Fix my teeth

O.k. so the previous entry I mentioned the “dental gear” and I found out it’s called The Expander. I’ve got the upper expander taken out a few months ago, but the bottom one is still there. Also, I am braces face now.. since August.

Over the course of the year, I noticed my face shape changed drastically. It is still changing right now, due to the braces and the expander. I’m actually quite upset. A lot of the time I feel like I have a man’s chin. :( My face got bigger and I wish that I’ve never spent the extra thousand to get the expander and just have my teeth pulled. Maybe some of you out there think that I’m being over-dramatic, but I’m telling you.. it’s one of those things you have to experience to really understand. Especially since most people just go through with having teeth pulled and move straight onto braces, my case is a little more difficult. My orthodontist even said that he’s going to publish my case so he would get more customers :|

So, yup… I guess fixing my teeth is going pretty well for the most part. It’s just my face that is upsetting. Oh, and one more thing, my teeth chipped. Due to my strange crowding and the position of my upper and lower teeth, quite few of them don’t exactly match up when I chew/close my mouth. I think that’s why two of my teeth chipped. I am really angry, I feel like this is the orthodontist’s fault for not analyzing my teeth better beforehand. Now I have uneven teeth and if I want to have it fixed, I’d have to pay more $$$. How is that fair??

:( I’m gonna stop here. I’m getting more upset as I go on… I just want to stop thinking about it.

Advice: If you plan to get braces or if your orthodontist is suggesting you to get the expander, DON’T GET THE EXPANDER! It hurts SO MUCH and there’s a great chance it won’t even work. And look at me, I have a big face that is disproportional to my body.. and two chipped teeth. Not to mention the extra thousand dollar I have to pay for the expander and the time I have to put up with the pain. Just do the regular thing: get your teeth pulled and put on regular braces. It’s simple and cheaper.

I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s in my mouth.
Opposite of what a headgear does for your teeth, this pushes my teeth outwards. Every week, my mom has to turn the dial inside my mouth with a key that looks like a needle except less pointy. I can’t eat anything too hard & can’t chew gum. It’s so difficult to get things out between my teeth I just gave up on eating vegetables (woohoo) and meat (nooooo). I mean, I still eat them sometimes, but I prefer not to.. especially in public. When I speak, people can tell I have something that’s keeping me from using my tongue correctly.. I used to throw up a little in my mouth when I speak too much. But, now I’m much better.

Supposedly, I’m only wearing this thing for 6 months. I started in March. But, my dentist tells me that I may have to wear it all the way until’ Christmas!! Oh my god! Does that mean when they say braces take 2 years, they actually mean 3?! When is this goal gonna be done already?!

I went to a dentist about two months ago.
Dr. Wang in San Gabriel
It’s expensive, especially when I don’t have insurance. I’m paying for everything myself. But I am happy that I am doing this!
Although it hurt like hell when I pulled out all four of my wisdom tooth in one surgery, I know it is worth it in the long run.
That was two weeks ago.
I remember it didn’t really hurt that much because of the medication given to numb half of my face, but I was really scared. I was shaking during the whole procedure. It was probably the scariest thing I’ve gone through. Maybe cause I wasn’t prepared..
I remember blood was flowing out of my mouth without my noticing of it cause my whole jaw, mouth, and even ears were numb. All the blood I had to swallow (dentist said to swallow) made me throw up a little inside my mouth… hahaha

Anyway, that’s over now.
This upcoming Friday, I will be getting my braces on.
I am not scared, yet.
It’ll cost me $3,500 and I am paying for it myself of course.
This is really cutting into my savings for college, traveling to Taiwan, and a “new” used car!
But it’s for the long-run, right?

My cousin, Allison, says that I have .69 probability of becoming a “dumb bitch” after I get straightened teeth.
We’ll see about that!

Just two days ago, I was sitting on my couch and munching on Cheetos when I felt something hard in my mouth.
I was thinking maybe there’s something in the Cheetos..
But when I spit it out, I discovered a piece of my tooth came off.
No, not the whole tooth – just a piece.
Turns out, it was from the tooth that the fillings came off from.
It’s been a year now that I’ve been using toothpicks to get things out from that filling.
So I guess the cavity grew bigger and eventually that one slice just couldn’t handle it.

Then, my enamel start to wash away.
I’m only 19 and it hurts like

for as long as i could remember, i’ve been seeing the dentist since forever

i have a buck tooth
my teeth are yellowish
and they’re definitely not straight

for a couple of years now, i don’t even bother to go see a dentist
cause it’s expensive and nothing’s getting better

it made me feel uncomfortable to smile
some people even thought i don’t brush my teeth

especially living in America..
everyone’s got their braces off in high school
and i still haven’t even got them on in college..