Archive for the "Post-Surgery Orthodontics" Category

I recently moved from Singapore to Sydney, Australia and I am still wearing my braces. I am looking for a good orthodontist to continue my post-jaw surgery orthodontic treatment so that I can deband my braces.

I have not started looking because I need to research about dental and health insurance that could subsidise my dental fees. I do not have the Australian Medicare benefits and I have to pay 100% for all my dental fees here.

Hopefully, I will get this sorted out soon because I have been wearing my braces for over 2 years now!… Read more…

I am currently in Sydney and I am not going back until my Australian permanent residence visa is finalised.

As a result, I have missed my dental appointment in Singapore and my braces are not going to be removed until I go back to Singapore.

What’s worse? My lower left teeth is not aligned properly with the upper teeth and now I have a bit of an open bite on the lower left side and my lower midline is slightly off.

I emailed my orthodontist and he told me to stop using the rubber bands on the right side and focus on using only one rubber band in front.

I may have to continue my post-surgery orthodontic treatment in Sydney because I will be staying here from now on. I just hope that I do not need to delay my orthodontic treatment for too long because I am very sick … Read more…

I’ve had braces since May 2009 and it has been 2 years 4 months.

I did not expect to be wearing braces 1 year after my double jaw surgery. I thought I would need only 6 months after my jaw surgery but it has taken over a year.

My orthodontist said I will have my braces removed in October or November. He said there is a little bit more on the lower left teeth that requires a bit more time.

I need to wear these tiny rubber bands at night to align my teeth to the orthodontist’s desired position. I use them almost every night because I really want to get these things out of my mouth as soon as possible.

 … Read more…

I was disappointed when my orthodontist wanted to correct one last thing about my teeth because I desperately wanted to get my braces out of my mouth!

I guess I will have to wait for another month or two to get them off. I can’t wait. The removal of my braces will mark the end of my long journey.… Read more…

My orthodontist told me during my previous appointment that I should be able to remove my braces in 1 or 2 more visits. The maximum would be 3 more visits.

Since I see him once a month and the last time I saw him was in June, I should be free from braces on or before mid September 2011!

I had my braces done in May 2009 and it has been over 2 years since I had them. I did not expect to be wearing braces for over a year after my double jaw surgery. I thought it would take only 6 months but I was wrong.

It seems like a trial and error was involved. Sometimes my orthodontist would fix one problem and another problem would develop on the other side. It seems like it isn’t an exact science after all.… Read more…

It has been over 8 months since my double jaw surgery in August 2010.

My swelling seems to be totally gone now but my acne problem still remains. The jaw bone bumps on my left and right side is still quite noticeable and I will be getting rid of them via another round of jaw surgery tomorrow afternoon.

Post-Jaw Surgery Month 8

This is how I look at the moment. You can tell that the swelling on my face is almost gone now. My acne problem is now under control and it seems like getting a bit of sunlight every week seems to have helped to prevent any serious acne outbreaks.

I am very pleased with my side profile at the moment but the bumps on the end of jaw bone still has not healed properly.

This is how you can see my jaw bone bumps in all its glory! … Read more…

I went to see my orthodontist and jaw surgeon today.

My orthodontist said I should be able to free from my braces before June. That’s only 3 months away! I can’t wait to get rid of my braces for good.

Removal of Upper Jaw Titanium Plates and Screws After Jaw Surgery

My jaw surgeon recommended that I remove the titanium plates and screws within 6 to 9 months of my jaw surgery if I wanted to. He said the screws may fuse with the jaw bone after a year and it would be very difficult to remove.

Although I do not need to remove them, I do not like how they feel when I touch the area below my nose. Sometimes when I am wiping my face with a towel, I feel a strange tingling feeling when I press against the screws.

Furthermore, I love martial arts and I believe … Read more…

I just came back from the dentist for my monthly braces tweaking session. I wonder why it sometimes takes only 30 minutes while other appointments take over 1 hour, including waiting time. Today was a very quick appointment.

It seems like I will not have a clear idea when I can remove my braces. My orthodontist can’t confirm the estimated date. I told him I will be migrating to Australia soon and I estimate my date of migration to be some time in the middle of this year and I hope to complete my treatment before that.

My orthodontist said my upper teeth aren’t level. The teeth on the upper right side are higher than the left. What happens is, when I bite down, I feel like my upper right teeth are not touching the lower teeth. Only the left side are touching and it feels kind of weird.

My … Read more…

I have updated my jaw bone bumps page with photos from week 13, week 16, week 18 and week 19.

You will be able to see the reduction of the jaw bone bumps by comparing the newer photos to the older ones. I am glad the bumps are flattening out after waiting for over 4 months.… Read more…

It has been over a month since my last update. I have been lazy and I have stopped taking weekly photos since week 19!

It seems like most of the swelling on my right side is gone now. The pain and numbness above my upper lip is also gone. I can now smile and laugh as hard as I want without any pain.

My only issues right now are my pimples, jaw bone bumps and my widened nose.

Pimple Outbreak

I think I need to take extra care of my face now compared to before my jaw surgery. I am not sure what has changed in my body to cause the extra occurrence of pimples on my face but I noticed that if I do not apply my pimple cream often enough, I get quite a lot of pimples on my face. I’m going to invest in some organic toner … Read more…