Metal Mouth Message Board

I started having TMJ pain on one side about 6 weeks after my braces came off (September 2016). I mentioned it to my orthodontist at my retainer check and she suggested I pay a visit to my surgeon since I hadn't seen him in roughly 8 months. To be fair, I also asked if I still needed to see him and w...

I was estimated 12 months of braces post op. I only had to go 9. There was some bracket repositioning, elastics the whole time, bends, IPR, a little bit of everything.

My first set of powerchains came after a bunch of alignment and rotating. I had a month or so off from powerchains after surgery because I had been downgraded to lighter wires, but when I went back into powerchains, I had a few bends in the wire to fix small alignment issues. Definitely ask your ort...

Its interesting that they didn't take impressions right after your brackets came off...when your teeth were 'perfect'. I had two impressions done when my brackets came off: one for research models, one for removable retainers. I picked up my upper Essix retainer later that day and had my lower bonde...

BUT... I thought I could still use the essix. Maybe keep it on hand for an extra retainer in case the hawley is lost/broken/etc. I just tried to pop it in after having the hawley now for 5 days, and OUCHIE!!!! It barely fits, and it's pretty damn uncomfortable. I've heard each retainer may retain a...

I wouldn't be concerned about the confidence thing. Most adults don't even notice that you have braces or when you get them off. And a lot of people here have said that getting braces booted their confidence because they weren't ashamed or disappointed by their teeth any more. The knowledge that the...

What's the correct way to clean Hawley retainers? I was told that toothpaste can scratch the acrylic. The tech who worked with me when I picked up my Hawley said that I could brush them gently with a soft toothbrush and toothpaste, as long as I held it by the acrylic and not the wire. She also ment...

I never thought about quick straightening because the issues I wanted fixed were not cosmetic...but I will say that if you're going to have braces, you might as well fix all of the problems instead of just the visible ones. Yes, it's a lot of money, but down the road, you'll be thankful you did it. ...

1. United States (Pacific Northwest) 2. Included with treatment plan 3. Permanent lower, upper Essix and lower wrap Hawley (night time only) I was warned that a replacement Hawley retainer would cost me $185. I was prescribed upper and lower Essix at first, but I started clenching at night so my low...

I agree that that's glue. If you look closely, you can see the pattern of the bonding surface of the bracket. You can also see a height difference between the surface of your tooth and the discolored spot. When you have your braces taken off, they'll sand off the rest of the glue and you'll be in gr...

I have to say, I had this concern while in braces. I will also say that I liked how my teeth looked with braces towards the end. I was not thrilled with my teeth when my braces came off. And that's not because the orthodontist didn't do a great job. My team did very well. My upper front teeth looked...

It looks like there are a few different types of "flossable" retainers out there...the first one I saw with your link looked like you would still need to thread the floss under the retainer in order to floss the gum line. Since my permanent retainer is only on the lower front 6, it doesn't...

I did this all the time when I had braces. If people made funny looks at me, I made funny looks back while I continued to swish...then I'd smile and show off my braces, then continue to looks for any food that might still be stuck while making eye contact with the people that stared. They got the po...

Right now I have a hawley on the bottom and an essix on top. Coming up on 5-6 weeks debanded in this set up. I am not digging the essix at all. I don't like the bulky plastic covering my tooth surface preventing my lower teeth from touching the bottom teeth. I think this is making me clench, so I'v...

I think people look at the cost of braces and orthodontic treatment and think of ALL the other things they could do that they would enjoy more than having braces, like a trip abroad or massive shopping sprees. My monthly payment for braces was 2/3 of my monthly payment for my Camaro. I would much ra...