springs

Message

#1 Post by **pink77blondie** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:54 am

I am getting my braces put on tomorrow and he told me he would be using a spring. I know it is to make space for one of me back teeth to come out.

Are they more painful and is there anything else I might need to know about them?

Thanks!

#2 Post by **JenP** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:04 pm

Hi, and good luck with your bracing tomorrow! I got my tops put on last Thursday, and they include a spring between my right front tooth and right canine, because the one in between needs more room to come forward.

The biggest things I've noticed about the spring so far:

1) It's really the only thing on my top teeth that makes it look like I have braces. I got ceramic brackets with clear wire ties, and my archwire is barely noticeable. That big spring is pretty obvious, though!

2) The day after I got braced, the only sore teeth were that canine and the ones behind it. I figured it's because the spring is doing more to push those over than just the wire is doing everywhere else. But since then, I'd rate the discomfort overall as very minor.

3) Be careful with your floss! I've managed to catch mine in the spring a couple times when I'm pulling it out from between my teeth. It's no big deal; just a little bit of a pain to get it untangled.

With me, they couldn't even place a bracket on my tooth that's trapped - it's too far behind its neighbors. So the spring will just help shove them out of the way and make it so they can bracket that tooth and start working it into line with the others. I know that the spring is helping things move along faster, and that trapped tooth has always been the one that's made me super self-conscious. So whatever helps it come forward faster is fine by me!

#3 Post by **joney** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:43 pm

Big spring fan here. I had a spring put on to make room for a tooth hidden behind the others. It worked wonders at creating that extra space and didn't bother me at all with any pain. Springs are great.

Regards
Joney

#4 Post by **Betty Bat** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 8:49 pm

I got springs last May and they really haven't been a problem. My springs are to open up the spots where I had baby teeth with no permanent teeth behind them. On one side, I had the baby tooth pulled when I was 12 and the rest of the teeth shifted over. I'm going to get implants eventually, but there wasn't enough room - until I got my springs! They don't hurt at all, but some types of food (and floss!) can get caught in the coil occasionally. Watch out for that spinach!

#5 Post by **victor36** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:32 am

2 weeks so far with springs in the front to make room for the lateral incisors. (you'll notice that the laterals have brackets on them, but they are not wired in). They don't hurt in fact i can move the spring back and forth with my fingernail.

Warm salt water rinses always do the trick if/when my teeth hurt.
~Victor

#6 Post by **Lisa65** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:00 am

I've got some springs at the back here

They were tender when first put on just because they were pushing hard on the tooth to get it to move back, but after a few days I didn't feel anything.

#7 Post by **pink77blondie** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:48 am

I think I will only have one spring in the front kinda like Victor's...

#8 Post by **Higgy** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:50 am

springs didn't really cause a whole lot of problems with me....I had one on the bottom front teeth to allow my tooth to rotate into position...the only thing about it that bothered me was that sometimes my lip would get pinched in it.

#9 Post by **LadyTr0uble** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:13 am

Good luck today!

The spring didn't bother me any more than the braces did. Yes, it is a bit of a pain to untangle floss from, but it's problem free otherwise.

#10 Post by **manna22** » Thu May 24, 2007 12:31 pm

I got a spring between my front tooth and my canine as well....a week ago yesterday, and they put a soft tube on the outside to help with my gums. I'm hoping I can get this spring off soon (looks like it's a month til my first adjustment)

the only thing I can say badly about this is the tube stains and it makes my teeth look discolored there due to the springs silver color showing through and since I have ceramic brackets....that coil is the only thing that really is noticable...

#11 Post by **bracesafter40** » Thu May 24, 2007 7:26 pm

So pink77 did you get that spring?

I have a spring similar to what manna22, Jenp and victor36 describes and shows.
It hurts plain and simple. The pressure on the two teeth is immense and I'm pretty good with pain. The pressure on the canine is more than the tooth on the other side.

This is my second spring and it is much thicker than the one I had before. This is my second month with a spring; so about 6 weeks so far. I'm pretty sure I'll have it for another 6 weeks at least as there is lots more work to be done to make enough room for that tooth that is sitting back there.

On my visit yesterday, Ortho ordered a crimp on the end of the spring to increase the pressure and increase it did! The canine is very tender to teh touch today and I've eaten soup and soft foods today.

The pressure on the tooth after the second spring lasted about a week. With all that said, I'll do whatever it takes to get that tooth forward. It is working.

#12 Post by **nice teeth** » Fri May 25, 2007 8:24 am

Hi

I have a spring too, to make room for my incoming canine. I have had no problems with it and don't even notice it.

#13 Post by **bracesafter40** » Tue May 29, 2007 9:43 pm

Sorry that spring's so uncomfy, bracesafter40 But hopefully it's working well for you.

I think the reason your canine hurts more might be because canines have such big roots, so they are more stubborn to move

Hope you feel more comfy soon! In the meantime, take an OTC pain reliever when you need it!

Thanks. The pain went away after about three days; well kind of, I just don't touch it anymore. Yes it is working as now the space between the teeth are bigger now (floss is easy now

)

#14 Post by **wwdia** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:25 pm

I was kinda under the impresion that to close a gap ( from an extraction )they would use a chain, But when I asked my ortho today he said something about maybe just using the spring coils.
Has anyone had the chains first and then springs? or reversed maybe?
Diane

Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:28 pm

hopefullr its not painfull