 7mm it certainly makes my bite look worse, and affected my speech. I knew all this was going to happen however and i'm happy because it shows the braces are working and i'm one step closer to eventually having jaw surgery.

This is the gap when I am biting together

- I'm wearing an elastic band on my right side now. I'm not exactly sure what this is for, but I have been wearing it 24 hours a day. I don't even take it out whilst eating and just chew on the other side. It only ached a bit on the first few days I wore it. Then after a few months one day when I forgot to put a new one on after taking another off, I realised it was aching when I wasn't wearing one, so I guess it's working in shifting whatever it needs to and my bite is adjusting.

That just about sums up everything that's happened. I'm now 9 months into orthodontic treatment and my appointments are about 6 - 7 weeks apart. I've become totally used to wearing braces now and I guess it's just become normal being careful what I eat and having to clean my teeth very thoroughly. For those that haven't read this blog before - the braces are moving my teeth in preparation for double jaw surgery (orthognathic surgery) to correct my underbite: my lower jaw will be broken and moved back, whilst my upper jaw and part of my midface will be moved forward. The last two photos really show how bad the bite is from the side (my upper canines nearly hit my lower molars!) and the effect of the misaligned jaws on my profile.