Metal Mouth Message Board

how come some ppl onli get their braces either inli on the top or only on the bottom...then gotta wait like a month for the other half

For myself, until the top moved there was no place for the bottoms to go. Even after two months with my top wired only, without my bite plate, my teeth REALLY smash into each other and are not comfortable at all.

Mike

My ortho said they like to do the tops first and get things moving before they mess with the bottoms. Maybe this is because the top is like a reference point for where they want the bottoms to go. But I'm sure it just depends on the ortho's preferences and experiences.

My youngest daughter's top braces were put on in April of 06 and her bottoms are still not on. The same ortho put top and bottom on at the same time for my other two kids a few years ago.

With her it's because she's got a deep bite, but not an overbite. Add to that the fact that her lowers aren't really that far out of alignment.

The ortho was afraid she'd bit off her bottom brackets (because of the excessive contact between top teeth and lower brackets) if he put lowers on now without opening her bit up first.


Mine were put on at the same time because I had an overbite and a deep bite. By the time my uppers jaw was getting closer to my lower jaw, my bite wasn't deep any more and my upper incisors were not hitting my lower brackets.

It is different for everyone and it's all good in the end.

In my case it is because we have been expanding the tops and now they need to "settle" before we can discontinue use of the expander and start the braces on the top.

oooh thanx but tell me more i m just curious

I'm with Gunter. I'll have the tops only for a long time. I had the SARPE expansion. THe top has to go to their permanent resting place before the bottoms can be matched up.

Kim

I just got my bottom braces yesterday. I also got bite plates to prevent me from biting down my lower brackets.
My ortho says that I have a deep bite. I am not sure if deep bite and overbite are the same. Anyone?

I got my uppers in January and didn't get my bottoms until August. I had a filling in my last molar on the upper right just before I had the uppers put on. For some reason, the tooth was still hurting when I got my braces put on, so they couldn't put a band on it!!! On top of that, I was clenching my teeth at night and biting down on that tooth horribly, so the pain would NEVER go away! Finally, the pain subsided somewhat in like June or July. Not completely, but it was enough for them to put a band on the tooth without me punching my ortho Anyway, they couldn't put my bottom braces on until they banded that last tooth...I'm not quite sure why. Maybe they wanted some significant movement on top first (I had a really deep overbite!)

Sorry, I couldn't say all of that in fewer words, but I hope it was helpful!

I just got my bottom braces yesterday. I also got bite plates to prevent me from biting down my lower brackets.
My ortho says that I have a deep bite. I am not sure if deep bite and overbite are the same. Anyone?

Maple, here is the technical definition of overbite/deep bite (they are the same btw):

An overbite is when the upper teeth bite over the lower teeth. It is a measure of the vertical overlap of the upper and lower front teeth. In a severe orthodontic case the lower teeth are completely covered and can't be seen when the patient is biting. This is also called a deep bite. It is common for a person with a small underdeveloped lower jaw to have a deep bite. (from Atlantadental)

There is also the OVERJET. Fairly often, people call this overbite but as you can see, they are not the same.

Overjet is measure of the horizontal relationship of the upper and lower front teeth. It is often called "buck teeth", and is commonly confused with overbite. (from Supersmiles)