Metal Mouth Message Board

So I have an essix and wire retainer for my top teeth now. I wasn't given any instructions on which one I should wear ... only to wear a retainer 12 hours a day. Any one have any guesses? Is one better than the other? Why do I even have two?! Also, dumb question, but how should you take the wire ret...

Hi Dr. Jones and thank you for answering questions! I got my braces off about two weeks ago. Do you think my two front teeth are a little too far out? I feel like my smile is really "round" and not more straight and flat looking like I was hoping for! Is it something that could be (or need...

Just cut your food up into small pieces and eat smaller bites with your fork. Your teeth may be sore, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't eat Thanksgiving food!!! Just don't try to grab a turkey leg and take big bites off of it and you'll be just fine!

very nice!

Yours look great too! I bet you're pretty happy!

Thanks for your help guys!

I have indeed gotten used to my essix one week later. It still isn't exactly comfortable and I hate taking it out (a bit of pain plus slober), but I'm getting used to it. One more week with 24/7 wear and then I can go to less.

It seems that there are a lot of different instructions given to people once their braces are off! Please share what type of retainers you have and how long (hours, days, months, years?) you have to wear them! For me - I have a lower bonded wire that I have to keep on for at least 1 year. I also hav...

Okay, so I got my braces off yesterday and was given an essix retainer to wear on top 24/7 for the next two weeks. This sucker hurts!!! I feel like when I go to take it out (to eat) that I'm going to pull my teeth out with it! It is so tight that it takes me a good 3 minutes of sheer tugging and pai...

Well, today was the day for my top teeth! I'm pretty happy! What do you guys think? http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/6473/dscn2278hq2.th.jpg This one is with the essix on http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/8702/dscn2284kx1.th.jpg Essix retainer not on (and boy is it hard to get out) http://img408....

Just depends on what your ortho thinks is best for your case. I know I have a bonded lower retainer because as an adult my bottom teeth have a high possibility of relapse (plus they totally relapsed when I had braces before as a teenager). I requested the top retainer be a clear plastic one because ...

I can't think of what this would look like ... do you have a picture?

Is it really okay to brush your teeth / rinse out your mouth with hydrogen peroxide? It seems like when I was growing up hydrogen peroxide was used to clean cuts on skin. Give me your two cents!!

sjsarre - that will be a nice X-mas present for you then!

Not to freak you out, but after having all 4 of my wisdom teeth taken out my teeth (lowers more so) shifted pretty badly. Maybe if I had worn my retainers after the procedure it wouldn't have been as bad?

Thanks guys for the nice comments! By the way, getting my lower metal braces off didn't hurt at all. The broke the "seal" of the glue by doing something to the last right bracket and then they all came off (brackets still attached to the wire). Then she sanded off the glue and bonded on my...