Post something good that happened today, Parts Two

[renaeden]

A scale and clean isn't very nice, especially if you have sensitive teeth, I would imagine. It's the gums that suffer. But it only takes about 10 minutes and then it's over.

I had braces in my mid-twenties. I got them because I was working at the time and I could afford them. One of the best things I ever did. Made me feel so much more confident about smiling and talking to others.

[Fun With Matches]

A scale and clean isn't very nice, especially if you have sensitive teeth, I would imagine. It's the gums that suffer. But it only takes about 10 minutes and then it's over.

I had braces in my mid-twenties. I got them because I was working at the time and I could afford them. One of the best things I ever did. Made me feel so much more confident about smiling and talking to others.

What do they do exactly, when they scale and clean?

What were wrong with your teeth?

[renaeden]

It seems to be different every time I go. But this time she (the dentist) picked at every tooth with a hook-type of thing, then used a very pointed high pressure instrument to clean around the gum line of all my teeth. Then she flossed all the gaps. Then she polished with some gritty stuff that tasted like mint. Then I rinsed and all was done.

I had a very noticeable buck tooth and my bottom teeth were really crooked. What about you? We're you glad to have braces? I certainly was!

[Fun With Matches]

It seems to be different every time I go. But this time she (the dentist) picked at every tooth with a hook-type of thing, then used a very pointed high pressure instrument to clean around the gum line of all my teeth. Then she flossed all the gaps. Then she polished with some gritty stuff that tasted like mint. Then I rinsed and all was done.

I had a very noticeable buck tooth and my bottom teeth were really crooked. What about you? We're you glad to have braces? I certainly was!

I was very glad to have braces, it was painful though. I couldn't even chew for a few days everytime they inserted a thicker wire. It took me an hour each day of brushing my teeth, having to reach every tiny spot. I had to clean each tooth individually, all around each segment of the brace. I remember every time after eating I had to go to the bathroom to use a toothpick to get all the pieces of food out.

That wax they gave me was never enough, I always had sores on my gums and used about half a pack of wax a go, then it would all come off again whenever I ate, so had to apply more wax. I liked the flavoured/scented wax you could buy though.

But yeh, was very glad to have them as otherwise if I hadn't had treatment, I would've ended up with overcrowded Dracula teeth, like this:



Only problem was, due to the cheapness of the local hospital, they decided to speed up treatment by removing an extra tooth, when it was unnecessary. So my teeth aren't perfectly centered. Nobody except someone with an eye for detail, or a dentist would notice though. I'm not just kidding myself, it really is hard to notice.

[renaeden]

Wow, those sure are overcrowded. Mine weren't, thankfully, so I didn't need any teeth removed except two top wisdom teeth which the surgeon took out while I had jaw surgery. That was the other thing I had done. I had a significant overbite and the solution was surgery after a year of having braces. They split my bottom jaw on both sides and moved it forward then put metal clips in to hold it there. I can still feel with my fingers where it was split.

I was in ICU for 24 hours afterwards because my jaw was wired shut and there were tubes down both nostrils. The nurse kept having to suction  down one nostril to my throat whenever there was excess saliva. Which happened often. That was unpleasant. But I was never in any pain, just a bit uncomfortable. Then I found out what pressing the IV button did. Gave me morphine which made me pleasantly sleepy. I was in hospital for 3 days total. I had a splint (a piece of moulded plastic) attached to my top teeth which was to guide the bottom teeth into the correct position. I also had tight rubber bands keeping my jaw mostly closed so I couldn't eat normally. My mum looked after me and pureed my food. McDonald's chocolate thickshakes were also something I had a fair few of. Two weeks later the splint and rubber bands came out and I had my braces in for another year after that.

[Fun With Matches]

Freaking Hell, my experience sounds like nothing compared to that! That sounds horrific. I'm glad you didn't experience any pain, very surprising you didn't. Didn't know you could press a button for a shot of morphine like that, I thought a nurse had to do it.

I had a bunch of teeth removed in total, maybe 10 in the space of 4 years? It included baby teeth though, maybe up to 6 adult teeth. I still have them, except a baby tooth I threw away at school. Could take a photo of the ones I've kept, but it might gross people out.

I remember when I had 3 or 4 teeth to be removed in one procedure, I asked to be put under general anesthetic. They put this numbing cream on my hand and a big clear plaster on it (for the needle to be inserted) so I squidged all the cream about underneath, that was fun. I also remember just before I went to sleep, I saw a bunch of coloured blobs then everything went blank. When I woke up they offered me a ham sandwich and jelly/jello, and nothing else. It annoyed my mum at the time cos I was raised a vegetarian. The ham sandwich was delicious though.

[renaeden]

Yeah, in some instances you get a pain medication button, so that when you feel pain, you push the button and then get morphine (or other pain med) through the IV.

From surgery to the time of getting the splint out, I was never in any pain. When I got home from hospital, I stopped taking the pain pills straight away because they just made me feel sick to my stomach. I was fine without them.

Having teeth removed sounds traumatic to me though! I had two wisdom teeth removed during jaw surgery but if they hadn't told me they did it, I wouldn't have known.

I would like a ham sandwich now.

[odeon]

Stop talking about ham sandwiches. I want one now. 

["couldbecousin"]

Stop talking about ham sandwiches. I want one now. 

  I just had a peanut butter and grape jelly Uncrustable^TM. 

[Fun With Matches]

I've had a PB&J Ryvita before. It was delicious. Never tried grape jam, it's not really a thing over here. Marmalade and strawberry jam are the most popular.

["couldbecousin"]

I've had a PB&J Ryvita before. It was delicious. Never tried grape jam, it's not really a thing over here. Marmalade and strawberry jam are the most popular.

  Grape jam is delicious.  One taste and you'll be hooked! 

[Fun With Matches]

Yeah, in some instances you get a pain medication button, so that when you feel pain, you push the button and then get morphine (or other pain med) through the IV.

I wonder how many times you can press it. 

From surgery to the time of getting the splint out, I was never in any pain. When I got home from hospital, I stopped taking the pain pills straight away because they just made me feel sick to my stomach. I was fine without them.

Having teeth removed sounds traumatic to me though! I had two wisdom teeth removed during jaw surgery but if they hadn't told me they did it, I wouldn't have known.

I would like a ham sandwich now.

I don't get how you didn't experience any pain, that's pretty lucky.

[Fun With Matches]

I've had a PB&J Ryvita before. It was delicious. Never tried grape jam, it's not really a thing over here. Marmalade and strawberry jam are the most popular.

  Grape jam is delicious.  One taste and you'll be hooked! 

They don't sell it at all here. They do PB&J together though, in a swirl. I prefer pure peanut butter, it's far tastier, oily, and there's no horrible palm oil or any other crap in it.

I wonder if there is anywhere that does grape jam, at all. I've never seen it.

[Pyraxis]

Elderberry jelly is the best. In the USA you can get it at a bizarrely named store chain called Christmas Tree Shops.

[odeon]

^That is a bizarre store chain name.