I should have said I get to look at Irish Eyes over here. Not mine, the hubbies. I'm a brown eyed girl. My Brown Eyed Girl! That's what he sings to me. Love that song! Bunny, you are so much like my best friend (also named Tracy). Silly as ever but smart as a whip. She says the darndest things and just busts us up! One of my favorite quirks of hers is she is constantly mixing metaphors or just makes new words.She will say things like "flustrated". She means flustered, slams it with aggravated, and boom we have a whole new word. But she can outsmart me any day of the week. LOVE THAT GIRL! Wouldn't change her for the world or you either! You should see the words she makes when she has a couple of beers in her. I then serve as interpreter. You are special... I keep thinking of the church lady on Saturday Night Live. Picture her taking over for Mr. Rogers. SCAREY!

My 13 year old granddaughter will be wearing one of these Herbst appliances very soon, but it's not intended to correct an overbite or underbite. She had been experiencing headaches for about the past two years, and for over a year her jaw has been making a loud clicking sound as she opens and closes her mouth causing her pain each time. She was finally taken to a dentist who then referred her to an orthodontist. They thought it may be TMJ, so the doctor ordered an MRI of her jaw area. It was not TMJ. The right side of her jaw isn't even connected, and the clicking noises are coming from left side of her jaw . The orthodontist said he has never seen a case so sever as this in a child before...only saw cases like this with adults who have been in a traumatic auto accident, or who have had a forceful blow to their face. Her mom doesn't recall any such things ever happening as she was growing up. But I do remember when she had a root canal and cap done at the age of 3 or 4 years old. I distinctly recall how she cried in pain for hours afterwards and I couldn't find a way to comfort her. I even drove her back to the dental office where it was performed that same day and they insisted nothing was wrong with her. The orthodontist who just recently requested the MRI be done, said she has a smaller mouth than most others. I have a gut feeling, and from after talking with others about this, that there's a possibility that when they did the root canal procedure it may have partially dislocated her jaw and that her jaw never went back into the normal position as she was growing all these years. The Orthodontist does not guarantee that wearing the Herbst will even solve her problems in the end, which is heart wrenching to even think of. It's even more heartbreaking to know the pain she is going to have to endure wearing this appliance. But worse, if it doesn't work, they said surgery is the next option. I've heard that with surgery nerves will be cut and loss of feeling in the chin area occurs causing the person to always drool. That would be so traumatic for any teenager to have to deal with. This is so difficult to even imagine what might happen in the long run. I just pray that wearing the Herbst will completely correct her condition. Please, if there is anyone else who has had this similar condition, please let me know how your results were with wearing this appliance.

myrhh has a long history of use for this. myrrh is a bitter tasting tree resin, use a high proof alcohol to make a tincture of it. when completed, dilute the tincture with water (will turn cloudy, not a problem) and use a tiny bit daily to rinse your mouth. it tastes awful but strangely the taste grows on you, I've been doing this for years and have gotten used to it.....my teeth and gums benefitted greatly. it even stopped a friend's rapid tooth loss which was pretty amazing. good luck!

Chisue: I have a dental background, so maybe I can answer a couple of your questions. It IS common for gums to recede a bit as we get older. If you don't have periodontal disease (and it doesn't sound like you do) your problem may be caused by overzealous brushing and/or using the wrong technique. Be sure that you are using a soft toothbrush--those hard toothbrushes really cause problems. (good toothbrush brands are Oral B, Colgate, etc. They should say SOFT on the package) Also, brush in a gentle circular motion on each tooth. Brushing back and forth aggressively will definitely cause recession, and will even wear away tooth enamel over time. As far as frequency, 3 times a day is plenty. Brushing before bed is most important. As a side note, please check with your cancer doctor--I'm pretty sure that with a compromised immune system any oral surgery would NOT be recommended. Anyway, hope this info helps a little. Good luck at your dental appointment!