pIcTureS!!

bracket replace by molar band

my upper back tooth bracket came off while i was brushing...
well, it is not a god experience as the wire keep on piercing my cheek...
then i have to go back to my orthodontist to fix this...

so, what's the outcome?
my tooth surface is not 'fit' enough now for the bracket to stick on it...
so i have a molar band instead...
if compare with bracket, molar band will make you feel slightly uncomfortable as it is a metal band that coil around your tooth..
but the advantage is it sort of a barrier to the tooth surface and protect it from direct contact to the food and it helps to in remineralizing of the tooth...

little bit about my speech + the cost...

I have been lazy recently..
I just had my 3rd visit to the orthodontic clinic but I haven't take any picture of myself yet, because my camera is not functioning..

And ya, I will look worst before surgery as the treatment now is to pull my lower teeth out.
It is just a transition stage..
But I have difficulty in speech, especially English. So please don't mind if my pronunciation is not correct or you can't get what am i talking about.

And many people will ask me about the cost...
For orthodontic treatment, it depends on the area.. in KL the cost will be higher compare to Penang..
Roughly it will be around 5k to 7k, for orthonagthic surgery case, because the treatment duration will be longer, as the patient has to undergo 2 phases of orthodontic treatment, which is before and after the surgery.
For surgery, also depend on whether you choose govern or private hospital. What i heard is they do it for around 10k in UM hospital.. In Penang, the surgeon I have consulted is working in private hospital, so the cost he estimated is around 20k to 25k for one jaw.

EAT it in my WAy

Lots of food I have to either eat like a lady or eat like the ancient people (using my hand to tear the food)

Apple... slice or juice ( lazy people like me just quit eating apple after putting on braces)

Corn... cup corn would be nice

Biscuit... one of my food... but not chunking my teeth on it... have to put it into small pieces like what the mother do for their baby...

Ice cream... yup... without cone... ( have to eat behind of people if it is with cone, you can imagine how it looks like to tear the cone with your fingers with the ice cream melting out..)

Nuts.... I eat nuts (secretly.... shhhh don't tell anyone) nuts are quite forbidden food for people who having braces... but eating nuts is like running up a hill while you are having leg muscle ache..

But actually I am consider quite lucky as I can still eat. Most of the people I know can't eat especially after the orthodontic appointment every month.

What to do before starting orthodontic treatment

just a brief suggestions about what you can do before starting a orthodontic treatment..


1. find an accredit orthodontist..
well there are private and public orthodontists.. but if you want to go to public hospital, you have to place your name and wait for about 2 to 3 years before they call you up..
for private orthodontist near your area, you can try this websitehttp://www.mao.org.my/index.htm


2. make an appointment
list down your questions and ask the orthodontist during the appointment like
  price, payment ( on what basis, eg monthly or one-time full payment),
 how long is the treatment
 treatment plan ( eg how many teeth to be extracted, wisdom tooth need to be extracted or not),
 types  of braces the orthodontist provide
charges for other dental treatment (eg scalling, filling, extraction)
what are the problems you will face after putting on braces
any charges for x-ray and impression


3. seek second opinion
well it is always good to see another opinion and make a comparison
you can see your family dentist or another orthodontist


4. make up your mind
try to discuss with your friends and family
you can look up on the web also to find someone who having the same problem as you and check out their experience with orthodontic treatment, how they manage their difficulties when they put on braces.

5. do any dental treatment before starting the braces
some orthodontic clinic provide normal dental treatment also such as scalling, extraction and filling
if not, you have to go to another dentist to do those
fill up any defected tooth, extract any impacted tooth (escp third molars)


 if you are really not confident about your smile but still worry about orthodontic treatment, what I can tell you is most people are really satisfied after they receive the treatment. It worth all the pain and problems they face throughout the treatment. 

The surgery plan

My surgery is actually a preliminary plan.Either a jaw (mandible) or both, depends on my under bite measurement after the orthodontic treatment.
So for now, it is just one jaw surgery.
It is call as bilateral split sagittal osteotomy.
The mandible is split bilaterally, which enable the body of the mandible to move inward (for protrude mandible) or move outward ( for short mandible). Then the excess bone is remove. After that is the fixation of the bone, in my case, my surgeon told me that he will put in screws. but i search online and found out some surgeons use metal plates also.

PICTures!!!!

Self Ligating Braces

I only visit my orthodontist once in 2 months. Why?

Thanks to self ligating braces.

Self ligating braces / brackets is a newly invented brackets that available in market now.

Ok, so what's the difference?

Self ligating braces are braces without ligature. In conventional type, before putting on the brackets and wire, the orthodontist will put in molar bands to hold the wire in place. Some also need to put in separator to create space. But with self ligating braces, those procedures are not going to take place.

The self ligating brackets have a sort of trap door that hold the wire in place. Studies also show it create less friction with the wire.

My personal view:

1. I only feel some sort of pain on the first time the brackets are fixed.

2. The second treatment I was expecting the pain, but I only feel little bit of tightness and pressure. Means I can EAT!!

3. Though the brackets are not that aesthetic as conventional type, with only the front teeth brackets have colour, but I don't think it make a difference. Some of my friends with conventional type of brackets prefer to choose lighter color so only the metal brackets are visible. (almost same as the self-ligating brackets)

4. the manufactures claim that it is a SPEED brackets, but I think I only can say this point stands after my treatment end

5. AND yup, less visit to orthodontist.....

Orthodontic treatment plan

Before orthodontic treatment, i was having an open bite, but not that severe. Maybe you will ask isn't that I should have my lower teeth overlapping my upper teeth since my lower jaw is so protrude??

Yup, this is what nature play a role. Because my upper jaw doesn't grow together with my lower jaw, so as my upper and lower teeth are so in love and they want to meet each other, the lower teeth took the steps to move inward, and the upper teeth took the steps to move outward. Finally, they met, but not in that perfect situation.

Ok this is a picture of the types of occlusion from lateral view. The normal occlusion is show in A.

My orthodontic treatment is to make my occlusion like picture D, so that after surgery, my jaw is push back, then i can obtain a occlusion like A. Or what the surgeon said, worst come to worst, edge-to edge bite. Well there are possibilities that the surgery is not 100% successful.

Background 2

My orthodontist is Dr. Chay Siew Han, her clinic is situated in Jalan Burma, Penang. My first appointment with her is just for consultation and she also recommended a oral maxillofacial surgeon to me. We set up another appointment together with the surgeon on another date. Second visit to her clinic was to take my impression, opg (i.e. full mouth x-ray) and lateral cephalic view x-ray.

Third visit is about my treatment plan, with the surgeon together.

So my orthodontic treatment plan is to de-compensate my occlusion ie to make my lower teeth come out, overlapping the upper teeth, so that after the surgery i will obtain a normal occlusion.

My surgery plan is originally involving 2 jaws, but after some consideration, the surgeon decide to do only the lower jaw surgery. Well the surgery is called as a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO). Well this surgery is approximately about 2 to 3 hours, after surgery you need to be hospitalized for one to two days, depends on your condition, some require a week or more.

Background 1

I was searching about info for jaw surgery as I am going to get one done. But I found out that there are less Malaysia patients that share the info or their experience compare to other countries' patients. So I decided to share tid-bits of my experience.

I has inherited a class III malocclusion from my father.I went to orthodontic consultation when I was 14 years old. The orthodontic said that I need a jaw surgery but the surgery can only be done after my bone is fully grown *after 18years old. So nothing was done by that time. He also told me about the cost of the surgery which made me decided not to start the treatment after I reach 18. (I truly regret of not starting the treatment earlier)

But years after, I started to bite my cheek and tongue unintentionally or during eating or under stress ( YUP I bite my cheek or tongue more often during exam time). So I have no choice but to seek the advice of the experts.