Metal Mouth Message Board

You might need to have a tooth guard made for you by your ortho. The guard would keep your upper and lower teeth from meeting. You wouldn't be grinding your brackets or teeth that way. I had a couple of brackets that kept popping off in my first six months of treatment. Now that my teeth have moved ...

Congratulations on getting your braces! Yes, you will probably have some pain. It happens to all of us. One thing you can do to help your mouth is to wash your mouth out a few times a day with warm salt water. Don't add too much salt, though, it can be caustic. Somehow or another, the use of the sal...

I'm a big coffee drinker, so I use a whitening toothpaste to remove the coffee stains. I also think it's okay to use the whitening stuff because the tooth area under the glue isn't being stained everyday. Flossing is also very important! When I brush, I brush all around my brackets, brush along my g...

I'm in Denver, but my ortho is a dentist who does orthodontics on the side. Anyway, I'm so happy to see more people here from the Denver area!! good luck with getting braces!

Jembrace

I'm also glad you've stuck with the braces, so far. I can understand your frustration, your wariness of having braces. Patience is not a strong point of teens, I do remember those years. LOL! Just keep going one day at a time like the rest of us. I'm glad you're seeing some progress, that helps a lo...

Amazing progress! A great improvement from the "before" misalignment!
Good luck with the rest of your braces journey!

Jembrace

What a wonderful bit of news! I'm so happy for you, Karen, you deserve this recognition! Congrats and keep up the good work!

Jembrace

Definitely see a dentist! I had the same sort of trouble, it ended up being a gum infection. Had to clean it all out and such. You don't want to delay getting seen, infections can travel from the gums through the rest of your body. Good luck!

Jembrace

I'll turn 49 in a couple of weeks, got my metal mouth this past December. I also have bite problems, so no invisalign. I've had a bracket or two come off a few times, but otherwise things are moving right along. You're right in with the rest of us fortysomethings, might as well have fun!

Jembrace

HI Dr. Jon! Yes, my cataracts happened because of my type 1 Diabetes. I'm only 48, so I'm a big young to have the cataract issue. With my teeth, I have a deep bite, some gaps, plus my arches aren't properly aligned. No problems with my gums, thank goodness! As for the rest of the stuff, I know there...

I'm in Damon 3's and my ortho is a big fan of them. He schedules me for appointments 2 months apart, and says he's using wire which allows for slow, even movement. The gates on all my brackets work just fine, so no problem there. Since I've never worn other brackets, I can't compare them to my Damon...

Hi Dr. Jon! I just got through reading through this thread and it does seem you're more positive about all this! I also have type 1 Diabetes, have had cataracts removed from both eyes. In addition, I'm almost deaf. Now I have braces, too. I still find many ways to have a positive outlook on life, du...

Your teeth are making great progress and I LOVE the lig colors! Pink, purple, and red are awesome together! Of course, I'm a Red Hatter, so of course I'd think those colors are good! I notice you and I got braces at the same time. How cool! I'll have to get around to posting some pics here. I also h...

I'm SO glad I'm not the only person who has noticed having hollowed cheeks since getting braced! I HAVE lost a bit of weight with having the braces, mainly because of having to change my eating habits. I think it also has to do with the fact that I purse my lips together in order to fully close them...

I did eat popcorn and paid for it with a gum infection. I hadn't got a piece of popcorn out of my gums and the consequences weren't fun at all. :( I also don't eat sticky candy, but I do eat smooth peanut butter. With things like steak, I cut much smaller pieces than I did pre braces. I also love nu...