Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas...

Merry Christmas all my fellow ortho-bloggers!!!!!! :) I am so excited! My family and I have been in the kitchen most of the day just working. Rum balls, cookies, sausage balls, etc... mmmmmm. I sure love this season, but everyone needs to be careful not to get caught up in the season, but instead in the REASON! Do not just take Christmas as a lame excuse to over use your credit card and checkbook, but instead to take joy in all that God has given you. Like his one and only son. :)
Now on a light-hearted note I have had a little inspiration from another blogger, Claudia, to take some pics of my cute little pooch! His name is Tucker and well let's just say he hates his Santa hat. It was hard to capture this cuteness. haha.


He is a Yorkie, but he does NOT like clothes of any sort! My Mom and I tried to put a sweater on him and nope... mission FAIL. Haha. I love him though and I hope this pic will bring a little Christmas cheer. Merry Christmas!!!!!!!! :)

Love and Support Always, Makay

Alleluia...

I got home from school and my mom suprised me with an insurance letter.... I HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED and COVERED for my surgery!!!!!!! No fight, no long angry phone calls, nothing! Yay. My O.S. said with my insurance it would probably take a long fight and persuasion to prove that it was not just cosmetic, but indeed medical. I am so happy. I will not have to postpone my surgery date or anything. Wow, what a weight lifted off of me (and my parents who would of had to pay.). I also realize there has been an absence of pictures on my blog recently, so here is a pic of my ever-moving teeth. I can see a huuuuuuuge improvement of my top teeth and their widening, and the shifting of my midlines. I am just so glad that all is going well. I hope you have a fabulous Christmas! :)

Love and Support Always, Makay

It is Christmas Time...

Hello all my fellow bloggers! Christmas time is my favorite time of the year. It is all about family and friends, beautiful decorations, giving, delicious food, and most of all the birth of the Messiah, my living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That is why I have decided to give my blog a little holiday cheer. :) Just to get us all in the holiday spirit. Tell me what you think. Nevertheless I absolutley LOVE my original blog background, and as soon as Christmas has past I will go back to it, but for now I am going to enjoy the season with this little blog "decorating". I hope you all like it. :)

Love and Support Always, Makay

Happy Thanksgiving to All you Fellow Brace-Faces...

I love Thanksgiving. It is a great holiday that allows you to thank God for all the blessings in your life, and you can stuff your face with once-a-year goodies. Such as turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoe souflee, and tons more! It is fabulous! This year however I have to think before I eat. No chewy, no hard, etc... etc... the on-going encumberance of braces. But I have made a pledge to enjoy family time and eating even if I have to skip out on those butterscotch bars... haha. Just make sure to clean your braces discreatly, instead of sticking your finger in your mouth and retrieving any leftovers (which is uber gross). Also make sure to look in the mirror after dinner to check for any collard greens that may be lodged in your braces. Be thankful for your braces. They are getting us all a step closer to that perfect smile. ;) I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! :)

Love and Support Always, Makay

First Tightening...

I had my very first Ortho appointment since I have gotten my braces on! It was not too bad... at first. She just came up and upgraded my wire, put brackets on the rest of my teeth, and tightened them. I felt like my molars were going to fall out of my head!!! They were so sore the next three days, but they are feeling much better today. Thank goodness!!! I was ready to pull them out of my head! BUT I got good news! My teeth are moving pretty well and they said I can skip the next wire size! :) YAY! I also asked about my narrow top jaw, and if I would need an expander. My Ortho said that my top jaw is indeed slightly narrower, however it is for the most part an illusion because my bottom jaw is out so far. She said I would not need an expander, and that I have a special wire that is widening my pallate. I was pretty glad that I wasn't going to need any more metal in my mouth! I also have noticed a slight difference in the narrowness of my top jaw. It is actually a tad wider! I am seeing such an improvement in my crowding on the bottom as well. Overall I must say I am pleased at how well this is all going so far. I pray it stays that way. :)
Love and Support Always, Makay

Torture soon to come and Zip-and-Squeeze Products...

I am going to the Ortho on November 3rd and am going to graduate to the "Big" wire and possibly some power chains. I am not really looking forward to the experience of getting my braces tightened for the first time. Others have told me that the second time is the worst. Is this true? I sure hope not... Also everyone has been complaining about zip-and-squeeze and how they are trying to scam us of our well earned dollars... so I officially declare to STOP ORDERING ZIP-AND-SQUEEZE products!!!! They have shut down! Stop ordering! I have been warned not to fall into their trap by fellow ortho-bloggers and I am telling everyone who was thinking about or going to order, DON'T! The only way I know you can get your money back is by filing a PayPal claim. However, I have done a little research and you can buy jaw ice and heat wraps at...

http://www.coolrelief.net/ij.html#

And I am working to find a site where you can order syringes and zip-and-squeeze feeding bags... I haven't found one yet, but when I do I will post it immediately. :) If anyone else knows of site where you can purchase these supplies please let me know. :) Thanks, and I hope this helps.

Love and Support Always, Makay

I'm Narrow on the Top...

Hey everyone, I found this pic (before braces) and it shows my narrow top jaw and wide bottom jaw quite well. I know I have already posted this pic at the beginning of my blog, but I wanted to point this out. My O.S. never said anything about an expander, but he did say that I need bone grafts on the top jaw. What is a bone graft exactly? I don't really know to be honest. Maybe it has something to do with my narrow top jaw? hmm...

Lots of Love and Support, Makay

Check out my Midlines...

Hey! I am posting this super close-up pic because I wanted to point out my off center midlines. You usually can not see it very well because I hide my bottom teeth when smiling. I have a crossbite, and it goes out to the right. The arrow in the picture shows where the center is on the top jaw and where it is on the bottom. I can't wait to get the fixed, along with my open and under bite. Also... I think my top jaw is narrow and my bottom is pretty wide. You can see in the pic how my top teeth only touch the edge of the bottom teeth... Does anyone else feel the same? I mean can they even fix that, or will it be fixed during the surgery? I really would like to know... Thanks. :)

Lots of Love and Support, Makay

The Best Toothbrush in the World...

Seriously the Sonicare toothbrush by Phillips is the best toothbrush for us brace-faces! It's curved bristles fit perfectly under the wires and it leaves my breath feeling super clean! It even has 3 modes... clean, massage, and sensitive (sensitive will probably come in handy after my surgery). It is quite an expensive product, but it is worth it... just think about it... you have to buy new toothbrushes at least every 6 months, but with the Sonicare toothbrush you can keep it FOREVER!!! :) You can usually buy one from your dentist or orthodonist, but you can also order them online by going to the link below. I love mine... it even has a little compartment for you to put your toothbrush head in, and then shoot UV rays at it to kill all the bacteria! How cool is that?! :) You will love it! I promise, and it cuts your cleanting routine time in HALF! Now that is a reason to buy one right now!!! :)

http://store.philips.com/store/rpeusb2c/pd/productID.156572700/pgm.43834400

This pic shows the "curved bristles" which are perfect for going around and under wires and brackets!!! :)

And this pic shows the 3 modes...

And this is the little UV compartment that I was talking about... you just take the "head" of the toothbrush off (by twisting) and stick it in the little space, and the cylinder thing shoots UV rays at the bristles, which kills 99% of bacteria and viruses... :) Cool.

Really!!! It is awesome! I do not usually rant and rave about products, but this one is a must! You will love it! The best wishes to you and your fresh breath! haha. :)

Lots of Love, Makay

I have a Date...

Big news everyone! I have an official date for my surgery!!! July 8th, 2010. This is the day that it will all go down. :) We reserved a spot... early in the morning of course, and I am very glad because I get to have my surgery done at the Children's Hospital! YAY! I figured this would probably be a "happier" (for lack of a better word) enviroment after the surgery. When I was at the O.S. office his room was "decorated" with a lovely arrangement of deformed skulls... joyful right? That's when I decided I would rather recover in a room full of cute little animals and colorful murals. Haha. :) I guess that is the advantage of being under 18 and going through with this surgery... You get monkeys and giraffes on the walls. Haha... Anyways... now I can start counting down the days... exactly 9 months to go. :)

Love and Support Always, Makay :)

9 Months Away... And Already Nervous...

Once a week I will call my friend just to talk to her (we live far away from each other now), and somehow we will get on the topic of my surgery. I gurantee it. It consumes my every free moment. If I have time I will think about my surgery. I will look in the mirror and then I will start daydreaming about my new appearance. I want this done. I really do, but I am already nervous. I fear everything... What if I get throw up? What if I lose too much blood? What if I hate how I look? What if I can never feel my lip/jaw again? What if I lose too much weight? What if I don't heal quick enough? SERIOUSLY! I have to just shut my brain down in order to get off this topic. Does this happen to any of you? I will start talking about my surgery and my Dad will be like, "It is a year away Makay! We will worry about it then." Then I will shoot back with, "No Dad. It is 9 months away... and if we wait till then we won't have anything ready!", but I guess he is right. I do need to get off the subject. I guess I just want to feel prepared and protected. I know God will take care of me and I need to just relax. Yes, we all need to prepare, but not worry ourselves sick about it. We need to take one step at a time, not everything at once. Notice this blog is called "Makay's Jaw Journey " not... "Makay's Jaw Step" this is a LONNNNG and tedious process. Surgery anxiety is normal... So this is a note to everyone out there worrying about this... just CHILL OUT! :)

Support and Love Always,

Makay :)

Helpful Information...

I found some really helpful sites that are packed full of information. I am preparing myself for the worse and am reading everything I can get my hands on, and I thought you all might feel the same way.

I have heard rants and raves about zip-and-squeeze feeding bags, and am ordering some pronto. :)
http://www.zip-n-squeeze.com/recovery.html

You are letting some one operate on your face, for your sake, and for the best results make sure your O.S. is a member.:

http://www.aaoms.org/

This is a pretty good video for people that haven't researched yet. If you have already visited an O.S. you will already have heard most of this, but it has a lot of great info.:

http://products.pbhs.com/human_touch/orthognathics/index.html

Once again this is an informative video if you haven't had a O.S. appointment yet.:

http://www.5min.com/Video/Jaw-Surgery-38770664

This forum is awesome! I started to read this a few months before my first O.S. appointment and found if very helpful. Great information and experiences. It is almost like a condensed blog.:

http://www.dentistry.com/ubb/Forum10/HTML/000221.html

And if I discover any more helpful or intresting sites I will post them. Please leave comments if you know of any other sites as well. Also take a look at the blogs I follow... They are all really informative and packed full of before and after pics.

Love Always, Makay :)

Really???

That was my reaction when people at my school began to say that I looked like pop sensation Colbie Caillat. One girl said, "Oh my gosh, Makay... I just relized exactly who you look like! Colbie Caillat!" I just looked at her and was like, seriously??? People have told me before that I look like Jennifer Aniston. What do you all think? I hope that after the surgery my jaw will look like Colbie's or Jennifer's!!! I think people see the oval face... which is similar. They are both so pretty. I take it as a compliment, but REALLY? Personally, I think I look like Makay, haha. This is for fun (help lighten up the mood of this blog a bit), so just vote... Jennifer Aniston or Colbie Caillat???













OR












Here is a picture for comparison. I think you needed more pictures than a few of my teeth. :)


Lots of Love, Makay :)

Yes I have had this my whole life...

When my OS asked me if I have had underbite issues my whole life, I wasn't sure... the first time I can remember noticing it was around the 3rd grade... HOWEVER my mother said "Yes." I did not remember, so when we got home I took a fieldtrip down memory lane and relized she was right (As usual, haha.). Almost all my pictures showed my underbite. Of course it wasn't to the extent it is now, but it was obvious now that we know... I thought I would share a few...

Just look at that underbite ... and you can see the crossbite in some. (These are from when I was 2-3)

Here is about (2, 3, 4 years old). If you look you can see "it".

You can really see the older I get the more it grows... These pics are 6-8 years old...

As you can see my underbite, crossbite, and openbite has been present my whole life. However I did not grow into my jaw... the jaw just kept growing with me I suppose. I just can't wait till the surgery!!!!!!!!!! :D

Lots of Love (and Excitement), Makay :)

Can't Wait Till the Day!!!

I can't wait for the day that I can smile without thinking... The day I can smile a HUGE smile (like Demi Lovato). I am dreaming of the day...


...By the way have any of you noticed that none of the teen stars have braces?! What's up with that??? Curse their perfect smiles... haha.

Braces Stink!!!

Seriously! I have joined the "I hate braces club" the day I couldn't bite into my piece of bread! My teeth are soooooo sore... And due to my crossbite I keep biting my right cheek. Resulting in evil ulcers.

This really shows my bite really well... I can't wait to get it fixed!!! :)

This shows how my far my jaw juts forward... The braces certainly don't help hide the fact. Also when I first got the braces put on the wire was not straight, but here it is the 3rd day and the wires are almost perfectly straight. I guess it is working. :)


No... I do not smile like this. I just wanted to show you my braces and the underbite... :)

So far I hate these suckers... :( They hurt no matter what people tell you. They are like bricks on your teeth. However if you are about to get braces you should invest in a Sonicare toothbrush by Phillips. Most dentist offices sell them. They are quite expensive, but well worth it. The curves in the tooth brush fit right over the brackets and the points of the bristles fit well under the wires. Not to mention the vibrations get your teeth squeeky clean! :) Braces really are no fun, but they are important to the process, so I won't complain.

Lots of Love, Makay :]

Before the Encumbrance of Braces...

Wednesday night I was hit with reality... I was getting braces the next day. Knowing this I went on a food rampage eating all the "forbidden" foods. Including popcorn, gum, tootsie rolls, nuts, and pizza crust. I decided to take some "Before" pictures, so you could see my complete metamorphosis (Sorry about the scientific words... I guess these braces are bringing out my inner "geek" haha)


This shows my crossbite and how my mid-lines are off center...


This picture shows the extent of my underbite and it also shows my open bite... I can't wait to finally be able to eat pizza with out all the toppings falling off.

This one really shows how awful the openbite is...


And the dreaded profile picture... dun... dun... DUNNNNN!!!! I am really excited about the change of my profile after sugery! I hate it!

I'll be getting back with you all to share some pics of my braces...

Lots of Love, Makay :)

Time to Get Started!

Welcome to my orthodontic blog! I am jittery with excitement and anticipation for my jaw(s) surgery! I had a Orthodontic Surgeon (after this to be referred to as OS for short) appointment last Thursday... he took some pictures, gave me a ton of paper work, a packet telling about the post-op recovery, and some major news. Most of my life I figured that I would only need my bottom jaw fixed, yet Thursday I found out that I will have to get top and bottom jaw surgery. The OS said I have an open bite as well, and a cross bite! So now my surgery gained an hour in operation time, and an extra night in the hospital. I also found out that I have my bottom 2 wisdom teeth, and my top ones soon to arrive... Therefore during the surgery my OS will just go ahead and rip them out... might as well I suppose. :( After that appointment my OS sent me downstairs to a speech specialist. According to the specialist I have a lisp, but he said I was well "adapted". I also received the best present ever yesterday... braces. Uhhh... gross! (I will soon post some pictures and in-depth info on the never ending burden of braces ;D ) BUT if they will get me one step closer... I will try not to complain. :)
Lots of Love, Makay :]