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jonesortho wrote:Hi JoviFan,
Sounds like what you are going through is very standard. When we bond the lower arch up, it is so hard to get things to meet properly and brackets invariably get in the way. There are a couple of tricks that we have up our sleeves that we use in some cases. Build-ups can be put on the molars or incisors to keep your teeth from hitting the brackets, but that still means that only the teeth that hit the build-ups will be touching anything. You have too much space between the upper and lower teeth in front to do build-ups there, so you'd have them in the back. Those teeth will be the only ones that you can chew on and will take th brunt of the force, so they will be sore. If you aren't breaking off brackets, then I see little difference between having your teeth hitting on a bracket and having them hit on a molar build-up. Commonly, we leave it hitting only on a bracket, like in your case. Unfortunately, we can't predict how long it will be like this, but it's going to be more like weeks/months than it will be days. Sorry, that's one of the worst parts about braces and when I figure out a good solution for it, I'll let everyone know--and then retire on the proceeds.
As far as the repostion....this is another tricky one. You often can't tell if the tooth is getting straighter until the wire has had a chance to fully express itself---takes at least a few weeks. Even so, they may not have gotten it in the ideal spot. I've repositioned one of my wife's brackets twice now, and it's as far off as ever. The anatomy of the tooth and the bracket can be a tricky thing to get to mesh right. I'm sure they will get it straight before it's done, so I wouldn't call them about it, just mention it kindly to them at some point.
Sorry, I wish I could give you more advice than "this sucks, but it's common" but that's about it. Keep "livin' on a prayer"...and some pain killers!
Thanks for the quick reply!!!! btw - loved the 'livin' on a prayer' Bon Jovi reference!!!! I'm impressed
(whoops, posted question twice and couldn't delete, could only edit)
Nov 1960: born
1973 ?: palate expander
1973-1977: braces
Aug 1981: Le Fort I, posterior impaction to correct anterior open bite and class II malocclusion
Aug 2007: braces again to correct various alignment issues and class II malocclusion
Gums can recede for a number of reasons such as genetics, overzealous brushing, and most notably gum disease. It's hard to pin down exactly why gums recede. However, I'm not aware of any link between length of time in braces and recession.
I asked this elsewhere, but I thought this woluld be easier for you. My dentist wants to bond uppers and lowers for my retainer, no other kind of retainer used. It seems unorthodox. Do you know of anything inherently bad about this?
I have upper and lower bonded retainers on myself, no other retainers. It's not uncommon to do this. Although some will back it up with a removable retainer for a short bit after braces are taken off.
Typically your bite and the muscles of your cheeks and lips will prevent that from happening. I believe you mentioned that you had extractions. If the boneded retainer is not carried across the extraction site, there is some risk of space opening there. Usually the bonded retainer incorporates the front 6 teeth. It is not common for all 6 teeth to move as a unit away from the back teeth a substantial amount. Sometimes a small amount of space will open between the front and back teeth, but this has not shown to be a problem, neither from an esthetic nor from a gum health standpoint.
It's so kind of you to offer to help! We really appreciate it!
I have one question that I'd love some help with. I've had my braces on for 3 weeks now. I'm 37 so it's long overdue. Okay, I'm really 39 : )
I have crowding on the top, with one particularly problem tooth (the lateral incisor has always stuck out considerably. There has been alot of pressure on my front tooth. At first it was moving inward a bit, which my Orthodentist said was okay. But now it has moved downward a bit. I know the teeth will move around, but downward seems odd and makes me nervous. Does that sound normal to you. I'll be seeing my doctor again in one month. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Mary,
Being that you have had your braces on only a few weeks, it's not abnormal to see the teeth move around abit in some unusual ways. When there is a lot of mis-alignment to start, it can take several months before the teeth start "shaping up". I usually tell patients (especially adults who have had years to get used to how their teeth look and feel) that things may get worse for a time before they get better. It's hard to not be anxious at the beginning, but it does take some faith that things will straighten up properly.
Good luck!
short version is that I had a 4mm overbite, and a 4.5mm overjet. I had tooth 21 extracted and began with Invisalign in July of 2006. That did not go as planned, especially on the bottom where 20 and 19 tipped badly, and somehow seemed to sink lower. Teeth 7 and 6 also need to be derotated slightly. I'm now in full braces top and bottom since Oct 1, for around 3-4 months.
My question is about retainers. I have read endless discussions about which type people prefer, but what I'd like to hear your opinion on is which type of retainer you feel is best not from a dental hygiene or aesthetic POV (I am fine with either, although I am slated for bonded), but rather as to which retains the teeth in their exact positions best. After everything I've gone through I will want to retain the results as well as can be.
Hi there,
Retainers area highly personal preference, so I worry about stepping on toes here. My current retainers of choice for patients is a bonded lower and clear upper retainer. I choose these most of the time, not because they are the best, but because they fit into my treatment style and I'm more likely to get the patients to wear them. If we lived in a perfect world where everyone did everything I asked, I would give every patient an upper Hawley (acrylic and wire- your standard orthodontic retainer) and a lower spring retainer (very similar to the Hawley with a little more acrylic on the outside wire). These retainers last a long time, are easy to adjust, and hold the teeth in place well if worn.
If you are committed to wearing your retainer full time for about 6 months, nightly for the next year, and 3 night a week for the rest of your life after that, then these retainers are great. If you think you may cheat, then bonded retainers are sure to keep your teeth reasonably straight indefinitely.
Please don't go to your orthodontist telling them that I said Hawleys or springs are better than bonded. They are my favorite retainers for the reasons I mentioned, but I don't use them as much because people just don't wear their retainers well. FWIW, I've had bonded retainers on my upper and lower teeth for a decade now and I've chosen to keep them in place. I am very good about cleaning around them, although I've popped the bond off my teeth twice now. Lucky for me, I have colleagues who can fix them for me for free. I like them because I know I don't have to worry about my front teeth shifting.
Thank you so much! One more question? You mentioned above that bonded should go past any extraction site. I was pretty sure my ortho told me it would go from 22-27, should I discuss having it go to 20? I didn't even know that was possible.
p.s. no worries about my ortho, he LOVES that I come in with all these questions, and he always asks what I've read about since our last visit. I even introduced him to invisalign Chewies, they don't have them here in Germany and I brought him back a bag from Canada.
