Tuesday, June 11, 2013

The Braces Adventure - 18 days post-op

So here we are, 18 days post-op. I went in to see the oral surgeon again yesterday. He was really pleased with the progress; said everything looked perfect and right where he wanted it to be. The top jaw on the right side of my mouth is now into a cross-bite position, which is what they want for corrective purposes. The left side has not moved into that cross-bite position yet, but we are giving it one more week to see what it does.
 
I really have mixed feelings about this entire process right now. Part of me is keeping my eyes on the goal. The other part is wondering what the hell I got into and if it was even remotely the right thing to do. I think the combination of the lack of eating, the being uncomfortable 24 hours a day, and the difficulty speaking is really wearing on me. I know the hardest part is over - I get that. But I feel like I'm hiding my mouth more now than I ever did before this entire thing began. And I literally explain to every person that I just had surgery, just so they don't see my mouth and think "good lord, what is going on with that girl?" So that aspect really has me more self-conscious than I ever was. And I know it's just a short-term thing. The gap, from what I am told, will actually close really fast. I'm happy about that. I really am an impatient person, so every day that goes by is just dragging. I really didn't want to expand for another week - which is what my instructions were yesterday - so I'm rather annoyed by that. I feel like I can't possibly expand any further.
 
There is still zero pain associated with the expanding.  I still have quite a bit of numbness all along my top gums - I don't know how long that will last.  I feel like the swelling is pretty much gone. I still notice it in the mornings and will occassionally pop an Ibuprofen if it gets to be too much, or if my mouth is super uncomfortable.
 
Here is a link to the video I did for this week:
 
 

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