Hi Everyone,

I just got my braces on Wednesday, I have Damon Q's but my Ortho gave me bite blocks, or I guess he actually just used build-up material on my lower first molars. My question is, how long do these usually stay on? Or is there a better alternative to what I have currently? I have now been reduced to smoothies because everything else just causes frustration. My blender will be getting a lot of use for a while I feel. Let me know you guys think..

Hi! I'm new here! I have had my uppers on for about 6 months, and just got my lowers banded and bite blocks (fangs) were attached to my top front teeth yesterday. I can't chew anything, and the cheek soreness is much much worse than it was with my uppers. I've been on a steady diet of smoothies and benzocaine for the past 24 hours, and I'm certainly feeling your pain. I also can't speak properly because the blocks are in the front of my mouth where most people form their "T" and their "S" sounds. So here I am at 23: braced, banded, blocked and lisping like a cartoon character.

My ortho promised my molars will start to "get taller" as quickly as a month, and she will be able to shorten the bite block. I will probably have it for around 6 months, though. You should ask your ortho for an ETA, and if you have rubber bands to get the rest of your teeth to catch up in height WEAR THEM! I am wearing mine every waking minute despite my pain/lisp situation in the hopes of reducing bite block time. My teeth moved faster than my ortho originally thought, so maybe they will surprise her again this time! *fingers crossed*

Hopefully nobody notices my lisp when I go into work on Monday...