Getting teeth pulled sucks

Well, I decided to give it a few days before I posted my thoughts on getting my 4 premolars pulled.

SUCKS!

Of course, I've been through this before. And even worse. When I had my wisdom teeth pulled 2 or 3 years ago, it put me out of commission for a good 5 days. Mainly because I was bleeding a ton due to my teeth having to be cut out on the bottom. That was definitely 10 time as bad as this extraction.

The total procedure took about 45 minutes. Since I was using local anesthetic, I was shot up a ton, as request by me. The first tooth came out with a little difficulty: a piece of root was stuck and the dentist decided to leave it in for fear of it entering into my sinus cavity if they tried to dig it out. The next 2 came out easier, with one coming out with so much force that the dentist's forceps smacked the top row of my other teeth. That kinda sucked.

But the last one. Man.

That took a good 15 minutes of wiggling and pulling to get. It must have been stuck on the root or something of the other teeth. It was a weird feeling, as I couldn't really feel anything except for the pressure in my jaw pushing and pulling. A little bit of cracking, too, but nothing bad. Finally it came out, and I was loaded up with some ice packs and gauze and sent home.

Overall, not as bad as I thought, but I'm glad that it will be (hopefully) the last teeth I ever need to have pulled.

I totally forgot all of the common things that happen whenever you get teeth pulled. Like the extreme discomfort from the needle points where you got shot up with novacaine, and the fact that you'll be eating nothing but soft food for a good few days. I tend to use the pelican approach. Awkward and potentially hazardous, but it gets the job done.

And then there's the bleeding. I didn't really stop bleeding from my one socket until late last night. Not cool. Also, I am under constant fear of dry socket; apparently it is pretty painful. So I am taking the next few days to lay low and not do anything strenuous.

At least I get to eat all the ice cream that I want :) Not to mention some goooood meds.

Teeth getting pulled today

I'm back! Sorry I've been gone ( according to my "Monetize" section of blogger, not much of you have missed me :P ), but I've been having my life mostly taken up by the Olympics and laziness. I went up to THON this past week, where I met up with some good friends and partied semi-hardily. The only time I actually got to THON was from 2-3:30 AM on Friday night. Pretty cool, but def. not as fun as the last day. They raised 7.8 Million dollars this year, which is very impressive. Congrats everybody who made it happen!

In other, less exciting news, I am getting my four teeth pulled today at the dentist for my teeth. Next week I get my wires in.

I am feeling a little anxious about today. Not so much about what I'll look like afterwards ( that might take a little while for that shock to set in ), but moreso about the actual procedure. I am only getting local anesthetic, and I heard from my mom and others that the sound is not the most fun. But I'll hardly feel it, hopefully.

So, wish me luck, and hope that everything goes well! And to my 4 teeth that are soon leaving my body, good bye, I'll miss you!

My Tongue is Sore, and the Olympics ROCK

Day 2 of my braces, and man, are my top bands really rocking my world. In a bad way. I had sushi today and some salad, and the entire time the constant rubbing was really getting to me. By the end of the meal I didn't even talk, I just tried to keep my tongue nowhere CLOSE to the roof of my mouth. I know you get used to it after a while, but I cannot WAIT until I am.

I'm thinking about using the wax that the ortho gave me; apparently it helps in removing irritation. I am trying to tough through it, tho, and maybe my tongue will scar up something nice and all will be good! Regardless, I think it will make me not eat as much, so maybe I'll lose those 10 pounds I wanted!

Pictures will come as soon as I feel like posting them.

In other word, I'm watching the Olympics. I love the Olympics, and will dedicate my next 2 weeks to nothing but the Olympics (with a little work mixed inbetween). I think I am a fan of the Winter moreso than the Summer Olympics, just 'cause there are more cool things. I mean, curling?! And I love myself the speed and figure skating. My favorite has to be the skiing events, tho. Just seeing them fly down the mountain at crazy speeds is amazing.

Also, enjoying this opening ceremony. Not as explosive as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but still good. I was sad to hear about the Georgian Luger who passed away from a terrible accident on the track today, so hopefully that doesn't cast a dark shadow over these games.

It's done

Took about 2 hours. Was kind of weird. First, they used some gritty toothpaste on me, then they put some blue stuff to make the brackets stick to me. Then they did the top and the bottom, leaving the teeth that they are gonna extract untouched. Feels weird, but nothing too out of the ordinary.

I also haven't really smiled yet, lol, or approached anybody yet. I guess it's my self-consciousness kickin' in a lil.

And how did I celebrate? I got a small salad from Weis. I'm sure my mouth is just plastered with green at the moment.

At the Orthodontist

Well, I'm here. Sitting in the lobby with my laptop, attempting to do some last-minute work before my hour and change procedure. Feeling a little anxious, but not entirely. Just had a little hitch in my step as I walked into the building.

I stared long and hard at myself for a few minutes in the mirror, and I know that I'm doing the right thing. It's just going to be a rough first couple of months. I told my coworkers, and they are supportive, and I'll probably even get back into the office, since I believe I'm just getting the brackets still, today.

2 years! Long time! Hopefully it will go quicker than it sounds...

Tomorrow's the Day

The day that I'll be getting braces. I'm a little anxious, but not too bad. Also, it's snowing reallll bad here, so I don't even know if the place will be open tomorrow. Then what? Oie.

I got to work from home today, which isn't bad except it's still work. I slept in a little but then problems started to arise from some stuff, and it basically put me in a bad mood all day.

Hmph.

Can't wait until tonight, as I am going to spend it lounging around and trying not to worry about stuff. I believe tomorrow I am just getting my brackets. They will then pull my teeth in a week or so, and we'll go from there. I'm guessing I will probably want to be knocked out for them, because I heard the sound of teeth being pulled is not pleasant.

Other uses for this.... Monster

Hi, that's me! What a handsome devil, huh? Bonus points to anybody who can decifer my shirt.

I just wanted to make a quick (Ed. not so quick) note, this will not only be a site for braces. Oh, no, no, no! I will fill in the gaps (heh, heh) with my daily insight about life, things I enjoy, and whatnot. Gotta keep the masses entertained, amiright?

A little more about ME! I am a technophile. I love computers, technology, big screen plasma tvs (better black levels!), my Playstation 3, and designing stuff. I love photoshop work, too.

See this?

All me, baby. Won a photoshop contest on Gizmodo.com with that badboy. Of course, I am a perfectionist, and now that I look at that, I can't help but critique it a LILLLL more. Oh well, next time!

I also try to play the guitar fairly regularly, but I just moved into a new apartment, and that hasn't happened as of late. I LOVE sports, and try to play them often. I am a fan of all Philly teams. Mostly baseball, though.

I am a fan of photography. My Nikon d80 usually follows me wherever I go, and hopefully it will provide useful for the status updates in regards to my teeth.

I am also using this time to have a lifestyle change. A few years ago I had a mini-life crisis. I had ballooned up to 195 pounds after college, being lethargic, and basically drinking on a nightly basis. I committed to a gym and a more healthy diet regimen, and, thankfully, it has caused me to lose almost 30 pounds. I hit the gym regularly, but am going to spend the next few months trying out P90x by BeachBody. Good stuff. My arms feel like jello, but that's a good thing!

.... Right?

It Starts

Hi. My name is Greg Reese. I am a 25 year old Web Designer / Applications Developer from the Lehigh Valley. About an hour north of Philly, if you don't know where that is.

About 3 months ago, I came up with the great idea of finally taking the plunge and getting braces. I have been debating this for almost 4 years now, but I was either too poor or too scared to do it. But now I hold a better job, more support, and basically no reason not to.

A lot of my friends/family say that I don't really need braces, actually. So why am I getting them? Well, I'd love to say it's really because my teeth are misaligned and my grinding is going to ultimately seal my fate into a late-life servitude to dentures. Actually, I'll be the first to admit that it's purely cosmetic. I want to feel better about myself, and be able to look in the mirror and say "That's me!"

Which I do now, just not with so much excitement.

So, what is the purpose of this blog? The sole purpose is to really provide a daily (if you're lucky) perspective of my journey through the orthodontic world. There will be some laughs, some tears, some shrieks, and some heartfelt thoughts of what I am going through. Also, I want to provide some insight to people who are like me: those who are unsure about their smile, or just think it could make them feel more confident and - ahem - downright dashing. Also, just to remember that no matter how old, there is somebody who is always going through the same thing you are.

I mean, cmon, statistically speaking... 7 billion people.