Metal Mouth Message Board

Thanks! Ortho said a fixed retainer wasn't an option, because my arch was widened in treatment. At least I think that's what he said. He tends to want to make small talk about the weather or some other B.S. Rather than talk about my teeth.

Wow, finishing elastics are fun! I have to hook the rubber band on the lower 1st molar, then up around the upper 1st molar, then down around the bottom pre-molar.... all the way to the canines. When the ortho tech put them in for me the first time in the office, I couldn't open my mouth enough to li...

It could be worse. I have a chip in #8 (upper central) from hitting a bracket on the bottom before my overbite was corrected. You should see my Lloyd Christmas impersonation.

Update: I'm going in on February 22nd to get my back wires cut off and put on finishing elastics/zig-zag rubberbands to bring my molars together, then back in on March 6th to..... GET. THEM. OFF! :D That would be 679 days in total, about 4 months longer than my initial estimated treatment time of 18...

Basically, I had really crooked lower incisors from severe crowding that really bothered me. Getting them to align is what has really taken so long. I had a few rotated teeth and spaces in the upper arch that were basically gone at 14 months or so. The overbite was fixed by that time, too. I've got ...

There are several causes of a "gummy smile"- Skeletal maxillary excess- upper jaw is too deep -- usually requires surgery Lip incompetence- thin lip or one that retracts too much when smiling - botox, collagen injections, or sew the lip down a bit Excess gum tissue - "gum lift" s...

The outer (buccal) cusps of the lower molars should fit into the groove that runs down the middle of the upper molars. They work much better for chewing that way. Is there one molar that doesn't line up with the others?

Most mornings and nights - Water Pik, then Glide Threader floss, then brush with Sonicare. Swish with ACT Adult fluoride rinse. Lunch at work- floss with threader floss or a quick pass with interdent brush then brush. Days off - Water Pik, Glide Threader floss, Super floss around the base of the ban...

New members can't upload photos. You'll have to post more first.

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[quote="summer01"]hi i am not sure if this forum is still active but if it is i would like to know what you decided to do? i am in the same situation ,i will be studing in germany for 4 months next year and i have already had my braces on for little over a year so i am just wondering if it...

I went pretty quickly in the lower arch from one flimsy wire to the next thicker one, and within about 3 months I was in stainless wires top and bottom. It was amazing to see my bottom teeth move on nearly a daily basis. The only real hassle was the fact that my upper incisors were hitting the brack...

Wow! Your progress has been amazing. Great photos, too.

I'm a late 40s male and have been in braces for about 20 months. My wife was born with perfect teeth and our twin children were both in braces when I realized I would look like a hillbilly next to my family and decided to do something about it. I went to the same ortho who was treating my kids (son ...

I had my pano X-ray checked a few months ago and did some Googling at that time. What I found was that it's typically done near the end of treatment. Of course, when I saw that I was pretty excited. The ortho did some small adjustments at the next two visits to parallel the roots according to what h...

You already know that most adults in braces are women, I have no idea of the ratio. I've been in braces for about 20 months and have only ever seen two other men in the ortho's office. Probably only about 5 women. My teeth weren't all that bad - several people were surprised I got braces since they ...