16.03.2016

Hello guys!

Been a while since my last post and I am here to share with you the biggest decision I have made thus far. I've just gotten all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed under LA today. Yes, you're probably thinking that I am crazy but I honestly don't want to deal with the pain over and over again and have them removed one by one. Even the surgeon was puzzled and thought I was crazy but yeah I feel hella brave for doing that and was pretty sure I made the right decision until just now.. I had my first gargle hours after the removal and it hurt like... whoa. I literally froze there. But it was pretty disgusting to see how the green solution turned black after spitting them out.

Anyways. Just in case you were wondering why the sudden decision to have it removed today.. It was because i was experiencing this pain and swelling over on my right lower cheek and jaw. It was quite bad because I had difficulty opening my mouth without feeling the tension at the temporomandibular joint. So apparently I had an impacted and infected wisdom tooth and have decided to use my free day to consult the dentist at the hospital just in case I needed to undergo GA.

I was advised by the dentist during consultation that it would be good to have them removed (depending if I can open my mouth for the surgery to take place) but i can also go home with antibiotics but that is just a temporary relieve and remission but it can come back any time and can be unexpected. So we very quickly made the decision to remove all of them and was immediately scheduled for the surgery at 330pm (so lucky that they have a slot for me so that I don't have to make another trip down).

I was also very lucky to have met Dr Noah because he was very gentle and patient, and nice to talk to. Apparently he did my boyfriend's wisdom teeth extraction too (talk about coincidence). Okay so I needed a lot of calming down because my BP and HR was high and i had just taken 2 puffs of ventolin (the nurse was worried I might get an asthma attack during the procedure so yeah just a preventive measure) and he tried to be as gentle and offered a lot of care and concern. He joked with me and had a small conversations with me while his nurses get me settled. He was very surprised that I wasn't offered GA (i guess partly because i wanted them removed today) and was even more surprised to know that I settled with LA when i wanted to remove all 4 of them today. I am also a very impatient person who wants to get things done asap so yeah, why not? I really recommend people going to the hospital even if it meant that you have to do a walk-in (even better if you can wait and have an appt scheduled for you) because my sister recently went for hers at the clinic and ONE TOOTH cost $1000++ and my mum was told that the upper one which is scheduled to be removed in about 1 or 2 more days time cannot be deducted from medisave. That's bullshit really. I had all 4 extracted at $1200+ and it is fully deductible via medisave (thank god for medisave). I only had to pay a cash of $70 for both X-ray and consultation. The procedure included all the drugs and consumables. I think the procedure was quite fast but it was a little scary because I was shivering throughout especially when he drilled my teeth. The upper one was quite nicely extracted. I'd love to show you my teeth but it will probably gross you guys out but I will keep it at the bottom of this post along with my x-ray.
He kept assuring me, informing me of what's to come and made sure I was okay. He was also very kind to give me the face mask I requested because my face was swollen like a pig head with the gauzes. I was also afraid of the drooling that might just scare the public away so yup. They checked my BP again post-procedure and i was shown a video on care for post-wisdom teeth extraction, and I am good to go.

My entire mouth was still numbed until about 1 hour ago. So it took about 1.5-2 hours for the LA to wear off. I was instructed to take the Arcoxia asap just in case the pain kicks in. So I took it just before my dinner. It was sucky because there was pain whenever I try to swallow but apparently it is normal because the ?esophageal muscle is swollen. I thought it was because I probably swallowed the broken chips from the drilling. HAHAHA. Currently I (feel) that i look like agnes because of the swelling but i have been warned by my lovely boyfriend that I will look very swollen tomorrow. How nice. I have been slapped with a 6 days MC but I might just go back to school tomorrow depending on the state of swelling and of course, pain.

Oh yes, just in case you are wondering, I've been prescribed with the following medications:
- arcoxia
- dexamethasone
- antiseptic mouthwash (hate the mouthwash. it's painful and disgusting)
- clindamycin

Every of such procedure makes me feel very blessed and loved because my grandma called up my mum and they both came down to the hospital for me BUT I was already home. HAHAHA so i went out to look for them and had a nice bowl of numb and tingling fish porridge and a glass of ice cold honey green tea at HK Cafe. I guess as long as it isn't GA you are good to go anywhere after the procedure but just remember to follow their instructions closely as to when to rinse or gargle your mouth so you don't dislodge the clot and also to avoid the hot food and beverages. Just whack the painkillers and complete your antibiotic and you should be fine.

Just hope that it will heal well and no more bad breath from food trapping at my second molar and the impacted teeth. Hehehe.

Braces appt next saturday so i will keep you guys posted again soon.

Braced,
J.

5.3.2016

Hello guys,

It's been sometime since I was here for an update. I've been really busy with college :(
Hope all of you are doing great thus far!

Apparently I still have my braces on as one of my canine is still rotated and I still have to leave it on for a while more. Actually I am not sure if it is possible to achieve perfect curve because I still don't see it and really hope that I will be able to achieve it by the time my braces are ready to be removed. I still have about 2 visits or so before it will finally come off. Can't wait for the retainer days to arrive!

I am also quite disturbed by my wisdom teeth. Right in the beginning before I had my braces on, my dentist told me that if they don't come out by now, they will never be out but hey all 4 of them are revealing themselves! It is quite disgusting because of the smell and taste from food particles that can't be removed from those wisdom tooth that are partially out. I am so frustrated because I don't know how to clean it. Flossing and attempts to brush it out doesn't help a single bit :( It's as if they are way deep inside the gums. I am also concerned that these wisdom teeth will affect all of my teeth post-braces like they will push against all my nicely aligned teeth and become crooked again.

Hopefully everything will turn out well.
My next visit will be near the end of the month so hopefully by then I have good news to share with you guys.

Brace on,
J.

21.12.2015

P O W E R C H A I N S.

I am finally at the powerchain phase, guys! I am really excited that my braces journey is finally coming to an end.

My visit to the clinic today was not a pleasant on. Dr Ho told me that he will be seeing me in a month's time because my braces have to be compeleted by Chinese New Year which is in Feb (It's been 2 years and 2 months since I first got my braces and he thinks that it is too long). In addition to that, I had two rotated canines which resulted in a small gap on my upper front teeth and Dr Ho did something to it to help me rotate the canines back to where it should be so that the gap will be closed and now my upper braces are so tight and painful. I really hate this part of braces guys but I am trying very hard to stay positive now that I am so close to the end of my braces journey. I am really excited for the day where by my braces are off and I can put on retainers. As much as I feel sad that this journey is coming to an end, I am really happy that I finally have a beautifully aligned set of teeth! Really can't wait to show you guys my new smile once my braces are off. Here's one from today's appointment!

Brace on,
Jaslyn

10.06.2015

Hello guys!
It's been a while and I hope all of you are doing great! About a week back I went for my dental appointment and Dr Ho wasn't so pleased with how my lower set of teeth are moving at a slower pace compared to the upper set. It was partly because I haven't been exactly compliant with the rubber bands since I am mostly at home and my meal times are pretty close to my waking hours so I only put them after my dinner or before I go to bed. Initially he was planning to use springs on top of the rubber to help shift the lower set of teeth but it will cause my lower set of teeth to shift in further and it won't look as great so the plan now is for me to try and wear the rubberbands more often and hope it will shift better!

Can't wait for the next appointment because it will be my last payment! Woohoo!!

Looking forward to finishing my journey with you guys!

Have a great week!

Braced with lots of love,
Jaslyn.

01.04.2015

Woke up to a not so funny April Fool's joke.
It just had to be 1st of April that my bracket comes off making me think this is some April Fool's joke.

Woke up this morning feeling a little weird on the last bracket only to later realize that it came off loose. I was just feeling a little lazy today only to find out that it was the one that I had to hook my rubber bands on so I called the clinic up and was told that I'd need to go down to have it fixed.

This is the moment when I learnt that it is extremely important to pick a dental clinic closest to your home. There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to picking a clinic. It wouldn't really matter if you are just going there to get your extractions or fillings etc done but because you are going to see this dentist for the next 2 years it is important that you are comfortable and happy to see him. Yes, I mentioned happy because it is already awful enough to have to go through all these discomfort when there are people who are born with are perfect set of teeth so you want to make sure your dentist make you feel good going through all these painful visits.

Aside from that, we need to consider the cost of getting your braces done since different clinic charges differently. The dentist may be really good and everyone is recommending that you see him but if it is really too expensive and you cannot afford to pay for it, don't force yourself.  There are other clinics that charges it slightly lower but that doesn't mean that they aren't good alright? Unlike bags, it doesn't have to be branded and expensive to last you for a long time. Do your research and ask around. I am lucky that it didn't take me many friends to find the clinic that I was comfortable visiting.

Lastly, never forget that sometimes unfortunate things happen and you will need to make a trip back down to the clinic to get things fixed. You wouldn't want to find yourself living in the north and having to travel all the way to the south just for that few minute session. Even though Yishun and Sembawang is just next to each other, it is still a torture on days that I am very lazy (like today).

Alright, that's all that I can think of but if you have any more pointers for me to add on, feel free to leave it under the comments section so that the rest of us can learn from it too!

Have a great start to April guys!
All the brace (best)!

/edit
Did filling for my upper molar and Dr HO changed the bottom wire to a smaller one to help shift the teeth better. He told me the upper set is shifting quite well. Yay!
In addition he helped to trim the wire on the upper set because it's poking into my cheek. This saved me another trip in May and I'm gonna see you guys here again in June!

XO,
Jaslyn

03032015

Today marks the next phase of my braces. RUBBERBANDS!!!
I've been waiting for this moment for the longest time ever and I'm so happy to have finally made it here. This means that I'm already 3/4 into my braces journey and to whoever that has been following this space for updates, thank you so much for being here with me.

Having the rubberbands on is a little uncomfortable because of the tension it places on my gums to move the teeth. The upper set is going to move backwards while the lower set move forward to fill up the gaps. The last thing on my list after the rubber bands would be the mid line shifting for my upper front teeth which I am also excited for! This whole rubberband journey will take about 6 months only if I put on the bands diligently every single day. I will need to remove them before my meals and put a new one back on after my meals and before going to bed.

It is amazing to know how all these tools help to shift and align your teeth. I am also very amazed with the result. Although braces are a pain in the gums I have never regretted my decision to go for it. I'm also relieved to know that I am no longer receiving comments about how I should be going for braces because my teeth are so crooked. It's been 1 year and 5 months since I've gotten my braces and I am so used to having it. I used to hate how it gives me ulcers and jaw snapping issues but at the same time I am so grateful at how it has helped me become more confident with my smile.

If you need it don't be afraid to go for it. :)

Keep smiling!

XO,
Jaslyn

21.01.2015

Few weeks late for this post and I'm so sorry to those who have been waiting for this.
Latest dental appointment, two springs up on the upper set to bring some of the teeth back so it gives some space to close up the gaps on my next appointment. I honestly thought I would be suffering for 2 weeks because the initial phase (couple of days) was unbearable as it goes back to throbbing the entire night.
But I'm doing good. 1 week later I'm back to my normal diet.

Looking forward to the next phase in march!