Metal Mouth Message Board

My ortho told me that I will need to start wearing rubber bands soon. For those of you that have/had them, over how long of a period did you have to wear them? (E.g. A month? Two months? Longer?)

Hi everyone,

I am getting a palatal bar next month. I have heard that it is difficult to talk and eat after getting one. For those of you that have had a palatal bar, how long did it take you to get used to it and to be able to talk and eat normally again?

Hi everyone,

I am getting a palatal bar next month. I have heard that it is difficult to talk and eat after getting one. For those of you that have had a palatal bar, how long did it take you to get used to it and to be able to talk and eat normally again?

For those of you that have worn or are wearing TADs, how long did you have to have them in, or how long are you projected to have them on?

I usually have an adjustment approximately every 4 weeks. This month, I had to reschedule my original appointment due to work conflicts... but I couldn't get another appointment until almost 3 weeks after my original appointment! I asked my ortho to call if he has any cancellations sooner, but in th...

Hi everyone, I live in the US and I just found out that I have an opportunity to go work in London for three months this spring! I'm 9 months into my ortho treatment, and my predicted treatment time is 18 - 24 months... so I won't be done with my treatment by the time I'd have to depart. I wouldn't ...

I'd have to see what the ligature-free ceramic brackets look like to see just how much "a little more metal" actually means... but at face value I'd probably rather have the ceramic bracket with less metal that discolors. The discoloring is really very unnoticeable, in my opinion, and usua...

Hi everyone, I have been in braces for 8 months to correct an anterior open bite. My ortho says that I'll soon be getting microscrew implants to vertically intrude my back molars. Has anyone undergone this procedure? Anything you can tell me about what to expect would be helpful. Thank you so much!

I know that curry, mustard, coffee, and tea are all nasty culprits for staining powerchains or ligatures... what other foods/drinks do you all know of that should be avoided?

I had 4 teeth extracted (all of my first bicuspids) in April, and my lower gaps closed completely within about 4 months. We're still working on my upper gaps, which are getting close! I would estimate the uppers will be closed within another month or so... so probably about 7 or 8 months total for m...

I had four premolars extracted on a Saturday afternoon. For the rest of the day, I ate only liquid or very soft food. By the next morning, I was able to eat regular food slowly and carefully. By Monday, I went to the office as normal and was eating almost completely normally. So for me I would say t...

I've been braced for 5 months and a few weeks ago I had a similar problem where a few of my teeth were EXTREMELY sensitive to cold. Never mind eating or drinking, it was to the point where it even hurt just to smile because the air hitting my teeth felt painfully cold! I tried using Sensodyne toothp...

So far I've only had them changed every 4 or 5 weeks. But one time I went in after two weeks to get my wires trimmed, and while I was there my ortho changed them because they had turned yellow from food I'd eaten. I was surprised and asked about it, and he said that changing them was okay at that po...

From what I've seen, I think most people get adjustments about once a month or so. I've gotten adjustments about every 4 or 5 weeks. But so far the only factor in length of time in between has been when my ortho is available in combination with when my schedule is available to go see him! But agreed...

I've had 4 teeth extracted. My cheekbones look more pronounced now and my cheeks are slightly sunken in. It's very subtle, though - I think I am the only one that noticed.