Pre-braces journey

Hey guys,
so i have been acting on my 2013 "realistic" resolution to my best effort. One of this is consider the toughest of them all journey - the braces journey.

So i have been contemplating the idea of getting a straight set of teeth for a long while now, and thou everyone else has been talking me out of the idea, saying how my teeth looks fine, i just cannot push this pass my checklist.

thanks guys, i know my teeth looks fine & everyone loves me the way i am. but let's hope this stubborn personality of mine pays off and the teeth did indeed look like the way i have visualize it to turn out.

So having spend alot of time trying to research about braces & prepping for the big day, i have come to learn that there is only so much there is to search online.  Therefore, in order to help those who might be keen on embarking on the braces journey in the near future, here is my account of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Date: 25 march 2013
Having heard from bbbb's friend, Lao Kong about a friend who works in a dental clinic, i seek Lao Kong's help to enquire with his friend Jessica about getting my braces done. She was very helpful to provide me information on the payment & procedure with the dental clinic she is working at. I was advice the journey will cost about $3500 over a period of 2 years.  Dont be alarm by the large figures needed for this procedure, try convincing yourself the payment is broken down & spread over 3 years, so for the first year you are only expecting to part with a tiny tiny portion of your salary. I fix an appointment with Luminus Dental thanks to Jessica's help.

27mar2013
i ponder on the thought of tapping on Medisave to pay for the braces, i know the chances are slim but it was worth researching for some exception. I log into google & learn that braces are not claimable under Medisave scheme, with the exception to extraction of wisdom tooth that might/might not aid with the braces procedure.

I also manage to search on some reviews of Luminous Dental with whom i will be engaging for my braces. You can find some comment here , very limited thou.

29-30mar2013
i started breaking the news of getting my braces done to everyone around. They were skeptical about it, but provided support nevertheless.   bbbbb was the best, accepting how braces means the wedding plan will not take place anytime soon, but he render me full assistance nevertheless, i am extremely grateful for his support

31mar2013  - this session cost me $0
bbbb drove me to Luminous Dental located at 26A Chai Chee Lane, the place is not accessible by train but it is a good walk from bus stop B84011, so this information was helpful.

My first consulation was with Dr Lee, he was a friendly man who was discouraging me from getting my braces done if i had plan on getting married. His humor comfort me alot, and after looking through my teeth he made a few comment

irregular alignment when i smile

1. there is only 3 (instead of the usual 4 teeth) at the bottom row of my teeth
2. The bottom teeth is larger than everyone else probably because of the lack of one teeth
3. looking at the center 2buck teeth, you will soon notice my nose is not align correctly & slightly shift to the left
4. My upper teeth fits the lower teeth at 100% perfection, this does not mean it is perfectly normal. If you look at a usual set of teeth that everyone has, the upper row of teeth will slightly protrude outwards while the lower teeth is fitted right behind the upper teeth (like the image below

Conclusion? with a perfectly align upper & lower teeth, once the braces goes up, you can expect both my teeth to  protrude outwards, creating a super large gap in between when i smile. i wont be able to talk or pronounce correctly!!!!!   my solution now will be to remove some teeth to make space for the teeth to be align correctly

pretty acceptable alignment of both teeth from the right side of the teeth

misalignment of teeth on the left side. if you notice carefully the teeth filling that is black in color is pretty obvious here, i have since got it change into a share of white.

Dr Lee suggest i get an x-ray done. We also took pictures of my "before" teeth profiling. 

6april2013 - this session cost me $150

head down to LeMint Dental to get an x-ray of my teeth done

x-ray of my skull & teeth alignment, you can see my lip & chin in a slightly opaque shade

1. notice how my upper teeth & lower teeth are perfectly align ?? :(
2. Also notice how my chin is trying very badly to protrude outwards in order to match the teeth alignment.
3. btw.. the ring shape thingy u see near my ear are not earring, haha no jewellery allow during x-ray, its the tool they insert into my ear to get a scan

1. the front profile of my teeth
2. the slightly white portion are the teeth filling i have done over the years
3. my wisdom tooth in the right are grown inwards, but the x-ray review this is safe & can be kept the way it is
4. i have an extra tooth (that i never knew off) growing inside the gum of the left upper gum, no action done on that as long as i dont feel any discomfort

16april2013 - this session cost me $300

went down to the dental clinic to meet Dr Lee, who give more insights of my teeth, it was decided i was going to remove only 1 teeth thanks to the missing teeth at the bottom center area.

Met another dentist & he was a humourous Dentist who gave a brief introduction & assure me i was going to receive an MC for today (thank God, i didnt want to part with anther annual leave). I told him briefly that i was fearful of the pain, he agree to put numbing cream on my lips & gum before giving me the anesthetic jab, i dare tell you the anesthetic jab was painless (thank you to the review that warn it will hurt like shit, thank God i am super positive).... the Dentist clean up my teeth a little, slight discomfort as i could feel the machine on my teeth, not too long later i could no long feel my left lip & teeth.... 

after the cleaning i was told to gurgle some water, this was probably my most embarressing moments ever!~ basically because i could no longer feel my mouth, i was spilling the water out of my mouth like nobody's business, it was really hard to gurgle & spit the water out within the small frame of the sink i was told to spit into, 

sorry i had to insert this in..... it was funny not be able to feel your lip... the whole time i was drinking water after i was done with th extraction, i spill them out....     At age 26 & not drinking neatly certainly makes me feel weird. 

this is my molar that i have remove, the slightly less gore looking version... it is actually quite large & long with a pointy tip

gauze on the gum that couldnt stop bleeding for the first 4 hours... Now all is left are some blood here & there when i gurgle

Did you notice the separator place inside some of the teeth?   The agonizing pain it brings till today, at this point (i hate the pain.. argh)... the separator trying to push each tooth apart is unbearable (well it is bearable cos i am still typing this away)... i now have to get use to eating soft food when hungry (and still endure the pain of every chew.... tryiing hard to get use to this... )

well that is what have taken place till this point. My next appt is on 6may2013, where i will finally put on the metal braces (that will cost me $800, marking the end of the biggest payment ever!!)

I will continue to post update of this journey, hope you haven freak out  after reading so much... my pain level is only on the scale of 3/10 so far (the extraction is 0.5/10, painless lah!)

~Sweet.Silly.Stinky.Sleepyhead~