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[41twinsmom]

Hi, I am just starting out here and with braces. I am 41 and have wanted braces for some time. I have over-crowding and have an upper canine and lower canine, on opposite sides that jut outwards. The bottom never bothered me as you can't really see it, but the top does, especially when a photo gets it at just the wrong angle. It has been harded and harded to clean between these as well.

I will have an expander, with metal braces and treatment is estimated to run 3 years. I got my spacers 2 days ago - a process they said would take 20 minutes and be a breeze. The woman putting them in said that in her 40 years, she has never seen teeth as tight as mine (I have to use dental tape as I break regular floss.) Instead of taking 20 minutes, it took 2 woman grunting and straining to get the 12 spacers in (a combo of rubber and metal.) The very next morning one came out while brusihing and one side of it is worn as thin as a piece of dental tape. I am concerned that my teeth is straining and thinning the rubber spacers, rather than doing what they are supposed to. Of course, my ortho office was closed yesterday so I have to wait until Monday.

I think this is going to be a much worse process than anticipated :(

[Bracesat57]

Good luck with your journey. You will be so glad you started this process.

My spacers were hard to get in also. It is not all that uncommon. They do hurt like hell cause all of your teeth have shifted slightly to make room for them. You will be glad when they come out and the braces go on.

The first few weeks will be challenging when it comes to eating but then everything gets back to normal.

Welcome to the club!

[41twinsmom]

Thanks Bracesat57! I am nervous and excited!

[Wolfy]

Hi 41twinsmom,

Congrats with starting your treatment already! I am getting my braces on tomorrow - also nervous and excited!!
I don't think I have to have spacers, but I have had 4 premolars extracted in the last 2 weeks, so maybe that has made enough space. Sorry I can't help with the spacers, but I agree you should go check with your ortho, even if just for peace of mind.
Good luck with everything, I hope it goes well for you

[41twinsmom]

Hi Wolfy,

If you're getting your braces on already without spacers, then I don't think you will have them.

I went back for my scan and found out that it is not palat expander as I originally thought but upper and lower spring loaded pendulum appliances to push back the molars and make room for the rest of my teeth. They took the 12 spacers out for the digital scan, then put 16 back in that will be in for over 3 weeks! My teeth are just too tight and they don't want to risk them shifting before the appliance installation.

[kelly88]

16 spacers? Oh, ouch!

I can't give any advice on spacers (I haven't had them both times I've had braces) but just wanted to wish you luck! Congratulations on starting this exciting journey

[EWUgal15]

I would say that spacers are at the top of my list for the worst part of treatment (so far). I had to have 8 before I actually got braces, to make room for molar bands on the first molars..which worked for 3 of 4 teeth. Then I had to have 2 more put in 2 weeks before my first adjustment to band the last molar from that go round...then I had to have 4 more placed later on to band my second molars, where I swallowed one while eating a steak dinner and had to have it replaced...

They were troublesome and caused some very horrible pain, but once they were out and the braces were on, things went very smoothly. I think its because the spacers move things in an unfriendly way, kind of opposite of the way that braces try to move things along...but I'm not an expert.

16 spacers, I'm guessing mostly (if not all) metal, sounds extreme! I wish you the best of luck and hope things ease up when the braces go on!

[leelou905]

I have had spacers they've been the worst part of this whole process if I'm honest with you - so far anyway.

You will look back at this and think braces are a peice of cake compared to those spacers.
They are probably going to put molar bands on, since that's what I had spacers for and most other people tend to have done after the spacers. Molar bands do not hurt, the spacers make enough space so that they slide on. You will be grateful knowing you had spacers first.

My partner had molar bands shoved on without spacers and he said the ortho was just there pushing all of his weight onto his jaw, he said he thought his jaw was going to dislocate. Not nice.

[EP30]

Congrats and good luck!