Metal Mouth Message Board

Thanks everyone! One hour to go! How did my treatment time reduce to just 12 months? Two reasons. Firstly, my overjet is not fully corrected. I was originally going to have Temporary Anchorage Devices (TADs) inserted for bringing back my upper teeth. This would have taken at least a year. The ortho ...

My appointment is 0845 tomorrow for removal of my braces! Expected treatment time - 18-24 months. Actual treatment time - 12 months!

Has anyone got any tips / advice?

Yes, class 2.

My lower jaw is smaller than my upper jaw and I was advised that only jaw surgery would correct it, but that felt too drastic for me. The functionality of my teeth was fine, I never had any mechanical problems, I just wanted the upper teeth straightened out.

Your ortho should be able to extrude those two front teeth, or at least give you a reason why not. For what it's worth, I agree with you. But your smile still looks great!

I agree. The treatment may have been on the NHS and you were fortunate to be accepted BUT it should have been made clear what the end result was going to be. Fine, she wants to say that she has treated the problem identified (impacted tooth) but what professional orthodontist takes off braces when t...

This is a comparison of my teeth before braces and today.

At yesterday's adjustment my ortho told me that my braces can come off next time, which is 12 months into my treatment time. She originally told me 2 years treatment time. I'm obviously thrilled that they'll be coming off but I only had a powerchain put on in January, and while my teeth were straigh...

Thank you both. It feels a bit tender at the moment but not too bad.

And I've got a clear one! Noooo! Do you know if tea can stain it?

A gap has opened up in my upper arch and, to close it, my ortho has put what looked like a link of rubber bands over the brackets. She just called it a rubber band but it looks like a chain of small bands linked together.

Is this the notorious power chain?

I used wax on nearly every bracket for the first few weeks, because they irritated the inside of my mouth so much and caused sores. Then I only had to use it on poky wires and some brackets as they move. I am now 8 months in and never use it, although I always keep a pack in my handbag just in case.

Just looking for some advice. My ortho originally told me that my overbite couldn't be corrected without surgery but then spoke to a colleague at a different clinic, and told me she could treat it using TADs. But 3 months ago she changed her mind, and has said we're going to use elastics instead. I ...

I have elastics going from back-bottom to front-top. My ortho said that they will 'open up my bite'. I think this means reduce my overbite. I have been wearing them for about 3 months now and to me it feels like they are doing nothing, but I'm sure they must be, just so slowly that it's hard to see ...

I'm 5 months into fixed braces. For the first 3 months, my teeth were noticeably shifting and improving. For the past 2 months, nothing seems to have happened. I'm sure this is common; my question is - how do you stay positive when you're not being reassured/motivated by visible progress?

Would anyone mind sharing pics of their profile/mouth to explain what they mean by the negative effect of extractions please? I had 4 teeth extracted during my first round of braces at 13. I've never thought about how my adult face is a result if this. I don't think my mouth looks bad, although I ha...

I can't get the links to work but agree that you need to have an open and honest conversation with your ortho about what you want the end result to be. Frame your concerns in exactly the way you have to us. It's their job (and in their interest) to achieve the best result in terms of both functional...