Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Are You Hypermobile?


Or rather, are your teeth? No? Consider yourself lucky. Two of mine are and they feel like they could fall out at any time. It's so cool... especially when your eating. I keep expecting to discover that I've swallowed them and I have a jack-o-lantern smile left behind. The reason for my dental wanderlust is bruxism. I grind my teeth... like crazy... when I'm sleeping. I used to have a ridiculously expensive nightguard that made my speech sound like Stan's sister on South Park but I didn't mind wearing it. When I began my adventures in orthodontia, I was told that I couldn't wear a night guard because my teeth needed to be able to shift and turn. Makes sense, but I thought my teeth might be doing a bit too much midnight mambo. This past visit to my orthodontist confirmed that I have indeed been creating dentine powder of my molars accelerating the movement of two crucial teeth (an upper molar and a lower canine).

So, today's visit to the orthodontist ended with no connector brackets (which hurt like hell for a day or two) OR rubber bands (which pretty much hurt me all the time). Whoo Hoo!! It's only for 3 weeks, but that's 3 whole weeks pain free (or sans vicodin). Fabulous. It also means that brushing and flossing is a bit easier and quicker. The capper? I got a lovely new soft splint/night guard. I'm not sure if I'll be able to wear it for the entire remainder of my treatment but every little bit contributes to not having little nibs at the end of it all.

On a more creative note, I've been working on a knit piece for my friend Jon. It's not for him personally, but rather a commissioned piece for his artwork. His medium is the action figure or doll and his work is amazing. I'm excited to be working with him and you can see what I've done so far here. If you don't know what a gimpsuit is, don't fret, I didn't either. Jon reminded me that most people's introduction was probably "Pulp Fiction" but I found a bit more info on wikipedia. I really don't get S & M at all, but it's most amusing for a voyeur.

I've admired Jon's work since first I laid eyes on it and I'm excited to see what new surprises he has in store. My partner and I are fortunate to own three of Jon's pieces (Party Girl Barnabee Collins, Poet Leonard Nimoy and Jelly Hunter Zola Pompidoux). You can see my ongoing Flickr photoseries of these dolls all about town starting with a few choice pix here at home with the masterful art of Rene Garcia Jr as a glittery portrait studio backdrop. Enjoy!

3 comments:

The A.D.D. Knitter said...

Midnight Mambo...hehe!! I am very jealous of anyone who has braces because my mom (she's English) refused to get us braces because they were 'only for cosmetic reasons' (uh, yeah, HELLO!?) and 'look at my teeth, you spoiled American children!' (ok, she's right, she grew up during WWII and has seriously f*cked up British teeth, but still!).

WonderMike said...

I know, I know. My mother was the same way, but my sister lucked out because she was the baby and my mother had better insurance. And what happened? My sister refused to wear her retainer effectively negating quite a bit of the work. Spoiled American children, INDEED.

Jon said...

Ha. Actually, the doll is for me. I was inspired one day while walking past image leather. I'm not into S&M, I promise. I just like to laugh at stuff.

I had the same problem as ADD Knitter. Both my parents are English and they didn't feel the need to waste money on braces. So I have to live with my gappy, crooked teeth. English people suck.