New headgear...any other victims out there?

[travdude5001]

Hello. I'm new here after searching the web for information. Looks like a great site!

I'm 19 and finally agreed to get braces a few months ago (long story why I didn't get them when I was younger). The biggest problems with my teeth are my top ones being all piled up together, my top molars being too far forward and my top molars being too long (so when I bite together, my front teeth are too far apart). I got a couple exams & estimates before I started and both said basically the same thing, same price, etc., so I ended up going with the doc who seemed a lot friendlier and better with patients. The plan was for me to get top & bottom braces and springs on my top wire to push my molars back. That was supposed to fix the problem with my molars being too far forward and also spread my top teeth out at the same time so they could line up. My ortho mentioned a possibility that I might need to wear headgear, but it sounded like slim chance. The good news was that both orthos I had exams with said that surgery was not a good fix for my problems.

So today I go in for my regular adjustment check and did the whole open and close 100 times thing while my ortho checked everything over. Then he announces that the springs aren't making any progress because it seems they aren't strong enough to move my molars. So he told the assistant to pull my wire off and put a new one (thicker I think) on without the springs. After that she gets the ortho to check everything that was done and he comes walking over with some packages. He announces (you had to be there to hear the excitement in his voice - faked I'm sure) that I'm getting headgear. As he's saying that, he's ripping open the first package with the metal bow and 5 minutes later he finally gets it adjusted right. Then he moved to the strap around my neck and too add to my shock and horror he put a second strap over the top of my head. Then I had to practice taking it off then putting it on. Then came the instructions.... He gave me a card to keep track of how much I wear it and another card with instructions about wearing it. He said I need to wear it 150 HOURS OR MORE EVERY WEEK. He also said that as long as I get the weekly total, I can wear it more on some days than others if I want, but at least 18 hours minimum each day. I was about to ask (complain) about why I had to wear it so much but he beat me to it and said that my molars to too strongly rooted for the springs to work and it's going to take a lot of headgear pulling to slide them back. Also the strap over my head is to kill 2 birds with 1 stone by lifting my molars back into my gums so my front teeth will overlap when I bite together.

He said to keep it on the rest of the afternoon and take it off around dinner time for a few hours but put it back on before bed. He wants me to wear it all night, but for the next couple days I can take it off for a few hours here and there to help my teeth get used to it. Then I had my first experience with total embarassment as I had to walk out with it on and make my next appointment then drive home (where I have remained in hiding ever since).

Does anybody have experience with headgear, especially during the day (at school, work, etc.)? What should I be expecting when it comes to that? Anything else I need or should know about it?

Trav

[Lisa65]

Hi Trav

What a nasty shock for you!
I'm in a similar position to you in that I have severe crowding on the top and my top molars are too far forward, and I'm not a surgery case.
The difference is that I'm more than 20 year older than you and my ortho said that headgear would not be necessary as he is using miniscrew implants as an anchor to pull my teeth back.

It might be worth asking your ortho about the possibility of screw implants? They are a relatively new technology but a lot less hassle than headgear. Not all orthos use them but the technology is there to use if needed.

there's a few people here with headgear who will hopefully be able to tell you more.

lisa

[Julie08]

If it makes you feel any better - I WISH I'd had headgear when young - then I wouldn't be needing surgery next summer when I'll be 45. (actually, I would not have needed braces if I'd had headgear early on).
It's not forever -- you'll get through it and be so glad you complied with your ortho's instructions. Some embarrassment in the short term will be worth the long term gains to your health, your appearance, and your self-esteem. You can do it!

[Jillianleab]

Poor Trav! Sounds like this was a huge shock for you, and I'm sure it will take some getting used too. As others have mentioned, several people on this board have had headgear, so hopefully they can offer you some practical advice. Until then, like Mereyaten said, wear it as much as possible and hopfully the darn thing will be off soon!

Good luck!

[Dark_angel]

Well i got my lovely headgear at 17 and was wearing it up untill i went to university last month so i got a little more than a years wear out of it. I very rearly wore it in public as college was bad enough with out having to wear my headgear and its not practical to wear at work mainly for health and safety reasons. I wore it probably around 12 hours a day where i possible and my ortho seems to think i've made good progress with it.

I guess just bite the bullet and wear the thing i know its not exactally pretty and maybe you could have a chat with your ortho about the practicality of it and alternatives if it REALLY isnt working out. I found the hardest thing about it sleeping it was always so uncomfortable.

If you need any info get back to me.

[travdude5001]

Thanks for all the replies!

Last night was rough to put it nicely! My teeth were hurting like mad by the time I took it off for dinner (spaghetti - and even that hurt to eat). I put it back on when I went to bed, but didn't get much sleep. I took it off this morning as soon as I got up and left it off for a few hours. After that I tried to wear it when I was home the rest of the day and just took it off when I went out, until dinner (it has been off since). My teeth are still hurting A LOT!

How long are my teeth going to hurt like this???

Also, I was figuring out today how to work the schedule for it and I realized that 150 hours per week means I only get to take it off an average of 2.5 hours per day. counting eating and showers when I'm supposed to take it off anyways! That means there's no way around wearing it to school, work and everywhere else I go. So far it has not left my house and to be honest I'm not real excited about making a public debut with it. Does anybody have suggestions for dealing with the humiliation of wearing it to school, work and anywhere else?

Thanks again guys! Trav

[HeadgearJoe]

hi , welcome to the wonderfull world of headgear , first off your going to hate it at first , yes it does get better an yes you will get use to it , AFTER your sore for a while after you go out in public a few times , an yes after you see it working , a few things to rember about headgear , wear it as much as you can , it will hurt less wearing it than taken it off an on , your going to drool so buy you some chapstick ,an your pillow should be a feather one or a openspace pillow for headgear this all helps, there are many of use long rooted folks with headgear here , let use know if any of us can help or look me up at my yahoo im or email i'll help any way i can your HG wearing friend (HEADGEARJOE) ALL ABOARD(+=+=+=+=+=+=+)

[travdude5001]

Update...

Last night was slightly better, but still not a whole lot of sleep. Also, my molars are still pretty sore today, so I have been taking the headgear off for breaks a lot and have only been wearing it when I'm at home.

Hope this gets a lot better real fast!

Trav

[Zondrae]

ah Trav I'm sorry this was such a nasty suprise for you. I'm sure you will get used to it somewhat over the next week or so. There has been some good advice above, so I'll just say "think of the end result".

[hd2755]

Trav,
I feel for you this is the only thing I am dreading the headgear word, but
this would be me if my orthro told me that I was getting heargear , the later would be me leaving the orthro's office with the bag over my head. I would try a grocery store late at night to have this be your first real public viewing of this contraption.

[travdude5001]

My advice would be not to take the headgear off "for breaks". You're losing too much time already taking it off when you're not at home. Taking it off just because it's making your teeth sore will only mean that it will continue to make your teeth sore for even longer

Meryaten,

Thanks for all the advice. When I got the headgear, my orthodontist recommended taking breaks when it started hurting really bad to give my molars a break from the pressure. As much as my molars hurt now, wearing it without any breaks would probably kill me from the pain! I still haven't worked up the guts to wear it when I'm not home, but I figured I can wait til this weekend and figure out what to do then. I'm just not real excited about walking outside with a metal clamp across my face and my head and neck wrapped up in a mess of straps! Trav

[Clo]

Hi,

I had a cervical headgear for 5 months. Needed to wear it as much as
possible. About 22 hours a day. But as I have a home office, that was not
a problem for me. Guess I was lucky at least about that.

About your molars. You should give them some time. They will adjust to
this pressure very soon. When I first had my hg, taking it off and placing it
back on did hurt a lot. The change of pressure was killing me. But after
some time, that didn't hurt anymore, even when the pulling force was
increased a lot. It is my impression too, like Meryaten said, that the more
breaks you take, the longer the "adaptation" period lasts. I wore my hg a
lot from day one, and my molars didn't hurt anymore after about 5 days.

Good luck !

[smile2006]

I'm a little suprised that your ortho would give you headgear since you are 19. I had high pull headgear (basically what you have without the neck strap) in my first go around with braces in high school. I only had to wear it at night and I hated it. I mentioned this to my current ortho wanting assurance that I wouldn't have to have headgear again and he said there are other less obvious ways to handle things now. I have never seen a person in my ortho office with headgear so I guess he must be right. If you really don't think you can do the headgear thing to the time extent necessary, you might ask your ortho if there is an alternative. I'm not trying to be mean but I can see why your situation would be tough (for anyone!!!!!).

[travdude5001]

I'm a little suprised that your ortho would give you headgear since you are 19. I had high pull headgear (basically what you have without the neck strap) in my first go around with braces in high school. I only had to wear it at night and I hated it. I mentioned this to my current ortho wanting assurance that I wouldn't have to have headgear again and he said there are other less obvious ways to handle things now. I have never seen a person in my ortho office with headgear so I guess he must be right. If you really don't think you can do the headgear thing to the time extent necessary, you might ask your ortho if there is an alternative. I'm not trying to be mean but I can see why your situation would be tough (for anyone!!!!!).

Smile, Thanks for your comments. The headgear was actually the fallback plan for me. My ortho tried to use springy things to push my molars back but they weren't able to. My ortho blamed it on the roots of my molars and thinks that headgear (and a lot of it!) is the only thing strong enough to make them move. I'm going to try to wear it all day today since I don't really need to go out for anything, but if something comes up, I don't know if I have the guts to step outside with it on. lol.
Trav

[HeadgearJoe]

trav, i've been wearing HEADGEAR forever it seems like , an yes your first trip out you think your heart is going to pop out your chest but it won't , i went to walmart my first run in headgear the first time an no one i mean no one even the girl at the check out said anything , yes a few people will look , headgear is like glass's, or someone trying make a statement with green,or blue, or pink hair, all i have ever run across is positive coments , an some say kool or ask how much longer in braces an headgear , mostly ones allready in braces , it's realy not a big deal , try going out empty the trash , sit outside or go to the mail box, u in time will get use to it , i realy hope this helps , (HEADGEARJOE) ALL ABOARD(+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+)