90 days into braces... haven't seen any movement...

[DapperFellow]

I got my braces on 90 days ago (ceramic ones) and I've yet to see any noticeable movements. It might be worth noting that I had to get my 4 premolars removed about 60 days into that process due to crowding, and my orthodontist only last week began to close the gaps. Could that be why I haven't seen any movement?

I could just use some encouragement... I was hoping this process would go a little faster...

[jem]

I didn't see much progress in my first 3 months either. I think that there are quite a few of us on this board who worried at some point that braces would not work in our case for whatever reason. Don't worry, they will! But progress seems to come at different speeds for different people and is hard to predict. Looking in the mirror 5 times a day doesn't seem to speed things up either.But you will wake up one morning to see a tooth is slightly less crossed or has moved a little more into line. From what others have said on this site, extraction gaps take their time to close. So do not use gap closure as a measure of your progress-you will find other subtle indicators.

Good luck with your treatment.

Jem

[oimysizex]

Don't worry, its taken me months to see 'noticeable' changes. You will soon see changes, it all depends on what your teeth were like beforehand, if they weren't that bad then it does take longer to see changes.

[Leebie3]

aww I'm sorry you feel disheartened... guaranteed they WILL be moving otherwise the ortho wouldn't be progressing with the work (ie closing the gaps) I think it's not just about straightening teeth it's about getting them into the right ?rotation? and things like that so they can move them.. Ask your ortho maybe? He might have planned it this way

you WILL have gorgeous teeth when they're done

[furious george]

You know, the things I saw in the first the months weren't immediately apparent unless I was looking side by side.

The earliest things were that my teeth (canines, especially) started rotating, and that my teeth ended up leveling out, if that makes sense. I didn't expect those things, and so I wasn't looking for those changes. It wasn't obvious but it was there.

[Tobilei]

My front gap closed after my 2nd adjustment (about 3 months in), but otherwise, for the last 2-3 months, all the work is being done at the back and I really haven't noticed much changing other than a single molar that decided to head outwards instead of forwards. It's not unususal for it to take a while to see anything happening. As others have said, sometimes teeth are just being rotated etc and extraction gaps can take a while to close. I have one that's being made smaller but not being closed and my ortho tells me it's smaller than it was but I don't see any difference at all yet.

[DapperFellow]

Thanks for your responses... I really hope I start to see movement soon!

[Tobilei]

Thanks for your responses... I really hope I start to see movement soon!

Hang in there! I'm sure you will!

[djspeece]

I know what you mean. I really don't "see" much change, but noticed that my bite improved rather quickly (in terms of alignment) and that I could feel a reduction in the gap between my left canine and the front tooth with my tongue. Think the height of the teeth is evening out. I think the movements are too subtle for many of us to visualize. My general dentist is thrilled, my ortho is somewhat introverted and tends to keep the chit-chat to a minimum, but at my next visit I am going to ask for a full assessment (I had Damons applied in September 2012). I read somewhere, perhaps on this forum in one of the Braces 101 articles, that in general teeth move about a millimeter per month. I know have power chains top and bottom, and apparently will get rubber bands at my next visit. The ortho explained that they were needed to control the movement of the molars (and I have a couple of gaps to reduce). I do feel that my teeth are moving more quickly at this point, and that I can feel the "pull" of the archwire and powerchains the entire time now between my 6 week visits. Perhaps it is true that "objects in motion tend to stay in motion."

[Dee17]

I have been in my braces for about six months now. Have really only started to see noticeable changes a month ago. Stop looking in the mirror 20 times a day, have faith in the technology and relax. It will happen. Hang in there.

[DapperFellow]

I have been in my braces for about six months now. Have really only started to see noticeable changes a month ago. Stop looking in the mirror 20 times a day, have faith in the technology and relax. It will happen. Hang in there.

Thanks. I just want these premolar gaps to close...

[Dee17]

They will. It will just take time. Keep the faith.