damon doors stuck/causing root resportion?

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#1 Post by **nervohank** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 5:59 pm

does anyone with damon braces have painful adjustments? ive been going in every four weeks, and opening/closing the doors is so painful, i was put to tears once. i was just wondering, with all that pressure they have to apply just to close the door, is that contributing to root resportion and is anyone else having trouble with the doors. i feel like i should have just gone with traditional braces now, i mean i got four teeth pulled out anyway...

#2 Post by **Soworththeeffort** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:13 pm

I'm in SmartClips, and it's been painful closing the doors for at least the last six months. I've got some gum recession (since the braces) that (we're all kind of assuming) has been causing my teeth to be pretty sensitive. My orthodontist mentioned that the thicker wires are harder to get in and out, and can be more painful.

Here's what has helped me: I've asked the tech to brace the back of my tooth before she closes the doors on my most sensitive teeth (opening the doors isn't painful for me most of the time, but this technique might help then as well); my dentist prescribed toothpaste for sensitive teeth, and that's probably cut the amount of time my teeth hurt in half. Hope this helps you as well.

#3 Post by **Betty Bat** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:36 pm

I was one of the people who had trouble with the Damon doors. I had a few that got stuck (mainly the ones in the very front) but they didn't stick all the time and not all of them stuck. I didn't have any trouble with my roots - it was just a painful nuisance.

Sorry I can't provide more information - but I can commiserate!

#4 Post by **bracegirl77** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 7:45 pm

I know just how you feel I absolutely hate it when the tech closes the doors on my damon braces. But I also think that it depends on the tech because mine is very is not gentle at all.

#5 Post by **NYG2007** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:38 pm

I have In-Ovation C Self Ligating braces. Sometimes when I go the door opening hurts on certain teeth. The last time I went I didn't realize she was opening the doors. I see a different tech every time. The last time it was the tech who installed my braces and she is excellent. The other techs I don't like as much.

#6 Post by **overseasmel** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 8:03 pm

I have had terrible trouble with my Damon 3mx doors. My technician and orthodontist became so scared to open them (due to the insane amount of force they had to apply) that a couple of adjustments ago they made the call to leave them permanently open. They just make sure the wire is in the groove and then they also have a powerchain over the top to help keep things in place.

I was able to do this because I am at a later stage in my treatment and the ortho felt that he wouldn't require much movement really, just some small adjustments and mostly maintenance.

The issue with leaving them open is that they feel rough on the mouth. But I covered them in wax for a while until my mouth toughened up, and now I don't need it anymore. It is SUCH a relief to go in knowing I won't have to go through the opening anymore. It took up to 45 minutes just for my lowers once, and mannnnnnn did it hurt!!

#7 Post by **jxds** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:52 am

I'm sorry about that. So far I haven't had any problem with m doors, when I started wearing square wires they are certainly more difficult to place in there and close, but not a big deal... yet!

#8 Post by **crazybeautiful** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 7:18 am

Mine bloody kill every time! It seems to be the front teeth mainly, and it makes me wince every time. After my fiasco with my expander (ortho was determined to make it fit even though it was too small. That made me cry!

) I'm kind of ok with the pain side of things- I just try and get on with it and think of happy times

#9 Post by **crazybeautiful** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 7:19 am

Mine bloody kill every time! It seems to be the front teeth mainly, and it makes me wince every time. After my fiasco with my expander (ortho was determined to make it fit even though it was too small. That made me cry!

) I'm kind of ok with the pain side of things- I just try and get on with it and think of happy times

#10 Post by **nervohank** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 9:50 pm

thanks for all the answers, ya, it depends on the tech for me too and its also the front teeth which moved alot, and some techs do hold the back of the teeth so it helps as well, there isnt really much i can do about the pain, but what im really worried about is root resorption, can all that force lead to it or is root resorption from constant force?

#11 Post by **Neptune** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 11:44 am

I don't have anything to add to the root resorption discussion, just the one regarding the bracket doors. I've come to enjoy the opening/closing of the bracket doors. Throughout my treatment thus far, I've had the same group of technicians work on me during my adjustments except for one time. At the one excepted time, I was assisted by a technician who worked at my ortho's other branch, and experienced the first and only discomfort during an adjustment.

So, I'm left to assume that door opening/closing pain may depend on the skill of the technician. My regular techs NEVER have to exert extra force, whereas the other technician really struggled. I left a comment about my treatment in hopes of preventing someone else from undergoing the same discomfort.

Now I'm back with my usual group of techs, and everything is A-OK.

#12 Post by **Betty Bat** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:14 pm

To follow up on what both Meryaten and Neptune said ...

I was one of the folks with sticky Damon doors. I was a little plaque factory while I was in braces - my regular dentist's assistant commented on this when I went for my cleanings. I ended up going for cleanings every 4 months while I was in braces, used a Sonicare electric toothbrush, and tried really hard to keep my brackets clean. But, I still had the occasional door problem.

When I did have the problem, it was obvious that there were one or two assistants in the ortho's office who really knew how to manipulate the doors. I was fortunate enough to have them almost ever time.

So, I think it's a combination of both factors - the patient's "plaque production level" and the assistant's skills.

#13 Post by **drstraight** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 5:36 am

Yes, the Damon braces can get jammed or be very difficult to open. ( I stopped using them in my practice a few years ago because of that and other problems with them.) The difficulty in opening them does not cause root resorption but can be very uncomfortable to the patient in trying to open them. Because of their very nature of being self-ligating it is more difficult to get larger wires into them if the previous wires are not allowed to "work" for their optimum amount of time.
Many times the self ligated brackets jam due to calculus forming in their mechanism. I have heard from some fellow practitioners that they have their patients brush with vinegar once or twice a week to help this problem. (No kidding.)
I have gone back to traditional non-ligating brackets because I have not found a self-ligating bracket that I like. They all have their nuances and limitations. I have posted more on this subject on www.askdrstraight.com.

#14 Post by **Megan11** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 10:34 am

I had an adjustment yesterday and got a bracket on a tooth thats not yet on the gumline and the ortho assistant couldn't close the door on it for the life of her. And I kid you not it was literally the most excruciating pain ever, I pride myself on having an extremely high pain tolerance but I was tearing up like a pansy.

Also she started questioning my oral hygiene habits, my bottom front four teeth seem to build up a lot of plaque and I spend the most time cleaning them.

However, all that aside, I am glad I got damon brackets.

Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:40 pm

I'm in SmartClips, and the technique used to open/close is key. There are a few techs in my doctor's office who are so talented they should establish a bracket management COE. (I wonder if they'd have to use real patients for demo purposes, or if they could use the fake teeth that have the brackets on them....maybe they could film them working on a patient.) It really is a skill...I wonder how challenging it would be to create a way to transfer that knowledge among staff? Seems worth investigating.

BTW, we've had a snowstorm where I live (not much, maybe four or five inches by the time it's all done). After adjusting the attitude developed during my four-hour commute home, it's just so beautiful here. The snow hasn't gotten dirty yet...the kid's asleep, and our Christmas tree is providing the only light (other than my laptop screen). I'm buzzing on the season - hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday.

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damon doors stuck/causing root resportion?

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