Today was my first review, six weeks since I had my braces fitted on.
I arrived really early at the B1 Clinic and registered for my appointment.
It was about 9.40am. So I played Pokemon Go while waiting to be called.
Shortly after, I was in the consultation room. My dentist first reviewed the progress and she said it went well. She also commended me for taking great care of my teeth! My effort to floss, brush and rinse finally paid off! :D
Then she proceeded to remove the metal wires and replaced it with another. This new wire looked peculiar, with the springs in place of the plastic casing from the older one. I also had bands to pull away my canines to make room for the inner teeths to move out. I was told that I needed another 3-4 sessions before the metal brackets can be fitted on the remaining teeth (my teeth were overcrowded so some of them were staggered behind and between the other teeths). I also got to know that the support can finally be removed in 2 sessions (that means I can have a perfect bite!).
I think the entire procedure took less than 30mins and I was out. The exact feeling when the wires were tightened up was crazy. I could feel all the pain coming in at the same time. Felt as though I just had my braces first fitted on, with the pain multiplied by several folds. I guess it'll be porridge and soup again until things get better. The price to pay for vanity. But it'll all be worth it.
To complete my visit, I made payment and scheduled the next appointment which is in exactly six weeks' time. Until then!
Monday, 29 August 2016
Monday, 18 July 2016
3. Brackets and Full Braces
This is the last of three appointments which was fixed to get my braces fitted on. I literally woke up with excitement because I am not only getting my braces fitted on this morning but I am heading to JB with a friend after that.
I arrived on the dot and proceeded to register for my appointment at the B1 clinic.
Okay I am gonna admit, I haven't had time to write the post and as time passed, my memory literally faded and I can't remember much.
But I can still remember the JB trip vaguely because of how tough a time I had while eating the food. I ordered a poached egg with smoked salmon with rocket leaves. I literally left the greens untouched and I spent a realllly long time to down the entire meal.
The night market was pretty good! Had muah chee and the carrot cake which I think was still good for me, given that I had braces just in the morning.
Heh so that's all I can remember. Remember to watch out for the next post, I will make sure I write it down as soon as I can. Ciao!
I arrived on the dot and proceeded to register for my appointment at the B1 clinic.
Okay I am gonna admit, I haven't had time to write the post and as time passed, my memory literally faded and I can't remember much.
But I can still remember the JB trip vaguely because of how tough a time I had while eating the food. I ordered a poached egg with smoked salmon with rocket leaves. I literally left the greens untouched and I spent a realllly long time to down the entire meal.
The night market was pretty good! Had muah chee and the carrot cake which I think was still good for me, given that I had braces just in the morning.
Heh so that's all I can remember. Remember to watch out for the next post, I will make sure I write it down as soon as I can. Ciao!
Monday, 11 July 2016
2. Metal Frame and final extraction
11th July (Mon).
I was back at KTPH earlier this morning to get my separators removed and have it replaced with the metal frames which will eventually serve as the anchoring point for my braces.
I was so worried that the separators might get dislodged that I really ate a soft diet the entire week. Thankfully it did not happen and I got it replaced with the metal frames successfully.
After that I proceeded to L6 to have my final extraction. It was about 9.30am and I got called in for the anesthesia soon. The same process again where I had to wait outside for 15mins for it to take complete effect. Yup, not a stranger to this anymore, having gone through it once last week.
I was so happy that this is the last time I am having any extraction (hopefully) for the rest of my life. Did I also mention that I looked up the dentist who extracted my teeth last week and she is actually the Head of Department for Dental Surgery at KTPH? She was in charge of the extraction this time again (:
When I got home, I immediately changed a fresh set of gauze, the old one was soaked with coagulated blood and saliva. I remembered how the nurse had taught me on folding a gauze properly and did the same thing. Little did I know, I felt an acute pain through the socket and the bleeding began again. Mom passed me a cold glass of water and told me to gargle it to stop the bleeding. Yeah I remember when I was young and did the teeth extraction myself, I did the same thing too.
After a few cups of icy cold water, it did help a little. I then went to snooze for awhile (after the intense loss of blood from the extraction).
When I woke up, it was almost dinner time and the bleeding had almost subsided. I was able to drink and eat soft food normally again.
Can't wait to have my braces fitted on next Mon! :D
I was back at KTPH earlier this morning to get my separators removed and have it replaced with the metal frames which will eventually serve as the anchoring point for my braces.
I was so worried that the separators might get dislodged that I really ate a soft diet the entire week. Thankfully it did not happen and I got it replaced with the metal frames successfully.
After that I proceeded to L6 to have my final extraction. It was about 9.30am and I got called in for the anesthesia soon. The same process again where I had to wait outside for 15mins for it to take complete effect. Yup, not a stranger to this anymore, having gone through it once last week.
I was so happy that this is the last time I am having any extraction (hopefully) for the rest of my life. Did I also mention that I looked up the dentist who extracted my teeth last week and she is actually the Head of Department for Dental Surgery at KTPH? She was in charge of the extraction this time again (:
When I got home, I immediately changed a fresh set of gauze, the old one was soaked with coagulated blood and saliva. I remembered how the nurse had taught me on folding a gauze properly and did the same thing. Little did I know, I felt an acute pain through the socket and the bleeding began again. Mom passed me a cold glass of water and told me to gargle it to stop the bleeding. Yeah I remember when I was young and did the teeth extraction myself, I did the same thing too.
After a few cups of icy cold water, it did help a little. I then went to snooze for awhile (after the intense loss of blood from the extraction).
When I woke up, it was almost dinner time and the bleeding had almost subsided. I was able to drink and eat soft food normally again.
Can't wait to have my braces fitted on next Mon! :D
Monday, 4 July 2016
1. Separators
Today is 4 Jul (Mon).
I have officially begun my journey on wearing braces. The schedule for today is to put on the separators and also to have two of my teeth extracted.
The purpose of these separators is to space out my teeth so that my orthodontist could place the metal frame which would be used to secure my braces. The procedure for separators was very swift, it took less than 15mins to get it done (I have a very skilled orthodontist, heh!). Apart from the last separator which was so stubborn and didn't want to fit in between the gap of my shiny white teeth, everything went really smoothly. I had a total of eight separators fitted in between my teeth.
I then went up to L6 to wait for my extraction. I was called in soon after reporting. The minute I went into the room, I couldn't help but notice the long syringe of anesthesia.
Being a LA, the surgeon did not put me under the sleeping gas. Instead she injected the anesthesia into the gum, around the region where the surgical site will be. It was quite a painful one, whoever said there are no nerves in the gum needs to undergo one of these in their life.
It didn't take long before the numbing came into effect. I was told to wait outside the room for another 15mins (probably to ensure that the anesthesia works completely). I then decided to use the toilet. Bad choice. I missed my call back to the room and had to wait for another 15mins.
I was using my phone before I notice my number on the screen. Went in, and the surgeon injected more anesthesia into my gum again.
Then the surgeon took out something that looks sorta like a tool you use to crack the crab shells with, just much more smaller. The dental assistant then secured my head, which the surgeon then grabbed the tooth to be extracted with the metal thingy, and yanked at it. I couldn't feel anything of course, but I know it was a tough pull. Barely a few minutes, the first one was out. It was a peculiar feeling when the surgeon was pulling out the tooth, it felt like you are trying to pull something away from chewing gum, and I could feel the tissues separating itself from the tooth. Eww.
The second one was the same. So i'll just skip the description. I was given my extracted teeth (in a ziplock bag and a piece of gauze to bite on. Then I got sent out of the room to another called the Recovery Room. There I was given my Medical Certificate and I had to watch a video on post-surgery care. I also had a replacement of gauze before I made payment at the counter. Today's treatment costed me $2100-ish. $2000 for the downpayment of braces treatment and another $100-ish for the extraction of 2 teeth.
My appointments were already fixed so time to head home! Along the way, I picked up a mask to cover up my swollen face (pretty smart huh!)
Gonna come back next Mon, 11 Jul to extract another 2 teeth and put on the first set of braces. Can't wait for the transformation :D
I have officially begun my journey on wearing braces. The schedule for today is to put on the separators and also to have two of my teeth extracted.
The purpose of these separators is to space out my teeth so that my orthodontist could place the metal frame which would be used to secure my braces. The procedure for separators was very swift, it took less than 15mins to get it done (I have a very skilled orthodontist, heh!). Apart from the last separator which was so stubborn and didn't want to fit in between the gap of my shiny white teeth, everything went really smoothly. I had a total of eight separators fitted in between my teeth.
I then went up to L6 to wait for my extraction. I was called in soon after reporting. The minute I went into the room, I couldn't help but notice the long syringe of anesthesia.
Being a LA, the surgeon did not put me under the sleeping gas. Instead she injected the anesthesia into the gum, around the region where the surgical site will be. It was quite a painful one, whoever said there are no nerves in the gum needs to undergo one of these in their life.
It didn't take long before the numbing came into effect. I was told to wait outside the room for another 15mins (probably to ensure that the anesthesia works completely). I then decided to use the toilet. Bad choice. I missed my call back to the room and had to wait for another 15mins.
I was using my phone before I notice my number on the screen. Went in, and the surgeon injected more anesthesia into my gum again.
Then the surgeon took out something that looks sorta like a tool you use to crack the crab shells with, just much more smaller. The dental assistant then secured my head, which the surgeon then grabbed the tooth to be extracted with the metal thingy, and yanked at it. I couldn't feel anything of course, but I know it was a tough pull. Barely a few minutes, the first one was out. It was a peculiar feeling when the surgeon was pulling out the tooth, it felt like you are trying to pull something away from chewing gum, and I could feel the tissues separating itself from the tooth. Eww.
The second one was the same. So i'll just skip the description. I was given my extracted teeth (in a ziplock bag and a piece of gauze to bite on. Then I got sent out of the room to another called the Recovery Room. There I was given my Medical Certificate and I had to watch a video on post-surgery care. I also had a replacement of gauze before I made payment at the counter. Today's treatment costed me $2100-ish. $2000 for the downpayment of braces treatment and another $100-ish for the extraction of 2 teeth.
My appointments were already fixed so time to head home! Along the way, I picked up a mask to cover up my swollen face (pretty smart huh!)
Gonna come back next Mon, 11 Jul to extract another 2 teeth and put on the first set of braces. Can't wait for the transformation :D
Monday, 28 March 2016
Wisdom Teeth Extraction
Today is the 5th day after the surgery. I haven't had much time to share my extraction experience because I was really bogged down with school work.
But anyway here I am, really to pen down whatever is left of my memory :D
--
I had my surgery done in the morning on the 24th March at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. I had it on a Thursday because that's when I have no classes at all. It's pretty sad that in uni, you have to put schoolwork before anything else. ):
The surgery was initially scheduled at 11.30am but I had received a call the day before, informing me to report at 11am. (I found out later that someone had cancelled their's and mine was push forward).
I also had to stop eating and drinking 8hours before the surgery, I calculated my last meal had to be at 3am. Lol. But I had stopped eating or drinking anything before 12am (if I don't remember wrongly?).
Then, the fateful morning arrived. It seem like a pretty normal morning actually. I got up and washed up before driving to the hospital with my family. Okay I shall skip all the nitty gritty details and go straight to the important stuff.
I got changed into the surgical robes and was attended to by the anaesthetist. She helped me with the catheter as well (supposedly for the GA injection) and pumped in saline solution (could feel a cooling sensation literally!). We also had a good chat about the risks I face as a 24YO male undergoing GA. Actually I was quite apprehensive about doing the extraction under GA. I recalled watching all the TV dramas and that's when the influence gets to me. It is really scary. But bobian, a man's gotta to what he's gotta do.
After the prep talk by the anaesthetist, I had a brief 5mins pre-surgical chat with my surgeon. And...before I know it, I was called into the operating threatre.
I walked into the operating threatre. I could see so many people inside through the see-through window. I pushed the door and went in. One of them removed the surgical gown till my chest level and pasted something that monitors my pulse rate (I think?!). I also felt something connected to the catheter. Everything felt like a deja vu again, recalling I had done another surgery back in 2012.
Okay now this is the crucial part (before I went into unconscious mode). A nurse placed a mask over my face and told me this is oxygen. I didn't think so much about it and breathed as normally as I could. But eh!? I could feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier. I can tell you no amount of willpower can fight it. I tried but I am not strong enough ): Before I could count to three, I was put to sleep. They didn't even give me any warning!
And....when I woke up, I felt so drowsy. I had a really bad sore throat (I think this is the result of them inserting a breathing tube). All I could recall is the nurse changing the gauze inside my mouth. And there was lots of saliva too (eww haha). Strangely, I didn't feel pain at all. My lower lips was totally numb too. Maybe the anaesthesia was still in effect.
I laid down in the observation ward for about 1 hours before I was wheezed back into the general ward. I felt more conscious now at the point, I was later allowed to drink apple juice! The nurse was kind enough to hold the straw for me. It was cold and refreshing, after having no meals at all since the night before.
And after resting for another 1-2hours, I was paid a visit by the pharmacist who issued some painkillers, anti-biotics and mouth gargle to me. The funny part is when she asked me about my NRIC and drug allergy, I couldnt speak at all. She kinda sympathized with me and just told me to verify it visually on the medication label. LOL
Then another 30-45mins of waiting, I was ready to be discharged. I could still feel weakness in my body but was strong enough to walk out of the day surgery site. I think it was 3.30pm when I got discharged. I had spent a good 4 hours inside!
Okay, that's it for now. Shall blog about my recovery process in a short while. Please feel free to share your extraction experience with me below! Or if you have any questions feel free to ask too!
But anyway here I am, really to pen down whatever is left of my memory :D
--
I had my surgery done in the morning on the 24th March at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. I had it on a Thursday because that's when I have no classes at all. It's pretty sad that in uni, you have to put schoolwork before anything else. ):
The surgery was initially scheduled at 11.30am but I had received a call the day before, informing me to report at 11am. (I found out later that someone had cancelled their's and mine was push forward).
I also had to stop eating and drinking 8hours before the surgery, I calculated my last meal had to be at 3am. Lol. But I had stopped eating or drinking anything before 12am (if I don't remember wrongly?).
Then, the fateful morning arrived. It seem like a pretty normal morning actually. I got up and washed up before driving to the hospital with my family. Okay I shall skip all the nitty gritty details and go straight to the important stuff.
I got changed into the surgical robes and was attended to by the anaesthetist. She helped me with the catheter as well (supposedly for the GA injection) and pumped in saline solution (could feel a cooling sensation literally!). We also had a good chat about the risks I face as a 24YO male undergoing GA. Actually I was quite apprehensive about doing the extraction under GA. I recalled watching all the TV dramas and that's when the influence gets to me. It is really scary. But bobian, a man's gotta to what he's gotta do.
After the prep talk by the anaesthetist, I had a brief 5mins pre-surgical chat with my surgeon. And...before I know it, I was called into the operating threatre.
I walked into the operating threatre. I could see so many people inside through the see-through window. I pushed the door and went in. One of them removed the surgical gown till my chest level and pasted something that monitors my pulse rate (I think?!). I also felt something connected to the catheter. Everything felt like a deja vu again, recalling I had done another surgery back in 2012.
Okay now this is the crucial part (before I went into unconscious mode). A nurse placed a mask over my face and told me this is oxygen. I didn't think so much about it and breathed as normally as I could. But eh!? I could feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier. I can tell you no amount of willpower can fight it. I tried but I am not strong enough ): Before I could count to three, I was put to sleep. They didn't even give me any warning!
And....when I woke up, I felt so drowsy. I had a really bad sore throat (I think this is the result of them inserting a breathing tube). All I could recall is the nurse changing the gauze inside my mouth. And there was lots of saliva too (eww haha). Strangely, I didn't feel pain at all. My lower lips was totally numb too. Maybe the anaesthesia was still in effect.
I laid down in the observation ward for about 1 hours before I was wheezed back into the general ward. I felt more conscious now at the point, I was later allowed to drink apple juice! The nurse was kind enough to hold the straw for me. It was cold and refreshing, after having no meals at all since the night before.
And after resting for another 1-2hours, I was paid a visit by the pharmacist who issued some painkillers, anti-biotics and mouth gargle to me. The funny part is when she asked me about my NRIC and drug allergy, I couldnt speak at all. She kinda sympathized with me and just told me to verify it visually on the medication label. LOL
Then another 30-45mins of waiting, I was ready to be discharged. I could still feel weakness in my body but was strong enough to walk out of the day surgery site. I think it was 3.30pm when I got discharged. I had spent a good 4 hours inside!
Okay, that's it for now. Shall blog about my recovery process in a short while. Please feel free to share your extraction experience with me below! Or if you have any questions feel free to ask too!
Tuesday, 26 January 2016
Braces: The First Visit
It has been awhile ages since I last updated this rusty blog.
Anyway what got me back into writing is that I wanted to keep records of my braces journey.
Wait. Braces? Yes, Braces.
--
It was a major decision I made at the start of this year. I decided that appearance was important afterall. It was tough deciding where to have the treatment at. I eventually picked KTPH because I was so impressed with the dentists there.
I had my first appointment today, on the 26th Jan. Sigh, I was late on my first appointment. So the dentist asked me why and I had to tell her honestly that I was delayed from the bus ride (which is true). I dislike taking buses because of how irregular the intervals are especially for long distance bus routes.
But that's not important. She recommended an x-ray to examine the condition of my teeth and how densely packed they are. So I went back to the B1 Clinic and had it taken. There were two types of x-rays I had to do. One was which I had to bite down on some kind of plastic and the other one was where my head was fixed and the machine just goes around your head taking a 360degrees view of it.
The results were out shortly and here's the bad news. The wisdom teeth which I thought I didn't have, had always been there. Just impacted.
Impaction basically means your teeth are too crowded so the 3rd molars which are your wisdom tooths are unable to emerge from the gum and grew horizontally. This is a bad shock for me. I didn't expect this to happen. So I went back to my orthodontist and she provided me with a course of action.
1. Remove wisdom teeth
2. Remove 4 more teeth for braces
3. Get braces on concurrently with extraction
It is now more troublesome that I have to remove my wisdom teeth but its a stage I have to go through nevertheless. So after that I went to the clinic counter to book an appointment with the maxillofacial surgeon. Then I remembered how expensive it is going to cost. That's why most NSF had theirs extracted during active days under a highly subsidized rate. But not for me because I thought I didn't have any.
I needed to get a referral letter so I called up the polyclinic to book an appointment. Woodlands were so packed that I had to wait at least three months but..luckily I managed to get an appointment at Toa Payoh polyclinic on the 3 Feb (Wed), because someone just canceled the appointment. yay!
That's about, I shall update my experience at the polyclinic in another post. (:
Anyway what got me back into writing is that I wanted to keep records of my braces journey.
Wait. Braces? Yes, Braces.
--
It was a major decision I made at the start of this year. I decided that appearance was important afterall. It was tough deciding where to have the treatment at. I eventually picked KTPH because I was so impressed with the dentists there.
I had my first appointment today, on the 26th Jan. Sigh, I was late on my first appointment. So the dentist asked me why and I had to tell her honestly that I was delayed from the bus ride (which is true). I dislike taking buses because of how irregular the intervals are especially for long distance bus routes.
But that's not important. She recommended an x-ray to examine the condition of my teeth and how densely packed they are. So I went back to the B1 Clinic and had it taken. There were two types of x-rays I had to do. One was which I had to bite down on some kind of plastic and the other one was where my head was fixed and the machine just goes around your head taking a 360degrees view of it.
The results were out shortly and here's the bad news. The wisdom teeth which I thought I didn't have, had always been there. Just impacted.
Impaction basically means your teeth are too crowded so the 3rd molars which are your wisdom tooths are unable to emerge from the gum and grew horizontally. This is a bad shock for me. I didn't expect this to happen. So I went back to my orthodontist and she provided me with a course of action.
1. Remove wisdom teeth
2. Remove 4 more teeth for braces
3. Get braces on concurrently with extraction
It is now more troublesome that I have to remove my wisdom teeth but its a stage I have to go through nevertheless. So after that I went to the clinic counter to book an appointment with the maxillofacial surgeon. Then I remembered how expensive it is going to cost. That's why most NSF had theirs extracted during active days under a highly subsidized rate. But not for me because I thought I didn't have any.
I needed to get a referral letter so I called up the polyclinic to book an appointment. Woodlands were so packed that I had to wait at least three months but..luckily I managed to get an appointment at Toa Payoh polyclinic on the 3 Feb (Wed), because someone just canceled the appointment. yay!
That's about, I shall update my experience at the polyclinic in another post. (:
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