Metal Mouth Message Board

Definitely wear your elastics! Mine are being used pretty much solely to close my gaps - well elastics and a powerchain on the top teeth. I got them 5 months into my treatment and a couple of weeks ago he doubled them up to make them work faster.

So, time for another update! This afternoon was my fourth adjustment. The ortho is still happy with how things are progressing and he estimates that I have 9 to 12 months left of treatment (I got the braces on in mid-June last year so that means that braces could be off anywhere between October and ...

OK it's been quite a few months so sorry for the long time between updates. I've adjusted really well to life with braces - I think it's because I know that it's the right thing for me to be doing :) My teeth are also doing amazingly well! My ortho is always remarking on how well they're moving :D A...

I think it's because I'm swallowing more air now. It's really annoying!

@evilnel: What did you mean with "legitimate concerns about lingual braces" (i.e., examples)? Thanks so much for your reply! My orthodontist told me that linguals could be used in my situation but he didn't really recommend them as my teeth need the pressure from traditional braces and li...

My ortho doesn't want to see me for my first adjustment until the 8th September and the braces were put on 16th June...that's 12 weeks in between adjustments. I think any longer is really pushing it though.

My ortho told me it was a much better idea to use the electric toothbrushes as there's less manual effort to get your teeth clean and it really helps to get into the nooks and crannies better.

My ortho prefers me not to use whitening toothpaste. He said something about it being a little more abrasive than the regular stuff.

My ortho does the lot - the assistant is just for passing things to him lol.

Meemoo - I'm sooo jealous! I wish my wires were on too! I want my teeth to start moving! I've got my appointment for the wires and molar tubes tommorrow. Meemoo, what exactly are the molar tubes and how do they get them on? I'm imagining they are like rings around the tooth but I can't figure how t...

I am so glad that this isn't just me imagining it! My bite has shifted so it feels like I'm only getting real "biting pressure" on my left side - wonder how long it'll be before it feels even again!

Ninath - hope that it all gets better when the wires go on! OK update so far. I'm actually doing really well with these things in my mouth :shock: Sure my cheeks are cut up from the molar bands (I keep biting them) but apart from that there's no real pain. I've got those ridges/tubes on the inside o...

At least I'm not the only one! I graduated to noodles for dinner and man - it took me like an hour to eat what with all the mushing it up and it getting caught around the wires over my extraction gaps. Gosh. I thought squishy foods would be easier but it was actually the harder foods that gave me le...

If you are actually biting down on your brackets and/or wires, that is a problem. Did you get molar buildups put on your back molars so that you don't bite down on your lower brackets? If you did, it sounds like maybe they're not working. You should definitely check with your ortho about that. Oh n...

Hey, I've had my braces on since Wednesday - so not very long at all! - and I'm tentatively trying to start chewing again after 3 loooooooong days of a liquid diet. I can sort of chew but it feels like I'm chewing on metal, not my actual teeth if that makes sense. Like the hooks and stuff on the mol...