Archwire Sizes

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

Hey everyone. I got my braces on september 8th, 2011. I got .014 on the top and .013 on the bottom. I am a Damon System Patient with an overjet/overbite.
What sizes does everyone have now?
I was wondering how soon from first getting braces does wires get changed? How many wires are typically used on average on a 30 month Damon Treatment with an overbite?

[crooked rory]

Braced,

I have 0.016 on the top and bottom. They are stranded trainer wires, appearing to be composed of 3 tightly twisted small triangular wires. Is this something that most people would even know? I had no idea my size until I measured it with a micrometer. I know mine will be changed Tuesday, but that is because the oral surgeon had to cut the bottom one to extract one of the teeth. My OD, Dr. B, also told me when he put them on that he would be putting on stronger non-trainer wires after the required teeth were extracted. It seems that surgery students have a similar curiousity level to engineers.

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

Braced,

I have 0.016 on the top and bottom. They are stranded trainer wires, appearing to be composed of 3 tightly twisted small triangular wires. Is this something that most people would even know? I had no idea my size until I measured it with a micrometer. I know mine will be changed Tuesday, but that is because the oral surgeon had to cut the bottom one to extract one of the teeth. My OD, Dr. B, also told me when he put them on that he would be putting on stronger non-trainer wires after the required teeth were extracted. It seems that surgery students have a similar curiousity level to engineers.

I am a surgical student, soon to be in PreMed. I am interesting in mechanics as well as the medicine involved in surgery. I tihnk that is really interesting actually nad it's cool that you know that. I wonder how often wires will be changed because I wont be going until 7 weeks from the oct 12 adjustment and she said she's jsut working on the top overjet and reduction of the deep bite. That we're not really focusing on the bottom for the treatment of course that's going to get worked on. I was actually going to get surgery for the Posterior Vertical Maxillary Excess and the jaw discrepoancy but the insurance got changed so we decided braces only, I wont have much of a gummy smile with the deep bite reduction. She put on initially an o14 on the top and an o13 on the bottom and when I went to the first adjustment she kept the same on the top and then matched the bottom to the o14, to work the top a little more than the bottom. I am quite happy with the way she is doing things she's an excellent orthodontist. What are you studying? Engineering?

[crooked rory]

I actually have already graduated, having left my sanity back at Manhattan college. I finished an B.S. in environmental engineering in 2004, and finished my M.E. in environmental engineering in 2006. I focused on the fluids ends of things, specializing in water and wastewater treatment. The solid waste and haz-mat cleanup did not appeal to me. I actually work as a civil engineer in the wastewater field for a municipality. It is mostly hands on and field work, so I love it I deal with contract workers a lot, so I am used to having to ask tons of questions. This carries over to medicine and dentistry for me as I also ask lots of questions to doctors and dentists. I also research into medications, procedures and diagnoses in great detail. On the topic of medication, the ambien I took before is kicking in

[belistic10]

i wouldnt have a clue what size wire i have

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

I actually have already graduated, having left my sanity back at Manhattan college. I finished an B.S. in environmental engineering in 2004, and finished my M.E. in environmental engineering in 2006. I focused on the fluids ends of things, specializing in water and wastewater treatment. The solid waste and haz-mat cleanup did not appeal to me. I actually work as a civil engineer in the wastewater field for a municipality. It is mostly hands on and field work, so I love it I deal with contract workers a lot, so I am used to having to ask tons of questions. This carries over to medicine and dentistry for me as I also ask lots of questions to doctors and dentists. I also research into medications, procedures and diagnoses in great detail. On the topic of medication, the ambien I took before is kicking in

Hey that's AWESOME! Yeah I'm always asking my doctors things like my ortho described so much stuff in my treatment plan in the initial visit I went home researched it and she described it again in simplified form and I was like oph you mean the herbst appliance or oh you mean orthognathic surgery? She was like wow you're scary you know too much! we just laughed and she said so you know how to take care of orthodontic emergencies? I said "yup if a steel tie wire comes out of place use the end of a pencil eraser, you can use wax to aleviate cuts, and clip wires if they come out." She's all sitting there and she was speechless and alls he could say is "WOW!" I guess it's in the I want to learn in me that makes me research everything. I've had some kidney surgery in the past so i looked up the name and the proceedures ive had nad i've even watched them. Yeah it's good to research and to know I mean look at it this way what if a Doctor tried to give you medicine thinking you would get better and you never research it nad it could ahve terrible harmful side effects, i usually research in case that happened I could get a different form of medicine tho a few time I had to have medicine that was so bad my cancer friend after reading them said its worse than her chemo and her chemo was pretty bad. But yeah, The only reason I know what sizes mine were were because my ortho talks to herself out loud, unless she was talking to the assistant LOL. Tho she knows I like to research so she jsut tells me everything. lol.

Have a great night sleep, I can never sleep at night.

[crooked rory]

I got my new wires put on yesterday afternoon, and they were 0.018" top and bottom. They are NiTiCu temperature sensitive wires. Felt great until my mouth warmed them up and they stiffened I asked about the originals, and they were 0.0125 stranded. I may have misread the micrometer when I said 0.013". The difference of 0.0005" is smaller than a fine human hair, almost as small as a red blood cell, so I stand by my measurement

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

OWWWW that sounds like it hurts my arch wires have a few stops on them and it makes the wire more stiff nad it KILLS. But I still have .014 on top and bottom now she changed the lower to .014 with three stops on it on October 12th, I kinda cant wait to go back when I go back I feel soo much progress, I dont like that going hurts afterwards tho. Only 5 more weeks till my next adjustment.

[zcenteno]

i got a niti wire .16. Niti wires changes/switch back to its original form once its in mouth temperature.

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

Mine return to the normal shape via the fact they are memory wires.

[kellyb]

i started on .014 and had my first adjustment this past weekend (6 weeks after brace day) and i have been upgraded to .018

[EbonyQ]

Started on .013 (and which I still have) and on my first adjustment I will get .014

[vincent168]

Does thicker wire=more pain?

[kellyb]

i actually had more tenderness with my first archwire (0.014) than i did with the current 0.018. however, pls note i have only been wearing the 0.018 now for 4 days so far so i am not sure what else might come. also, i am only wearing braces on my lower arch at the moment.

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

Im in either 016 or 018 now.