Cleaning your Braces

CLEANING

Having this hefty metal work surrounding your teeth means brushing and keeping your mouth healthy and hygienic. First of all, do not try to chew gum, as this will inevitability get stuck on the brackets and be a complete nightmare to remove. For instant freshness, on the go, stick to mints and lemon sweets (in small doses due to the high level of sugar). One of my top tips for improving breath is to ensure you always brush your tongue daily. This alleviates a lot of the bacteria that causes bad breath.  When you have braces you will have to brush your teeth more frequently and ideally you should be brushing after every meal to remove plaque and build-up of food matter.

So on with the cleaning. See below the list of products I used and found helpful during my time with braces.

Toothpaste – Ideally something extra minty and strong. I used Aquafresh Toothpaste Iso-Active Whitening gel. I like the way the toothpaste foamed up and made me feel like my whole mouth was fresh in between the teeth and brace work.

Brace brushes – Small pipe cleaner style brushes found in most supermarkets and pharmacies. Boots sell a set that has different size bristles. These can be very useful when you need to remove stains from behind the wires or around the brackets.

Denture brushes – The smaller style denture brushes. I found these useful to scrub around the brackets.

Manual toothbrush – I found this useful to have in a toothbrush holder and carry in my bag for emergency cleaning. Mostly I used my manual brush during the day when I was at work after lunch to clean my teeth and to freshen up.

Electric toothbrush – I had an Oral-B Vitality White & Clean rechargeable toothbrush which cost me around £20. I preferred the smaller headed electric toothbrushes as it made it easier to brush around my mouth with the limited space. It was also good for getting into the smaller places, odd angles and behind the teeth.

Floss / water pik – Flossing it very important for everyone. So it is of the up most importance for someone who can not completely brush their teeth due to metal work. Your dentist will most likely tell you to floss but from my experience this was nearly impossible. I invested in a water pik in my final year of brace work and found this was quite beneficial. I have the WaterPik Ultra Cordless Water Jet WP450.  I purchased mine from boots and it cost around £50. Please be aware that these waterpik’s are quite strong so if you have sensitive gums or teeth this may not be the best option for you.

Mouth wash – When I had my brace work I was really conscious of bad breath, so would always opt for the strong and minty mouthwashes like Listerine. However post braces I have tended to use more sensitive mouthwashes such as; Sensodyne gentle mouth rinse. The most important point to remember here is, do not use Corsodyl as your main mouthwash as this will severely stain your teeth. When I had ulcers and sores I would use Corsodyl before bed but rinse briefly (10-15 seconds) and afterwards brush over my teeth with a manual toothbrush to avoid the stains.

Stain remover – Once a week I would use Eucryl a powder stain remover. I would brush my teeth as usual but after I would brush again using a manual brush and some stain remover. I found this kept my teeth looking white and feeling extra clean. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and find the information useful whilst undertaking orthodontic treatment. If you would like any more information on braces, jaw surgery, orthognathic surgery or facial pain do not hesitate to drop me a message on my Facebook page: Steffie’s Stuff or alternatively you add me on twitter: www.twitter.com/jawandface I look forward to hearing from you.

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Looking forward to connecting with you soon!

Lots of love always,

Steffie

x.x.x

Sleep after Surgery

How to sleep after jaw surgery?

Sleeping after jaw surgery can be both difficult and uncomfortable. As sleeping on your side is not an option after jaw surgery you will have to find ways to adapt to sleeping on your back and in an elevated position. In my experience I always sleep on my side so this was a rather difficult task. I found that sleeping upright with several pillows behind me helped me to relieve some of the pressure on my face. Being upright also helps to reduce the amount of swelling you will get. During my recovery I invested in a v shaped pillow and a neck pillow to support my neck. Or alternatively, to relieve the strain, you could use a small rolled up towel behind your neck.

To support my lower back and legs in this position I used a cushion under my knees and a small rolled up towel or small pillow under my lower back. As sleeping in this position can sometimes cause back pain, I used a hot water bottle under my lower back instead of the pillow or towel. Most recently, my friend bought me an electric heat pad which is really useful for when my back or my shoulders hurt.

During my recovery I also found that I became very congested, so I used Karvol or Orbis oil on my pillow to help me breathe. I know others who have invested in humidifiers and you can use both hot and cold options depending on your preference.

Finally, I used heat packs and ice packs to reduce my swelling and pain in the face. I advise that you have a small bedside lamp and take a drink and your pain relief with you when you do go for a nap. I found it extremely difficult to get comfortable. So when I did, I did not want to have to get up for drinks or medication.

• 4-5 pillows
• Small rolled up towels
• V shaped pillow
• Neck pillow
• Hot water bottle
• Electric heat pad
• Hot and cold packs
• Microwave wheat pack
• Karvol or Orbis or Vicks
• Humidifier

Available now

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR SURVIVAL PACK NOW

To find out more click on the link below:

http://www.jawandface.co.uk/jaw-surgery-survival-pack/

If you would like to be kept informed about the latest work I am undertaking and want to receive more content from the Jaw & Face charity project, you can subscribe for FREE on the link below. 

http://eepurl.com/uLbqP

You can now continue the chat and speak with other patients on my new closed Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/jawandface/

Looking forward to connecting with you soon!

Lots of love always,

Steffie

x.x.x

Sinus Infections after Surgery

Sinus Infections and Orthognathic / Maxillofacial / Jaw Surgery

As previously discussed in my recovery notes, I started to suffer from sinus infections from 5 months post orthognathic surgery. However, I had symptoms from 3 months post-surgery. When I first expressed to my surgical team I was having pain in my face and I still had visible swelling, they gave me an x-ray to makes sure the jaws were not infected. The x-ray came back clear and it was advised that I continue with the anti-inflammatories and rest.  Due to the jaw pain and swelling left behind from the surgery it took a while before my sinus infections were treated with antibiotics. I had never experienced a sinus infection before surgery and I had hoped that this would be a one off. Unfortunately, after I finished my first batch of antibiotics in January 2012 I continued to get sinus infections every few weeks.

So what is a sinus infection?

Most often, sinus infections develop after a cold. Sinus infections are the result of inflammation or swelling of your sinuses. When your sinuses become filled with fluid or clogged, bacteria can grow causing an infection.

Other than colds, sinus infections can be caused by other methods:

• Exposure to dust, dirt, pollen or any other irritants in the air
• Excessive mucus production
• Blockage in the drainage duct due to an obstruction
• Bacteria travelling from the respiratory tract or other bacteria such as streptococcus pneumoniae

What are the symptoms of a sinus infection?

• Yellow, foul smelling nasal discharge
• Pressure and pain in the face
• Headaches
• Fever
• Nasal obstruction
• Congestion
• Cold symptoms that seem to get worse and do not improve
• Sometimes sinus infections may be accompanied by a cough

Generally, if your cold symptoms last for more than 10 days, it is best to see a doctor to make sure you do not have a sinus infection.

My Case

After the first few days of taking antibiotics the swelling in my face greatly decreased and my pain levels were reduced. By the time I had finished the first course of antibiotics the infection appeared to have gone. However, this was short lived. Within a week of finishing my antibiotics the face pain and pressure returned. This was a continuous cycle and I was taking a course of antibiotics every other week. As I am quite sensitive to a lot of drugs, I find it difficult to take most antibiotics and I have an allergy to penicillin. This was a problem for my doctor when attempting to prescribe an antibiotic to treat my infections. After trying and being unsuccessful with a few different pills, I eventually started to take Doxycycline. Each time I started a course of antibiotics with 2/3 days my pain was minimal and my breathing was a lot better. My asthma which is usually quiet mild, had been playing up since the operation and was exuberated when I had the sinus infections.

When I was next reviewed by my surgeon at King’s in May 2012, he advised that I had a nasal cavity scan. This was essentially, a CT scan of my sinuses. This was conducted on 28^th May 2012. I went back for the results on 2^nd July and was referred to Ear, Nose and Throat at Guy’s hospital. The results showed some soft tissue in the nasal cavity but no obstruction of the drainage ducts. My surgeon suggested that I could have the titanium plates and screws removed as I was experiencing pain in the lower jaw. Mr Matthews wanted to rule out any other causes for the sinus infections and advised that I saw an ENT specialist before proceeding with the plate removal.

After being on and off of antibiotics since January, my GP suggested I could try and blast out the infection with a one month course. This would hopefully kill any lingering bacteria. I was apprehensive as I had conducted some research into the long term effects of using antibiotics and knew that I could end up becoming “immune” to Doxycycline and this would mean I would have no other antibiotics to cure my infections.  I was a little desperate and wanted so bad to be “normal” so I agreed with the doctor’s advice and was put on a 30 day course of Doxycycline. I remember feeling so drained and tired but I was relieved to have less pain and pressure in my face.

I saw Mr Roberts the ENT specialist on 1^st October 2012. After explaining my problems with pain and breathing, Mr Roberts examined me using an endoscope. This is a small tube like device which was placed through the nostril into the nasal cavity. It was quite uncomfortable and hurt a little when it touched my soft tissue. He advised that there was nothing he could do for the moment and suggested that my surgeon should remove my maxilla plates and screws. As I was having pain and muscle issues around my mandibular plates, I decided I would like all my plates and screws removed from my face.

I saw Mr Mathews on the 29^th October and was still taking course of antibiotics every couple of weeks.  After discussing the risks of the operation I was booked in for plate removal surgery at King’s on 6^th December 2012.

Available now

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR SURVIVAL PACK NOW

To find out more click on the link below:

http://www.jawandface.co.uk/jaw-surgery-survival-pack/

If you would like to be kept informed about the latest work I am undertaking and want to receive more content from the Jaw & Face charity project, you can subscribe for FREE on the link below. 

http://eepurl.com/uLbqP

You can now continue the chat and speak with other patients on my new closed Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/jawandface/

Looking forward to connecting with you soon!

Lots of love always,

Steffie

x.x.x