Thursday 18 October 2012

DNA Appliance: 5 weeks in


So I am now in Ireland again, and will not see my dentist again until May 2013.  He said because of our distance I will have to take it slower than his usual patients, and only do half a turn per week rather than a full turn per week.  But he said going slow is not a bad thing! He said it will actually be good for my teeth to go slow, and will have better results. 

During the first week of wearing my appliance, I experienced a bit of a painful pressure on my (very) crooked canine. It sticks out very far and I woke up with it feeling pretty sore! I didn't worry about it too much because it wasn't that painful, mostly just a bit bothersome and the dull pain would go away after an hour of having the appliance out. I could feel the pressure, and even the first night, it felt like it had done something. 

I wore it about 12 hours a day the first two weeks and struggled to keep it in the optimum 16 hours a day.  My dentist, once questioned about this, again said it is 'okay' ... that it would be better with 16 hours, but he understands that I am a waitress during the summer and I find it nearly impossible to do my job while wearing it, as it make me talk pretty funny and with a lisp!

Once I arrived here in Ireland, I began wearing it as much as possible. I have just come to terms that with my schedule, it won't be possible to get the 16 hours a day in. I aim for 12 hours a day.  About 5 days a week I actually wear it 12 hours. Sometimes I fall short, as when my boyfriend kisses me he asks me to take it out - and once we are done kissing and tired and falling asleep, I have forgotten to put it back in after. :(

Also I go out drinking with friends about one night a week, and I do not wear it out to the nightclubs I go to. I end up staying in the night clubs until about 4am, and I'll wear it from 4am til about 12 noon. So, as you can see, things like making out and going out nightclubbing have cut down my hours a bit! I don't worry about this too much because other than those instances, I am very consistent and motivated in getting my hours in. :)

And despite my shortcomings, I have definitely seen a difference in my teeth. First off, there is an ever-so-slight space in between my two front teeth that was not there before. I wrote my dentist about the very small gap, and he said it shouldn't get any bigger. The gap appears to be about .5mm wide and it is proof that my jaw is widening and creating extra space for my teeth.

Now all I need to do is wait for my crooked canine to fill up that extra space as my jaw widens more in the next few months :)



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