Metal Mouth Message Board

Jillianleab wrote:
A friend of mine who had braces a few years ago said they start you in heavy, then drop you to thinner elastics as your treatment goes on. Anyone else experience this?

I started with medium ("Bill") and have been in them for the last 7 weeks. I guess it depends on what the ortho is trying to achieve.

I'd be worried the lions would try & EAT the zebras!

Hey! No fair! I want my Mountain Gorilla elastics in neon!!!

Heh. I've been wearing mountain gorillas for over a year, and I only got neon colors once....apparently they had shipped the wrong kind and the only elastics the office had for anyone were neon colored.

It added a new aspect to putting on elastics in the morning before I went out...they needed to match! Do these colors go with these colors? Am I clashing with my outfit? lol...

Right now I have class 2 configuration on one side & triangle on the other side.
Both are "Bill".
For me, wearing elastics has been one of the more difficult aspects of this journey b/c I feel like such a DORK when I am wearing them.
I have seen many adults in braces, but not one wearing elastics....
Any one else had this experience?

sedona wrote:Right now I have class 2 configuration on one side & triangle on the other side.
Both are "Bill".
For me, wearing elastics has been one of the more difficult aspects of this journey b/c I feel like such a DORK when I am wearing them.
I have seen many adults in braces, but not one wearing elastics....
Any one else had this experience?

Hey, I've also got Bill in my mouth. I've got "him" in a box configuration on either side to close my bite. And I'm no spring chicken.

For me, wearing elastics has been one of the more difficult aspects of this journey b/c I feel like such a DORK when I am wearing them.

I have a triangle configuration too, so I know what you mean about it being difficult. I hate that the front of the triangle is visable when I talk and looks like lines of spit just hangin' out! I am more self conscious about the elastics than I am the braces, especially now that I'm used to the braces. I figure I'll get used to the elastics too, in time. I am, however, guilty of taking the elastics out at times to avoid embarrassment... usually only when I'm going out to eat though.

[quote="meryaten"]But do you really think that your class II and triangle are very visible? I felt that class II elastics are pretty inconspicuous for the most part.[/quote]

I would say that the triangle is definitely visible b/c it is running canine to canine. The class II is less visible.
Also, I find the lack of symmetry aesthetically displeasing.....

I just got mine last week. I have "Greg" 5/16" 2oz. Light....
I want some crazy animal names too

I have seen many adults in braces, but not one wearing elastics....
Any one else had this experience?

I was at a party store last week and the woman in front of me smiled at me (I assumed to say hello) and when she did I saw that she had a single elastic from upper left to lower right that went diagonally across the front of her mouth.

She seemed self contious about it then I realized she was smiling at me because I had elastics too!...little secret society

I have been wearing Seals for about 8 months in different configurations, as needed. I am almost done, but yesterday at work (retail, dealing directly with customers), I had one break on me. Unfortunately, it broke and left half of it hanging out the side of my mouth! I politely commented to the person I was waiting on, "Excuse me while I take this out of my mouth before I gross someone out." I proceeded to "pluck" it out...

sorry, it double posted...

Mine are called "Moose" elastics - and I want to DIE wearing them...

I don't know how you are doing it (in retail, Attagirl...) - I work in sales as well, and can't feel confident going to meetings, on the phone, etc. with them on. I have to wear one on each side - in a triangle-type configuration top-bottom-top, and then one in the very front in a square, since I need to move the top teeth to sit over my bottom teeth (now they are touching exactly together.)

I know I need to be wearing them all of the time so they will move faster and so I can get my braces off sooner, but wearing the elastics during the day at work just feels impossible. So I have been wearing them from when I get home (after dinner) until my first cup of coffee in the morning...because I can't go out like this. It is one thing to have braces, it is a totally different thing to have ridiculous elastics all over your mouth from top to bottom....

Does anyone else feel this way? I just can't believe that after having braces on for almost a year (and getting over that), I need to deal with this now....

Ha! I love these names! I have been cracking up reading these posts. I am not yet in elastics but I know it will be a very humbling experience.

I wear box elastics on either side all the time (other than when brushing and cleaning). These have helped bring my top front teeth to a position where they overlap my bottom teeth, so I guess I'm lucky to get away without having to wear any at the front. My ortho told me that the longer I wear them, the better the outcome will be. I didn't particularly care for them at first, and yes - they are noticeable - but I don't have much choice. I'm not in retail, but I do deal with other professionals frequently. I've not had a reaction yet.

I don't know how you are doing it (in retail, Attagirl...) - I work in sales as well, and can't feel confident going to meetings, on the phone, etc. with them on. I have to wear one on each side - in a triangle-type configuration top-bottom-top, and then one in the very front in a square, since I need to move the top teeth to sit over my bottom teeth (now they are touching exactly together.)

I've been wearing elastics in my mouth in various combinations (though all of them indluding triangles on each side) for nearly 18 months. Yes, they annoy me. Yes, sometimes they hurt. But, really, you just get over it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not an elastics enthusiast (is there such a thing? ) or anything of that sort, and everytime I get told that I have to keep them for yet another month I groan, but when it's all said and done, I just wear 'em.

I work in a customer service position with four elastics in my mouth everyday and not one single person has ever mentioned it or even looked at my mouth, for that matter. People don't care what you have in your mouth. The only people who ever comment on my "equipment" are other people with braces. We're the only ones who ever notice this stuff, so don't stress!