Hello everyone!
I am new to the message board and have come across archwire.com a few times. I have only had my braces for a little over a month now.
I decided to get the "Damon Braces" which I was told by my Orthodontist has a shorter treatment time and is a little more comfortable than your "normal wire" braces. I also don't have to go to the Orthodontist's office to get an adjustment as often as I normally would with other braces. So far, everything seems to be going ok. My braces look a little different though and I was wondering if anyone had the same kind I do =)
The bottom set of braces in the front don't have a normal looking archwire. It looks more like a spring because there are two teeth that are not lined up with the rest.
I do have a large overbite and am currently wearing these REALLY ANNOYING white blocks behind my two upper teeth (the two teeth next to my two front teeth). My Orthodontist told me that the purpose of the little blocks behind my teeth are to prevent my upper teeth from hitting the bottoms and they will not be removed until my bite is corrected slightly. (eww!) Nobody I know, knows what I am talking about! HA ha!
I guess the major thing is that I don't have a nice "U" shape on my upper teeth - it's more like a "V" shaped.
Does anyone have a similar case?
Damon Braces and Question =)
Moderator: bbsadmin
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simplywired
- Posts: 110
- Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 10:45 pm
- Location: Seattle, Washington
Hi - I have Damons also and have a V shaped upper arch that needs to be rounded. My bite is such that with braces on I'm not touching the back front teeth so I imagine that yours needs the blocks because yours do currently. My teeth have moved a lot in 7 weeks - seems like my bite has changed a lot also. So I suspect the blocks are quite temporary for you. If you haven't been to the Damon site I think you'd enjoy it. Be sure and check out the gallery - it's fun - http://www.damonbraces.com/
Good luck to you
Good luck to you
Hello! 
Thanks for your very informative responses. With the first response - yes! They ARE called "bite-turbos" - I couldn't remember for the life of me what they were called. You know what's funny (well, not really at the time). The Orthodontist and his assistant put the two turbos on my two front teeth and realized after they put my archwire on that it was wrong. Sooooooo, they had to scrape, scrape, scrape away to get the cement off (which was mildly irritating lol) and reposition them on the correct two teeth. Ugh. I must say, when I first got them on, I was miserable and didn't know how in the world it would be possible for me to eat food. I couoldn't see myself eating soup and jello for the next two months or so because of them. But, with a couple days passing (more like a week), I slowly have become use to wearing the turbos and just found new ways of chewing my food. Ha ha! Even though I am use to them (some what), I still CANNOT wait until they are removed - eek!
In regards to the second response - you sound a lot like me!! You know, I never really realized how messed up my teeth were until I saw a picture of my upper set. I said, "wow, my teeth really are crocked!" I have to wear my braces for a year and a half which isn't too bad at all. My Orthodontist told me that if I got the regular ceramic braces (which is what I originally wanted), my treatment time would probably be about 6 months longer.
They say when your braces are on, something happens during the entire treatment. Of course, you can't tell because your teeth are moving REALLY REALLY slowly. I thought about taking pictures of my teeth every month to see if I would notice a change. I can't tell at this point if they have moved or not. Considering that I have only had them for a month, I would think it would be difficult to tell.
Thanks for your very informative responses. With the first response - yes! They ARE called "bite-turbos" - I couldn't remember for the life of me what they were called. You know what's funny (well, not really at the time). The Orthodontist and his assistant put the two turbos on my two front teeth and realized after they put my archwire on that it was wrong. Sooooooo, they had to scrape, scrape, scrape away to get the cement off (which was mildly irritating lol) and reposition them on the correct two teeth. Ugh. I must say, when I first got them on, I was miserable and didn't know how in the world it would be possible for me to eat food. I couoldn't see myself eating soup and jello for the next two months or so because of them. But, with a couple days passing (more like a week), I slowly have become use to wearing the turbos and just found new ways of chewing my food. Ha ha! Even though I am use to them (some what), I still CANNOT wait until they are removed - eek!
In regards to the second response - you sound a lot like me!! You know, I never really realized how messed up my teeth were until I saw a picture of my upper set. I said, "wow, my teeth really are crocked!" I have to wear my braces for a year and a half which isn't too bad at all. My Orthodontist told me that if I got the regular ceramic braces (which is what I originally wanted), my treatment time would probably be about 6 months longer.
They say when your braces are on, something happens during the entire treatment. Of course, you can't tell because your teeth are moving REALLY REALLY slowly. I thought about taking pictures of my teeth every month to see if I would notice a change. I can't tell at this point if they have moved or not. Considering that I have only had them for a month, I would think it would be difficult to tell.
In regard to the V shape, I started off with pretty narrow uppers and have nice Us now. Check out this photo. It's from a couple of months ago. The uppers are on the left and the lowers on the right. That was at 5 1/2 months. Now I'm at 7 1/2 and the bottom is totally straightened out into a nice smooth U too. I like this photo because you can really see the progress. It makes all this work worthwhile! Good luck.
Damon 3s. On 2/15/2006. Off 2/21/2007!
Essix on uppers, Hawley on lowers.
Essix on uppers, Hawley on lowers.
Hi there,
I've had Damon 3's on since February this year. I think they are great. I've had very little pain and changing wires has been easy. They don't look as good as some of the others, but you don't have to have elastic bands, which I think more than makes up for it. They are also supposed to be very good at widening arches - which I need as well.
I also have bite turbos on my two top front teeth and I hate them, I really do, although I do understand why I have to have them. I've had them on since the end of March, just as a warning when I read what people had written here, I realized that they might be on for a long time. Mine aren't working that well at the moment to be honest I'm not sure they ever have, I hate to say it but I think they are too high and need to be longer - argh! But rather that, then damaging my teeth.
Good luck!
xmel
I've had Damon 3's on since February this year. I think they are great. I've had very little pain and changing wires has been easy. They don't look as good as some of the others, but you don't have to have elastic bands, which I think more than makes up for it. They are also supposed to be very good at widening arches - which I need as well.
I also have bite turbos on my two top front teeth and I hate them, I really do, although I do understand why I have to have them. I've had them on since the end of March, just as a warning when I read what people had written here, I realized that they might be on for a long time. Mine aren't working that well at the moment to be honest I'm not sure they ever have, I hate to say it but I think they are too high and need to be longer - argh! But rather that, then damaging my teeth.
Good luck!
xmel
Damon3 upper & lowers
plus bite turbos on upper front teeth and one elastic closing a gap on front lower teeth and one closing a gap on upper front teeth. Elastics on hooks both sides.
plus bite turbos on upper front teeth and one elastic closing a gap on front lower teeth and one closing a gap on upper front teeth. Elastics on hooks both sides.
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BracedSurgeryStudent
- Posts: 1091
- Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:02 pm
- Location: Dartmouth Massachusetts
- Contact:
Re: Damon Braces and Question =)
I know exactly what you are talking about the bite blocks on the backs of the two front teeth, I have Damon braces as well. The wires are different in that they have stops on the wires making them look weird and different dont make a big deal of it jsut think it makes you cooler and high tech having DAMON BRACES is like having the iPad 2 while everyone still has the chuny white desktop computers No offense to everyone who has the normal kind I just feel cooler in Damons and a lot of heads turn and people ask. It feels nice. Damon braces are definatly a great system to have on.
PS to JoeMama: I have the same thing or did in the lower two front brackets turned into each other they're starting to straighten out now
PS to JoeMama: I have the same thing or did in the lower two front brackets turned into each other they're starting to straighten out now
Jenn Medeiros
Re: Damon Braces and Question =)
Another bite turbo hater- but you really will get used to them. If you search out my first posts here, that was exactly what they were about- how I couldn't talk at all and hated them! I was originally told 2 to 6 months for the bite turbos. It has been around 2 months now, and they might come off next week. *Crossing fingers*.
Talk as much as you can. That's all I can say. I can't tell you how many times in the first couple of weeks I would apologize to people for the way I was talking- but then it got better. And today I can even say S again!
Good luck.
Talk as much as you can. That's all I can say. I can't tell you how many times in the first couple of weeks I would apologize to people for the way I was talking- but then it got better. And today I can even say S again!
Good luck.
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BracedSurgeryStudent
- Posts: 1091
- Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:02 pm
- Location: Dartmouth Massachusetts
- Contact:
Re: Damon Braces and Question =)
I ahve never had Bite Turbos, my botom braces are on my gumline. Well closest as possible to it but still on the teeth. My teeth on the top and on the bottom were twoo far spaced to put the bite turbos because they would not even help. IO hope you guys can get thru it.
Jenn Medeiros