Monday, July 12, 2010

1 C-Dental X-rays

Finally got to get my X-rays done. It was a process of cool machines circling my head and wearing heavy leaded vests. I guess it would be rather catastrophic if I developed some form of cancer treating an aesthetic jaw problem. I've also heard that was just a myth and one can't actually get cancer from x-rays. Either way, I now play the waiting game.

Monday, June 21, 2010

0 Getting my Lower Jaw diagnosed.

Today I decided to have my jaw asymmetries looked at. As a prelude, I have noticed a shift in my chin and lower jaw line. After doing much research of this "phenomenon" on the internet, I decided it was some form of mandibular development problem, so I decided to consult an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Stephen Schendel. 

Dr. Schendel performed a quick check on my jaw by asking me to relax my lower jaw completely, as he pushed in on it and closed my jaw. As expected, my jaw did not close i.e. my teeth no longer met in the correct position. I had this check previously done by Dr. Timothy Leary, who also prescribed me a mouth guard that I wear only at night to help relieve jaw stresses. I learned from him that this was due to my jaw joint not being comletely rested in my socket. How the mouth guard works is it almost re-defines my upper teeth line, so when my lower teeth closes in on it, the jaw is also in a more native and comfortable position. 


 Dr. Schendel said that while the chin asymmetry is a matter of very simple surgery performed from inside the mouth (orthognathic surgery) where my chin was cut off precisely and shifted into a straighter position, he would rather get to the root of the problem and determine why there was such an asymmetry in the first place. I was asked if I had any headaches, or neckaches. This question hit spot on.

I have been ignoring facial tension on my right side and neck aches for a few years. I've had them through college, and can't quite remember if I had them in high school as well. It's one of those "did my jaw click before?" kind of questions, but in this case, my right jaw also clicked. Dr. Leary's mouth guard helps when I wear it since it moves my lower jaw into a more native, comfortable position. However, it's not something I want to wear around all day. 

I'm scheduled to take some C-Dental x-rays where, from what I understand, will image my entire skull. I'm quite anxious to see what Dr. Schendel will find in these. 


 

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