So I'll skip ahead a few years & save you from having to hear about the slow progression of my teeth going from bad to worse. It was however soon apparent that if something wasn't done well... soon... that I might not have teeth left in my head to be worried about!
Here's how it all began. I guess I started seeing Dr. Max in about 2007 or so. Dr. Abdel Maqsoud in Burbank was recommended to me by my buddy Rob who I'd known most of my life, so I knew it was a solid rec. I wondered what a guy with that kind of name would be like, I'll admit (sad huh?) but right when I met him all my concerns vanished. He is truly the most awesome dentist I've ever had. The office is older but all the equipment high tech. His staff is rad. He's this cool, laid back Egyptian dude who just cares about his patients and cares about what he does. Every procedure I've ever had done there, from teeth cleanings to fillings, has been totally painless. No really, I swear. So right away Dr. Max noticed my jaw was off but he wanted to try to do what he could without going the surgery route. Needless to say, that didn't work. But he did direct me to my Orthodontist, super cool doc #2... Gary Kevorkian in Glendale/North Hollywood/Porter Ranch. Yes, this is how popular this guy is, he's got offices everywhere! And same as the dentists office, clean places, great staff, easy & pain-free appointments. Dr. Kevorkian right away saw a major jaw surgery necessary to fix my open bite/crossbite/underbite & set us up on a great payment plan (once again I have to take a moment to thank those in my life who've cared enough to spend MAJOR money on my mouth & future, that being my parents & more recently, my husband Brent Ambrose!) and then put the braces I'd now had off for almost 17 years, back on again. The only plus this time was that Brent felt it necessary to pay a little more to get me the clear "ICE" braces I so badly wanted. I mean, having braces as an adult is hard, why make it harder? Turns out, I wound up kinda liking them & still do! I've had them on for way longer than I should have, due to insurance approval issues as far as surgery is concerned, so it's been about 2 years now I believe, but still... I could honestly handle having them on forever! :) I know that sounds strange but let me explain... my reasoning is as simple as this; I'm 35 and always get mistaken for younger. When I got the braces though, no one could imagine I was any older than 23! You don't see me complaining! :)
I don't remember the exact date I got them put on but I'll ask that & add it in on Friday. I'm thinking it was 2010. Getting them put on didn't hurt, just a little uncomfortable but the girls work fast. For about the first week I was so sore I couldn't eat much, and I remembered my old go-to when braces were tightened: KFC mashed potatoes & biscuit! Still good, all these many years later! The braces were only supposed to be on for about a year I believe, during that time doing what they were intended to, to straighten & prepare me for jaw surgery, also giving me time to find a qualified jaw surgeon. But that's where things got tricky. Dr. Kevorkian kept telling us all these great names at Kaiser and UCLA but our insurance wouldn't let us go there. They kept insisting that there was only ONE oral/maxillofacial surgeon within our medical group, and he was in Burbank ironically enough. So it was time to see Dr. Margossian....
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