Metal Mouth Message Board

Wednesday was my 3rd adjustment, and it was a doozy. My arch wire was removed and I was again able to do a complete, quick, and satisfying flossing job while waiting for Mme Ortho to come and check out my progress. I told her that I was very happy about the fact that I can now feel the brackets rubb...

My second adjustment was this morning, and I was happy to tell the ortho assistant that I barely remember that I'm in braces anymore! Sure, I brush more often and I have to be a little more careful about what I eat, but I have absolutely NO pain or discomfort, and my gums and cheeks are perfectly fr...

I just had my first adjustment last week. My ortho looked at my teeth and said that she was happy with my progress and told me that my bite was already changing! The ortho assistant took off my ligs, exchanged my first archwire for a stiffer one, and connected it all the way back to my 2nd molars (t...

WOW! What progress! I bet you're totally excited, eh? Congratulations to you!

My first adjustment was today, and my ortho was very happy with my self-care and progress. Woo hoo! My top central incisors are coming out very nicely, although the left is moving faster than the right, so I have a bit of a 'scissor tooth' look for the time being. Mme Ortho says this will correct it...

Day 3 in molar bands The lingual edges of the bands are really irritating, especially where the ortho clipped off the cleats. I think she left a sharp edge that should have been filed down! I'm using wax on the buccal hooks, but nothing I have tried has been able to take the sharpness away from the ...

Babs, you're in Seattle too! Enjoy the lovely weather this week.

Yes, I was really excited when she mentioned that she was clipping off the cleats. In lurking around here I saw lots of complaining about mouth sores due to those darn cleats... I'm glad I can avoid that.

The spacers are OUT! Holy heck, that was a really uncomfortable week. I felt instant relief the second the ortho assistant popped them out. Now I have four shiny molar bands to get used to. They're a tad sore, but nothing I can't handle. And? The ortho removed the cleats for me! Score! First adjustm...

Congratulations!!!

As someone new to braces, it's great to hear stories from people about to finish their journey-- and your journey sounds like it was relatively smooth! Thanks for sharing your story.

Thanks for all the great advice and encouragement!

Off to do a salt water rinse, and I'll definitely swallow my pride and ask for a demo at my visit today.

I'll admit, pre-braces... I wasn't a flosser. But I've turned over a new leaf and I'm trying my hardest to be a good girl. I gave my teeth a week to recover from being braced, and I flossed last night. OUCH! I totally shredded my gums to bits! Blood, sore spots, the works. So I'm wondering. Is it my...

Love your new avatar, Rhonda! That elastics configuration is... special. Going by the number of brackets with hooks I have been blessed with, I'm sure I'll have a rubber band festival coming to a mouth near me soon.

Welcome to the club!

I'm in spacers right now, too... ugh! Mine come off in 24 hours and 9 minutes... not that I'm counting, or anything!

Welcome to the club!

Hopefully the new bracket will go on easily and you won't have much discomfort this week!

Congratulations on your one year anniversary, and thanks for the encouragement!