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Okay, maybe I just have an inferior brand of wax (I have Orthosil brand) but I CAN'T GET IT TO STAY ON THE BRACKET
I do get the teeth very dry - I use gauze to suck out the moisture and then allow it to air dry as well for a good 10 seconds. Then the wax won't come off of my finger! Then, once I do get it to stay on there, and I think it's on there pretty good, just the action of my inner cheek touching it makes it come off!
I'm not a total moron, but I can't figure out how to get it to stay on. My mouth has gotten used to the friction of the brackets, but I'd still like to master the wax situation, as I know they'll add new things that will hurt to my mouth later!
I was having the same problem. It was harder to get it to stay when I was drying it first. I started not drying anything and just put it on the pokey part in a little ball then put my lip over it and kind of smush it down with my lip. Hope that makes sense. It's hard to explain. That way it doesn't stick to my finger. Then it stays put. I've got some sharp edges on two of my ceramic brackets where they cut off hooks and I can't get by without wax on them. Not yet anyway. I'm getting tired of messing with wax though.
Maybe this helps too: once you finished molding the wax, and you are about to place it over the bracket, wet your finger with water (just a little) and then use the wet tip of the finger to mold it over the bracket or the pokey thing. That way the wax won't stick to your finger.
I found it useful also not to dry completely the bracket, as linda21 said.
Good luck on that!
Top braces on: January 9th, 2006. Lowers on February 14th, 2006
Full metalmouth!
My Ortho gave me Orthosil too and I have found that it is much harder to use than the other brands I've tried. I finally found the trick to it though. After you've gotten your wax ready and you're about to press it on, lick your finger and the wax won't stick to your finger. I think someone else said to wet your finger with water, that probably works too. Good luck!
Marzipan wrote:Ronni's thing worked for me. I was going nuts for about a week until someone said, lick your finger first and the wax won't stick to it.
It works - do it!
Oh ya, that's the secret !!
Then I press my closed lip (using my fingers) into the area with the wax and it seals it tight to the bracket.
Thanks everyone for the advice! I've finally perfected my technique, and here's what I've learned:
-Orthosil is much harder to get to stick. However, once on, it is softer and glide-y-er (haha, not a word!) than other wax.
-For Orthosil, it needs to be drier than other kinds. I got some DenTek from a pharmacy, which was harder and stuck more easily. It was more forgiving of a moist surface too.
I hope that all these responses help anyone who's having trouble with wax. Like usual, neccesity is the mother of invention, so I figured it out when I had the mother of all canker sores! Happy waxing!
PS - On a silly note, the word for wax in French is "fart"! Haha! But it's pronounced like "farh" with a soft r!
!!