Metal Mouth Message Board

This is a bit of a rant but let me start by saying that this is a great site and I thank all of the members that share such their experiences.

My case: I have a missing upper central (right). It's off the midline and there isn't enough space to put in an implant. Initially, I planned on getting just my upper teeth braced to create space for an implant. However, since I wasn't completely happy with my profile either, I decided to bite the bullet and get the whole shabang. I got 3 premolars extracted and one baby canine. My upper right premolar was left in to act as a canine.

The problem: Other than my missing tooth, I had pretty great teeth. Even when I was getting consultations, all the othors would say " Wow, your teeth are actually good and you have a really good bite." I didn't even need to go through the alignment stage. My ortho started off on leveling my teeth. I got braced on 01/17 but my ortho hasn't switched me to a stronger wire yet! This is at a teaching school and his "instructor" tells him to not change it until it's no longer "activated." I just had an appointment on Monday and know he says I may have 5 more months of leveling to go! That would be a total of about 8 -9 months!

I'm feeling like I'm going through the "usual" process whether I need it or not. It's like their focusing more on "wire theory" than my particular case. I sincerely believe that with my teeth's starting point and the right wire, my leveling should have only taken 5 months tops. I'm not an impatient person and I know slow and easy is good. But is it possible that my ortho is moving too slow?

There is not a Dental School in the US or Canada that is known for speedy treatment. Of course, YMMV and there are students out there that are faster than others and the treatment is faster. Most schools offer a substantial discount over private practice to make up for the extra time of treatment.

Now, it is possible that it will take 8 months to level your bite if you had a lot of compensation built into your bite. It seems a bit on the long side to me, but every case is different and I would believe it if you told me that it would take so long. I suggest you talk to your ortho (now or at your next appt) and ask why it is taking so long. They should be able to explain why and ease your concerns. Hope that helps.

Best,
Rory

thanks for the encourging words you two. At every adjustment I ask my ortho about my treatment but it's always more talk of leveling. In his defense though, I think it's his instructor that's stopping him from changing my wire to a heavier one. I think my ortho meant for my current wire to only be a "beginner" and he would have changed to a stronger by now. But his instructer on some other kick. It's like he's worrying about a dust bunny under the bed when there's a pile of trash in the middle of the floor. I want to yell "get to closing the extraction gaps and adjust the midline already." I wanna get to the knitty gritty .

Anyway, how long does leveling usually take? I know there's no set time but what's average time?

Why don't you ask for a team meeting with the ortho, the instructor, and yourself. If the instructor is the decisionmaker, then it sounds like the three of you need to talk, and as the leader of your treatment team, I would hope the school would make him available to you.