Tongue Tie cut and Palatal Widening appliance

Awesome appointent. I went in today for my lingual frenulum (tongue tie) pre-op check up and second surgery today. It was fast and painless as usual. Today 2 millimeters was cut on the top and bottom of my tongue. Still can't touch my nose, but hey, I can speak correctly and touch the roof of my mouth when I swallow. All in all, I would have to say this was worth the $550.

I can now better articulate words in my speech and feel more confident when I talk. Now I just need to work on my grammar. :)

I love this doctor. He would explain the entire procedure working as quick as he safely can to not let you think too much. The process took less than 5 minutes. No blood, no sutures, no pain.

Great timing too. My palatal widening appliance aka DNA appliance aka Homeoblock for my Invisalign procedure came in today also. It fit great and now I have the appliance on every evening for the next 2-3 months to expand my upper jaw and space out my teeth. This way my buck teeth will be brought in more and allow for straightening without removal of teeth. Awesome.

Videos and photos to follow next week on the process and progress.

Delays

Went into the dentist to get my appliance. Found out it didn't fit and the doc wanted to have a perfect fit so there will be no complications or unknown effects during this first phase of giving me that hollywood smile.

Thus, a new mold was taken and I took the mold up to the fabricator myself. Now I will wait another 10 days to begin this Invisalign process.

Also, on Monday I will have my Lingual Frenectomy again to see how much more can be cut away. I'm actually really excited but nervous. Nervous because the first time I had this surgery it went VERY VERY well with no pain. I'm hoping it will be the same this time.

Stay tune, once I get this done, I will post photos.

Clincheck

My dentist emailed me today with my ClinCheck for Invisalign. Wow they are quick.
I approved it, then the dentist approved it. Since my appliance came in the same time. I get to wear my appliance for 3 weeks.

The Invisalign trays have been ordered and will be there in less than 2 weeks. I will have 31 trays for the top teeth and 15 trays for the bottom.

Here's the ClinCheck

Lingual Frenulum (tongue tie) Surgery

Since I was already in the office I decided I should just go right ahead and get the surgery done. It was not like I woke up one morning and thought, well today I'm going to go get my lingual frenulum clipped. Shoot, surgery in my mouth sounds like a grand idea. Heck, I haven't even research the process of tongue tie surgery. All I have to say is . . . thank goodness this is a laser dentistry. No scalpels.

The operation procedure:

Simple put, it was done before I knew it began.

So . . . the procedure is done by an oral surgeon, outpatient surgery. Even though it is considered a major surgery, it was more painless than getting ear piercings or teeth cleaning for that matter. 

First, I got some local anesthetic. A small pinch under my tongue, barely felt it. Waited a few minutes. Then the doctor and his assistant walked over with this little laser machine. A suction to my mouth, laser safety glasses, and the cutting began.

No clamps, no scalpels, no stitches, no bleeding. The process took less than 10 minutes. I had my lower and upper lingual frenulum removed painlessly. No discomfort. I was able to talk and rinse my mouth out with mouthwash. No stinging. And I can touch the roof of my mouth! Heck, I can even swallow with my tongue to the roof of my mouth!

(I will post photos soon)

I was told I should not eat spicy food, no tacos, no hard food, and no straws for a week. I lasted 3 days.

The doctor prescribed 600mg of Ibprofene (which I didn't take) and 500mg of Amoxicillin to prevent infections. Post-Op appointment 2 weeks later.

Cost:

The procedure cost $550 (well worth the money)

Healing:

When the anesthetic wore off I felt normal. My tongue was a little stiff, but other than that, I felt no pain.

I forgot I was not to drink out of a straw or eat hard food. Not a good idea to try to eat a hamburger, that was painful. I ended up having to rinse my mouth with salt water a few times to clean out food particles under my tongue. But I always rinse my mouth with salt water every time after I ate.

Since I had a performance less than 24 hour after the surgery, I felt fine talking and singing for 3 hours straight.
48 hours after surgery, I was hiking 12 miles up Angels Landing at Zion NP.
62 hours after surgery, I was hiking 9 miles up the Grand Canyon.

No complications. It didn't even feel like I had surgery on my tongue. I even had 2 tacos and sucked water out from my CamelBak.

I felt my sunburn more than I felt my tongue.

After the surgery I did some research and I have to give it to my doctor for doing such a great job. I've heard of pain and bleeding and discomfort and swelling for several weeks after surgery. Maybe it was the laser, maybe it was the skills of my doctor, but I was fully recovered in a week. Dr. Atalii from Laser Dental is awesome!

Step 1 of Invisalign process: X-Rays and Molds and more

Since I made my decision to go with Dr. Atalii at Laser Dental in Laguna Hills. I went ahead and signed up for the 0% financing on my Invisalign. 


TMJ Evaluation: There was an evaluation of my jaw since I can pop it like a double jointed thumb. 10 minutes of opening a closing my jaw with a stethoscope and massaging my jaw -- the prognosis, was noTMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) or lock jaw symptoms, just a bad habit of cracking my jaw like I crack my knuckles -- which I have to stop immediately.


Photos:
The first thing before I even decided on Invisalign, my dentist took digital photos of my profile and teeth. After I decided to go ahead with the procedure, he took even more photos of the inside of my mouth, my teeth, my profile, and front shoot smiling and not smiling. A few times a mirror was places inside my mouth to capture various angle of my teeth. 


X-Rays:
The second thing was the X-rays. I was never a fan of getting x-rays since the film always cut the inside of my mouth. Fortunately this dentistry use soft digital x-rays of multiple bite shots. Half hour later, the process was complete and I am looking at my x-rays. I have no cavities and I'm ready for the molds to be taken.


Molds:
I was forewarned that this might not be a pleasant experience. Having had molds taken before for teeth whitening, I was not looking forward to this procedure either. I had to have 4 molds taken in total. OMG!!

1st mold: My appliance mold. This mold is for my upper appliance. (image on right) Since I would not have to have any teeth removed (thank goodness) I have to get a mold for my appliance. After 2 attempts, the mold came out. Yay! One down 3 to go. 


2nd mold: My Invisalign mold. The upper part. The goop came out on the first attempt. Yay! Since my first mold had some problems, my dentist took charge and used a little technique with wax to get the job done with no pain.


3rd mold: My Invisalign mold for the bottom teeth. Again it was a painless 4 minutes. The mold came out great and after a little rinsing, I am ready for the last mold.


4th mold: My bite mold. This mold was taken so my dentist himself can evaluate my bite. He asked me to say the number 66 a few times, then bite down on a toothpick. 4 minutes later, there was a mold of my teeth and bite when I say the number 66.


Overall it was a painless experience. 

DO YOUR RESEARCH !! Premier Provider Elite (Invisalign)

Alright, I was about to give up. But after reading some more online I discovered that you do not want to just go to any Invisalign provider. See I was still hell bent on Invisalign and just hoping and hoping that I am a candidate for Invisalign instead of just braces and jaw surgery.


After researching a bit more on RealSelf.com I discovered that there are various Invisalign providers out there. They are as follow:

	Premier Provider Elite*
	Premier Provider*
	Invisalign Provider

*Premier Provider Elite:has achieved an extraordinary level of Invisalign case experience

*Premier Provider: has achieved an exceptional level of Invisalign case experience

So I went onto Invisalign.com and see if they have any recommendations for me. I should have done that earlier in my process, but you learn. I gave the dentist a call and scheduled an appointment for 8AM. 

Consultation #5 - Laguna Hills

When I got there I was about to leave. They weren't even suppose to open until 9AM and my appointment was at 8AM. I was upset. But as I was about to pull out to leave, the dentist's assistant walked up followed by the dentist himself. 

He was prompt in helping me get started before he even settled in after having returned from Hawaii on a teaching conference. Alright, as I was filling out my legal forms I noticed awards and photos hanging on the walls of the waiting room. Impressive, great marketing I thought to myself. Calms the nerves of a patient and build some trust, right? 

Glorious . . . the first dentist to NOT, yes, NOT ask me what I want. He looked at me and just asked me to smile for him. He wanted the full all teeth smile, then the normal smile. Then he proceeded to tell me what he wants to do. I was really excited. I didn't even get a chance to really say anything to him other than "Hi, nice to meet you". 

Shock #1 - He told me I was tongue tied, my lingual frenulum need clipped. Alright, I've known I was a little tongue tied since I was 5 years old. I was never a fan of the knife or any surgery, and since it never inhibited me from speech or sticking my tongue out to taunt people I let it be. I worked with it. Then I wondered, how did he know this? He had me say Mississippi a few times followed by some other words and confirmed I was tongue tied. HAHAHAHAHA I laughed. Then he asked me to touch my tongue to the roof of my mouth. HAHAHAHAHA I laugh again cause I can't do that, never been able to.

So he told me that if I want to get that Hollywood smile, he wouldn't do it for me unless I get my lingual frenulum clipped, both the upper and lower frenulum. WHY? Well since I can't put my tongue to the roof of my mouth, I was told that when I swallow, I thrust my tongue forward behind my two front teeth to compensate. Thus giving me out jetted buck teeth (7mm). Impressive observation on his part.

Shock #2 - As I was waiting on my photos getting taken, I did some research on this dentist on my iPhone. I learned he is Top 3 in the Nation in his field. 

Shock #3 - When he came back after observing my photos, he said, "I don't believe in extreme surgery to fix bites because it never comes out exactly how you'd expect it to be, plus there are too many complications for something that can be fixed with today's technology". Wow are you bluffing me? Cause three other dentists told me I need jaw surgery to fix my overbite. Then I told him what the other dentist said about jaw surgery.

He told me what he wanted to do and was honest about the price right on the spot. The other dentists didn't even give me a straight forward quote. No beating around the bush and he gave me a discount in areas he can provide me discounts.

I was comfortable with the price, the dentists, and his plan for me. 

I made my decision immediately and began the process.

Another Round of Consultations

Alright, my first 2 consultation experiences scared me just a bit. I was talking to my brother and remembered he had Invisalign 5 years back. Unfortunately his experience was not the greatest either. He was initially on Invisalign and the orthodontist ended up putting him on metal braces for another year, totaling 2 years of braces. BUT....

He did not have to have any teeth removed. After some research, removing teeth for braces is OLD SCHOOL, 80's way of fixing teeth. The current practice is the use of spacers or otherwise known as appliances to widen the arch of your upper maxilla.

Note image of appliance on left. One can be used for the upper and another for the lower.

Alright, since I could not pass up a good deal online when a new orthodontist said they would give a $1500 discount on the first 20 new patient, I jumped and made an appointment for a consultation. While I was at it, i made another appointment to an orthodontist right by that doctor. So here goes.



Consultation #3 - Laguna Niguel
It was all high tech when I walked into that newly decorated dental office. Flat screen tv, tablet pc to fill out my health information, and the front desk help even have my first name.

Then that daunting question is asked. . . what would you like done? Hummm. . . . I learn to hate that question. If you are an artist / doctor in making pretty smiles, I would figure you would know what I would like done, especially since I am coming to you on an orthodontic consult.

After multiple questions and measuring while the assistant check off boxes on that fancy tablet pc, my lips are dry and sour. I was told again my overbite is 7mm and that she would need to remove several teeth, use metal braces, and the process could take her 2 years. What really shocked me was, her saying I'm still young and my teeth will still need to grow in more. BEFORE she realized I was 30 years old. Thus she backtracked her comment. I asked for an estimate on price and she couldn't even give me a ballpark, just that I'll have to pay $200 for x-rays and then she can decide what she needs to do. NO Thank You!!  Next.

Consultation #4 - Laguna Niguel
Alright, I am already tired and frustrated with my search for the doctor who knows what I want. I am almost tempted to just go to a plastic surgeon and have him give me a chin implant to balance out my face and make my overbite look non-existent, then get crowns on my teeth rather than have the buck teeth.

So onto my next appointment. I walk in and I was met with politeness. Once again, the dentist measured and  examined my mouth. Then strangely he said, you're fine, do you really want braces. OK wtf . . . don't you want to make some money off of me? And there are always room for improvement on a smile. I suggested the appliance to widen my smile and braces to straighten my teeth and improve my bite.

I was then told that the appliance will make me have a beak look (which I already have) and give me an jetted profile. Indeed I have an overbite and a slight cross bite, but there is nothing he can do.

What a waste of my time.  Work with me here buddy. I want to have that Hollywood smile. Not for you to tell me I am fine as I am. I know I'm cute, but really buddy. You're a dentist, at least try to sell me for teeth cleaning while I am there like all the others.

Back to square one. I will done one more consult and if it doesn't pan out then I am done. I will give up on trying to get that Hollywood smile that my brother has. :(

The search for an orthodontist

Ofcourse the first step of my journey began when I made the decision to get braces. Now onto the next step -- the search for the right orthodontist.

After having done my research online and reading comments from doctors and patients on various websites, forums, and blogs -- I took a minor step and emailed two orthodontists for a FREE consultation.

Since I live in the OC, there are plastic surgeon and cosmetic dentist galor. I did a quick google search and hoped for the best after reading a few reviews and comments on RealSelf.com

Consultation experience #1-
Laguna Niguel - Kinda nervous going in to talk to an orthodontist about what he can do to give me that wide Hollywood smile.

The office was decent and the personnel were polite and professional. Once seated in the dentist chair, the dentist began to measure and count. 7mm overbite. I was advised to have 4 teeth removed since my mouth was too small. Metal braces, since Invisalign is not possible for me, and jaw surgery.

I heard jaw surgery and thought . . . are you crazy? Really? Seriously? Now why would I want more metal in my mouth and not be able to speak for months. I am an adult with a career in talking to people. I just want straight teeth and lose that out jet from my front 2 teeth.

Immediately turned off to have to pay $100 for X-rays before he can decide what he wants to do and then another few thousand dollars for jaw surgery and another few thousand for braces . . . My decision was immediately, NO THANK YOU! Especially if he didn't have a game plan nor a rough estimate on how much this will cost me in the end.

Consultation experience #2 -
Newport Beach - I felt really welcomed and the location was posh. I met the doctor's assistant and she was not only cute, but knew what she was talking about. She was also very observant on my oral habits, such as thrusting my lower jaw out when I talk, thrusting my tongue to my upper teeth, and bitting  my lower lips.

When I met the dentist, he asked me what I want. Well shoot, I want that Hollywood Smile and not look like a damn beaver. He proceeded to ask if I wanted Veneer or braces. Well educate me, what are my options and what are the cost difference. After half an hour looking at veneer before and after photos and realizing that it would cost more for non-perminante fixes to my smile, I asked about braces.

I was told that I would need to have 2 teeth removed, metal braces, and if I am really serious about this, I would also need jaw surgery to fix my 7mm overbite and prevent TMJ or lock jaw symptoms. This would put me on out of the public eye for 3 years or more.

My other options are to go with Invisalign, have my teeth filed, and pay $5,600 for OK teeth, not being able to fix my buck teeth situation. Potentially losing .9mm of my 1mm enamel in the process.
Or get Veneer for $8,000 for 12 teeth that would last about 10 years as long as I don't chew ice or break it on glass. In the end, I received an email telling me to name my price.

After the 1 hour consultation and 30 minutes of consideration, I decided this was not the right fit. The dentist seemed more a Veneer and teeth whitening dentist than an orthodontist.

Time to rethink this whole process. Do I dislike my smile that much? Do I really need to get braces or go through all this surgery just to get my buck teeth and smile to look good?

Back to the internet for more chatting with others and searching.

Finally decided to get Invisalign

My issue with my front two teeth has been an issue since I was a child. Since I lost my front baby teeth and the adult teeth was growing in, I remember always looking in the mirror wishing and hoping it would stop growing. Then by high school, my teeth seem to fill in and not look so big and buck. I kinda liked my smile.

It seems that whenever I planned on getting braces, my career in the military always prevented me from doing so. Well, I am finally out of the military and running my own company. Now at the wonderful age of 30, I have time to live my own life, fulfill my life long fantasies, I can fulfill my old desires.

So here goes my search for the right dentist. And to find out if Invisalign is right for me.