Metal Mouth Message Board

Braces are off! I had them for exactly 25 months (up from an estimated 18 months). Debanding process was fairly uneventful, though there was a lot more polishing this time around than I remember from my previous debanding... I do drink a lot more tea now, so there was a lot of staining. I was given ...

I have a tongue thrust as well and when my braces went on, they bonded "cleats" two the backs of 4 of my teeth. They were annoying as heck for the first several weeks, but I don't think that they effectively stopped the problem as my tongue now pushes on my cleated teeth (I think I built u...

I'm getting my braces off August 15. Bottom teeth are getting a permanent retainer bonded behind the 6 front teeth and a removable Essix retainer. The top teeth are getting a Hawley-style retainer. I had an open bite secondary to tongue thrusting, now nearly closed thanks to the braces. But I'm worr...

Update/Braces off soon! Sorry for the hiatus in posting my story. Since my last post, things have slowly come together. The initial elastic configuration wasn't working well, so now I'm wearing 24/7 sling-style elastics. They were a bit more difficult to get used to (felt like my mouth was wired shu...

As promised, here are some (blurry) pictures of my progress just after a cleaning. Getting the TADS out this Friday and TPA out next week! http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s560/IncredibleHulk66/IMG_20170905_110101497_zpsgwx37jcf.jpg http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s560/IncredibleHulk66/IMG_20...

Hi Charlotte, It sounds like they may have installed a TPA (transpalatal arch). Does it go from one molar band to the other? A picture would help, but I see you don't have the green light yet to post pictures. If it is indeed a TPA, that's used to stabilize the molars during certain movements of you...

Hey folks, I'm 12 months into braces to treat an anterior open bite. Temporary anchorage devices were intruding my molars for 9 months, but they were less effective than we had hoped. When he discontinued them in May, my orthodontist mentioned headgear (not sure what type) as an option if elastics d...

Just racked up 1 year as an adult in braces! My mouth is still very much a work in progress; I'd argue that the overjet and open bite are more pronounced now than they were a year ago. My orthodontist is also quite flustered. I looked over at the computer during my appointment this week and noticed ...

Hi IslandGirl, I too have an anterior open bite, now a year into my treatment with a TPA, TADs, and small spikes behind my front teeth to discourage tongue thrust. The TPA in my case was meant to stabilize the molars while they were being pushed in (intruded) by the TADs. When I started treatment, t...

Gbr45 wrote:how much does a TAD cost? the ortho i went to cost 1k for a screw implant, is that normal price?

My oral surgeon quoted me $250 per TAD. I paid just under $1100 for 2 TADs with IV sedation.

Hi MissMe, I had TADs placed last August, to intrude my molars to close an open bite. Putting them in was painless... the oral surgeon knocked me out, which in hindsight seemed like it was overkill. I'm told it took about 30 minutes to place the 2 TADs. Minimal pain afterward, nothing an ibuprofen c...

7th adjustment update! It's now been just shy of 11 months since I started my braces journey. Relative to the first time I had braces, this go-around seems to be taking much more time than I remember. I'm not alone in my frustration; my orthodontist had expected more noticeable molar intrusion with ...

These two are clenched teeth. Note the continued open bite and overjet.

Braces update! It has been forever and a day since I last updated this ongoing braces saga of mine, but in truth, very little has happened worthy of mention. There just hasn't been a whole lot of movement. If you recall, I have two TADs to introduce maxillary molar intrusion. My TPA has been inching...

Hey folks, it's been a while! Here are some 6 month update photos. Progress has been slower than expected from both my perspective and my ortho's, but we're finally seeing some molar intrusion with the TADs. When I move my jaw forward, the front left incisor is just a fraction of a millimeter away f...