Progress plateau and oh boy, elastics!! How long?

[tartanhabit]

Well I'm 9 months into full braces, lower braces went on a few months after top.

Firstly: So lots of movement happened in the first few months which just wowed me and excited me but now things have really plateaued. My teeth look much better but are just staying that way without more really crucial improvements and although they got much straighter they are far far from straight. Is this normal to hit a wall with the straightness? I do appreciate I have an estimated 9 months of straightness ahead of me but I guess I thought progress would be incremental. Is this where repositioning of brackets later will do more straightening work?

Secondly: I just got class 2 elastics. It frustrates me that my ortho just casually gives these instructions to the tech while I am in the chair instead of discussing it with me 'So let's start the class 2 elastics'. It's like it's no big deal to them because this is what they do every day but it's a big deal to me. I asked how long this would be for and got the usual vague 'we'll see'.

How long does the elastics phase last?

I've regretted working with this ortho because I never feel like we have adequate discussion but I've stuck with it because changing is a big deal and the end results are really what matters.

[Felina Grimm]

You'll likely wear them until the end of treatment. I was told I would wear them until it wasn't necessary. There's no time frame but it's common until you finish treatment. When I started elastics, there was a lot of movement as they were working on closing the bite. There wasn't much movement after the first month of elastics. The ortho said there wasn't going to be much movement as my teeth were already in the correct position. I have stubborn canines on my right side that won't tip or extrude and haven't noticed much movement if not at all since January. So I've also been in a plateau like you have.

[tartanhabit]

Till the end of treatment? Oh no! I'd better get used to them then!

Felina, have you had brackets repositioned?

[LongJourney]

I had mine since the beginning and I've been wearing braces for almost 5 months. Stay strong

[Felina Grimm]

You'll get used to it. When you start using them or when you get a new configuration, it only hurts for 2 days or so. I've only had one bracket repo so far.

[Zara9]

Till end of treatment

[cdmoses6]

I know how you feel! When I first started with my braces, I was quite put off by the abrupt nature of my appointments. I didn't feel like I was getting my money's worth! This has changed now, and I have found that with my ortho at least, it seems to be a "if you don't ask, I won't tell" policy. Any time I have had a question he has been pretty thorough explaining it all to me, if he's able to give a clear cut answer. With your elastics, there's really no way to know for sure how long you'll have them. Part of that depends on you! If you wear them diligently as often as possible, then you should be out of them sooner rather than later. And it also depends on how your teeth cooperate to give the outcome your ortho is looking for. Best of luck to you!

[angelina]

I started with elastics 24/7, then no elastics at all, then elastics at night only. Just about every appointment it changes, and yes I was majorly relieved when they told me I don't have to wear them fulltime!

[djspeece]

I was able to stop wearing them about 3 months prior to the end of treatment. I was ecstatic. The last few months seemed to last forever.

[sirwired]

Everybody's treatment plan will be different; it's impossible for anybody here to say how long you'll be in bands or what configurations you'll have when.

If you have a long list of questions about your treatment, you can often arrange for a time to talk with your ortho on the phone (or in person) for a while outside of your regular adjustments. Most orthos are very busy before and after school on school days, but outside of those hours, can usually arrange for some time to talk.

I will say that it's very common for the most dramatic movements to happen at the beginning (when the teeth are hauled into line with those initial round wires), but it often takes a lot longer for the teeth to be at their proper final angles and positions once they are in a nice neat line.