What is most painful? Spacers, Powerchains,springs,molarband

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#1 Post by **Gennel** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 12:53 pm

I am just wondering what has been the most painful out of these? I have heard that spacers are the worst and that powerchains are painful also.

I will only be getting 1 spacer on the bottom and 1 on the other side bottom. Since I dont have either of my 3rd molars ,I will not need spacers on either side ,just on one side.
I had powerchains put on the first day in braces and I just went in for my first adjustment and they removed the old powerchains and put on new ones even tighter! I must say the only pain/discomfort I felt was when they were putting on the new powerchains. That only lasted about 1 minute. But Ive been told to expect pain on the following day for several days! But that never happens.
I will be getting my incisors that are not connected to the archwire are getting enough space and one will be connected to the archwire soon. I am wondering if they will remove the entire archwire and put a longer one? The way I see it now there is NO WAY that they can push the archwire way back and connect it to my incisor! That's what they did to my daughter but her incisor was not pushed back so far. She was in alot of pain while they were putting on the archwire but then it calmed down. The archwire of course was crooked but I was totallySHOCKED that it pulled her tooth forward and straightened the archwire within 3 -4 hours!!?
That is awesome! Now my daughter just needs the other incisor moved forward and her teeth will be all straight!
My ortho gave me very hopeful news this week. He said that by Christmas all my top teeth will be nice and straight. I find it hard to believe but he told me " TRUST ME! " So far my adjustments have been every 4 weeks. My next one is the first week of August.

Gennel

#2 Post by **lesdents** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 6:26 pm

Spacers were DEFINITELY the worst. More painful than extractions.

I've had four different powerchains thus far, and they've caused me very little pain. My elastics haven't hurt either, really. I've seen a LOT of movement with only minor pain. But the spacers were the worst, surely because my teeth were SO crowded. In fact, they were so crowded, my ortho couldn't get them in for fear of really hurting me, and she had two others help her work them in. For four spacers, it took about forty-five minutes!

And, after the spacer pain wore out, they were just irritating. I really wanted to rip them out of my mouth - they rubbed against my gums and really bothered me.

It's all worth it for a lifetime of feeling great about smiling, but those spacers were the WORST.

#3 Post by LP » Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:36 pm

Hmmm...I'm still braces illiterate

I don't know what any of those are or what they look like. Are they things that most people in braces will have at some point or another during their treatment?

(I'm not trying to hijack)

#4 Post by LP » Fri Jul 14, 2006 9:52 pm

Thanks KK. I'll read that for sure. I'm going to have to google though to see if the Speed braces use all the same things as the standard braces.

#5 Post by **Jesslzz** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 11:06 pm

Spacers, spacers, spacers for me for sure!

Metal spacers are the worst! I'm wearing a powerchain right now and I can barely feel it. The pain is relative to the people too, but I'm guessing the most painful thing for many of us braced people are the darn spacers...

KK: you are so lucky that you don't have to wear molar bands.

They don't really hurt, but I hate them

#6 Post by **OneTime** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 1:06 am

Metal spacer and springs. I think they are both equal in making me a bit sore.

#7 Post by **tkais** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:28 am

I didn't have springs, but of all I would have to say SPACERS were the most uncomfortable. And my expander because it made talking and eating a real challenge.

Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:14 am

I have springs and elastics on together so i dont know which one is giving me the pain the most. spacers weren't too bad for me.

#9 Post by **vanilla** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 7:57 pm

Wow, KK, I didn't know you can get braced without molar bands. So lucky

I haven't had springs or powerchains but I'd have to agree with the majority here: SPACERS Forgive my use of caps here but they did hurt (more than my 4 wisdom extractions) and I only had rubber ones so I can't imagine what it'd be like to have metal ones!

#10 Post by **lionfish** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 3:43 pm

I also have buccal tubes on my molars, so have escaped the molar band/spacer experience. And I'm not unhappy about that either.

Of the options nominated, I'll only be doing powerchains. I currently have one strung across all but two of my bottom teeth and it sure pulls teeth together. It doesn't hurt, though.

#11 Post by **sportsgrl97** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 4:22 pm

my spacers didnt hurt me at all... i usually just forgot they were there... it was just annoying to no tht i could pull them out at any second to allow myself to bite down all the way but i didnt want to have to go get it replaced.. but i did end up having to go in once to get one replaced because i bit down so hard that i just bit one in half and it slid right out... and powerchains never bothered me tht much but they did hurt more than spacers....

#12 Post by **nvcarissa** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:22 pm

I lucked out and didn't get spacers. I did have a spring and that wasn't too bad. I got an elastic to move a molar prior to my surgery and besides the early weeks of braces, that was the most painful part of my treatment up until my jaw surgery. Since the surgery, aside from the expected pain from that, I find the elastics holding my jaw in place the most painful. Whenever I take a break from them, I feel almost normal, but while they are in place, the tugging on my teeth really gets to me.

#13 Post by **BraceUrself** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:54 pm

for me, it was spacers,no question about it that hurt the most so far.

#14 Post by **IndyBraceFace** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:03 am

Yep, spacers were the worst for me.

#15 Post by **MarilynT** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:15 am

No question -- spacers. I never had an adjustment or new power chains that caused much pain -- usually just some mild discomfort. Not so with the spacers.

I'm out of braces now and using a positioner. Positioner = painful. BUT, you can take it out!! Not so with the spacers.