Metal Mouth Message Board

Elastics apply a pull in directions that wires and ligs can't. Nickel Titanium wires apply one kind of force, powerchains another, springs another, and elastics yet another, and so on and so on. I don't entirely understand what elastics do (I should, because I should be studying for my ortho exam) b...

I imagine your doctor will likely give you a removable retainer to wear at night in addition to your permanent retainer.

Talk to your ortho about exactly what issues you have with your smile line. Perhaps draw out the line you don't like and a line that you want. Be clear and ask what your options are. Intruding and extruding can be extremely challenging sometimes, there may be a reason why your ortho left your teeth ...

I would definitely brush for 4 minutes.

Without braces, brushing should be at least 2 minutes, with braces it would take at least twice as long to brush properly if you're brushing underneath the wire with a proxabrush or ortho tip on an electric brush

A heating pad may help.

A rectangular wire is used to exert a particular type of movement, it's used to apply torque to teeth. The round wire is sometimes called the "starter wire" not because it's weak, but because it's usually used first. I, for example, never had a rectangular wire. My teeth only needed simple...