JJGestapo's Journal

I just remembered something when I looked back on my gallery for a moment.  My senior picture, my smile....technically, it's a "fake" smile

Well a few years ago, I think over 5 now is it?, I wasn't quiet smiling the same.  In fact, I didn't smile much, I hid my face [I still do sometimes], and if I ever did smile, I never showed my full smile that showed my teeth.  Why, well, you could say I am well acquiainted with the dental chair....

I had bad teeth for as long as I can remember.  Always a cavity or 2, or three.  Everytime I visited the dentist, it was filling time.  It became so regular for me, but I think teh reason why my teeth were so bad was no just b/c I didn't inherit the strong teeth like my mother, but I later found out that pits (small pit holes in your teeth) were on one side of the family, and one of my aunts had them.  When I look at old silver caked molars I lost and kept, I see uniform pit holes over the crowns of my teeth.  Anyways, I took after my dad, and had those bucky front teeth that stood out as they grew in.  I like my oldest bro, had to get braces and headgear, which I depised with a passion.  I got braces in 4th grade, and supposedly, the more I wore my headgear, the sooner I would be out of braces.

However, I didn't like the headgear, it made me drool, it was covered in dry spit, it pulled on my back teeth all night, it esp hurt when I had my braces readjusted, I ground my teeth in my sleep already, and I occasionally made sores in my own mouth from chewing the inside of my cheeks.  It was most uncomfortable, esp after they put in the wires across the brackets b/c your mouth woudl be so sore you didn't want to chew on anything, just some hot soup.  And one time, they actaully wired in my headgear to my teeth for one whole day as a bit of punishment so I woudl learn to wear my headgear more or else they woudl wire it in.  After much humiliation and crying, I got home where my second oldest brother tried ligthening the mood by saying he coudl easily cut me free with some needlenose plyers he had.  the next day te removed it, but that was to be my last warning.  Also, the brackets were another problem.  I will admit, I did not like brushing my teeth alot, so it was my fault as well what happened.  Now mind as well, I also hot fillings done all while i was growing in my permanent teeth too, b/c they kept getting cavities.  the problem became though, cleanign around the brackets and wires, b/c there were so many crevistes.  But the malpractice started happening when food debris got underneath unglued brackets and began to eat at the tooth beneath where I coudln't clean or see pretty much.  I was at my second dentist, and in order to have teh dental work need to fix my teeth, he wanted a big sum, plus I had to get my braces removed for a while, so that was more money on top of that.

My mom didn't know what to do, she had my teeth that needed fixing, braces that were supposedly still needed b/c my teeth would supposedly move aoung still, and there was the daunting task of money....My mom found another denist, a group of female staff, who opted to look into the extent of work.  They were appauled by how my teeth were in horribel condition, and yes, I am part to blame.  They said the braces had to be taken of so they could work.  I had the braces removed, and that was the last I saw of them ever again....

The biggest hurdle and necessary for the complete and permanent removal was because of my front teeth.  My two center insciors, the ones that was visible to all if I smiled with my teeth, had a cavity between then at the very top, and was rapidly eating away at them, and the suurounding teeth.  There was little hope of getting a filling job, the decay had gone too far into the tooth to be salvaged, which meant I needed roots canals....and four of them, on my four front and center upper teeth, plus any other damages to teh other teeth as well.  My father was furious, knowing what it was like not to have good dental care when he was young, and how he provided for us so much so we would have nice teeth.  My poor dad and mom, they were so distraught, and I coudl have been no more than 14 or so....

Molds were taken of my teeth so they could order replacements, which woudl be later carved out, colored, and polished to match up with my surrunding teeth.  After that, they woudl get to work over the next several months, and which woud turn into years of work.  The money was still an issue though, esp those root canals and new teeth to replace mine.  The docotrs there felt so bad, as they had a previous patient from the same orthodontist who had a similar problem, but not to my extant I believe.  They said a girl this young shouldn't have teeth like this, not at this age, refering to my expected root canals.  I then underwent the humiliating loss of four teeth.  They were drilled down to small tiny pickets I believe, b/c creepily enough, I felt them once as they were working and such, but never imagined how they looked unti l much later.  They removed the roots, which I will say was kind of painful b/c they all had to be done together so a quick fix temporaries could be put in until my other teeth were ready.  And to boot, it was all in my upper gums, and I recieved the numbshots in my upper gums as well, which I think hurt the most for a while.

I had these temporaries for months, waitng for my new teeth.  Meanwhile, they became discolored and you coudl tell they were out of place.  I got used to them though.  Then finally, after what seemed like forever, my new teeth had came in.  If I'm not mistaken, I believe the doctored picked out a decent type of porcelin tooth with metal linings (which were the expensive ones too b/c of teh added lining) and payed for them.  It was a great gift, one that I am so greatful about too.  They had to crack off the temporiaries and then fetched my new ones.  While sitting in the room, the emptied feeling returned as I felt the void of four front teeth, now simple daggers.  i cought a glimpse of the reflection in the dental tools, and saw tiny picket nubs poking out of my gums.  I felt so robbed, so defenseless, like a cat's claws being removed.  I know after they put then new teeth in, I cried.  They were so beautiful, new and white but colored to match the coffee stains that were permanent.  They gardually worked there way around, replacing my canines with caps so when I smiled, it would be a matching row of new teeth, all white and new.  Unfortunately, not too much longer after having my new teeth in, my second oldest bro and I were fighting on the bed and his ellbow struck me in the mouth, pushing a front middle tooth up.  The dentist coudl onyl shave the one tooth down so they would be even , but she couldn't push it back so it woudl be pararllel up and down.  It took several years to have my mouth completely redone and cavities fixed and teeth cleaned and maintained.  Now I have a nice smile, and I am greatful for that :D

It was hard, long and painful both emotionally and physically, but I have nice teeth despite their silver mines.  The fortunate and best part was though, was that none of my teeth moved nor twisted out of place b/c I no longer could ever wear braces again.  After a near lawsuit of malpractice by the ortho, they had my brothers still go there, but free of all charges.  After seeing how my teeth hadn't moved at all in several years without braces, I began to theororize that teh ortho ppl were pulling my parent's legs about me constantly needing braces and headgear when after I had all that crap removed, my teeth never budged out of place in odd ways or stuff.  How would you know if this were true, b/c you were taking their word on it and you kept paying them to do it.  Plus, the lead ortho dr had cerebral palsies or soemthing like that (which I know is no this fault) but he continued practice even though his hands shook, which I think is a no-no in practice by today's standards.

Well, I just thought of that while looking at that pic.  Just remember, keep gpod care of yrou teeth b/c you need them for the rest fo your life.