Metal Mouth Message Board

Im doing teaching as a degree course and i am in my second year. I am on placement in a school at the moment and get assessed daily by an outside examiner and today i was told something interesting. The person assessing me told me that this year i would be fine teaching with braces but due to the criteria in my final year (next academic year) placement, my braces will be a problem. Communication is analysed to the max and a slip up on a word or a word projected muffled can cost me my degree. The assesor told me that certain words although clear, due to the brace, can seem mumbled. He kept stressing that this is only a precaution but could cost me my next placement. Knowing this, im going to consider getting these braces off next september (begining of my final year), i want straight teeth but i also want to get my degree. Maybe i can have a gap in treatment for a year and start it up again when im qualified? Has anyone done this? Will my teeth be straight by then, id have been in them for a year?

My estimated time was 18 months to 2 years, i have extractions, without extractions treatment would have been a year.

This is stress

Newmetal

Would they also fail you if you broke your arm and couldn't write on the board for a few months? Or if you wore a hearing aid?

That's ridiculous!!! Is there somebody more senior that you could talk to? Go one level above this idiot? You shouldn't have to sacrifice your (oral) health in order to get a degree.

More practically.... I would assume that if you wanted to take a year off from braces, you'd end up paying more money. Plus, you'd probably have to wear retainers in between, which might not help the speech issue any...

Newmetal,

We've had patients that have had to take a break from treatment for one reason or another (military, school, etc.) so we just deband and give them retainers to hold where we are, and as soon as they are able, re-band them.

If you wear the retainers (you could get by with just nights), you really haven't lost any active treatment time, it justs gets split up.

Regarding the finances, we just put the account on hiatus, and start the payments again when the braces go back on....we don't charge anything extra.

Best of luck!

Dr. S

I suppose if you want to be extra-safe you could have the braces removed, but then you will have retainers to contend with. What about doing speech therapy to ensure you are able to pronounce everything properly? Do you have appliances in your mouth which cause your speech to change? Up until yesterday I had elastics in a triangle formation on each side, and I noticed they impacted my speech a little bit, but now that they are gone I have no problems. Did this person mention specific words to you that are not coming out right?

The decision is totally up to you (obviously!), but if it were me I would want to avoid prolonging my treatment if possible. Is there anyone in your field you can discuss this with? And, of course, you need to talk to your ortho and find out what charges, if any will apply. Touch choice, good luck in sorting this all out!

Hmmmm.....sounds fishy to me. I agree that you should consider investigating this more before making any decisions. If it is true, perhaps a speech thearpist may be able to help with some tips.

This is what I would do which would be alot easier than having the braces removed.

1)Talk to the assessor and ask what the real problem is. Is it really caused by braces or do you tend to talk that way anyway. Can you hear a difference in your own voice? Ask a trusted family member. The reason I am saying this is what if you take off the braces and that isn't the problem.

2) Failing the above, I would talk to the assessor's supervisor and find out if it is normal to have to take your braces off. Since we all find it ridiculous so might he/she.

3) Last approach to me would be to have the braces off. Dr. Rick seems to make it sound pretty easy, but you will need to speak to your own ortho.

Thanks for all your responses. I have 9 months left before i decide whether or not to remove them. The person who gave me this advice didnt say i must have them removed, more of a nudge nudge wink wink scenario, implying to be safe he would have them removed for the placement period. My speech is fine, although when im teaching the children my mouth does get dry and my lips stick to the brackets. Also, in england there are atleast four hard of hearing children in every classroom (on average).Therefore, speech needs to be clear and lots of the children rely on lip reading which is made more difficult if the teacher has metal in his mouth. I dont know if ill risk it and leave them on for my final placement, but i dont want to get to my 3rd and final year and fail.

Its cool though, i have 9 months to act on it and you never know once my teeth get straighter my speech may get "clearer".

Newmetal

jcdamon3 wrote:This is what I would do which would be alot easier than having the braces removed.

1)Talk to the assessor and ask what the real problem is. Is it really caused by braces or do you tend to talk that way anyway. Can you hear a difference in your own voice? Ask a trusted family member. The reason I am saying this is what if you take off the braces and that isn't the problem.

2) Failing the above, I would talk to the assessor's supervisor and find out if it is normal to have to take your braces off. Since we all find it ridiculous so might he/she.

3) Last approach to me would be to have the braces off. Dr. Rick seems to make it sound pretty easy, but you will need to speak to your own ortho.

It isn't my speech because i had no problem on my last placement. I do see what the assesor is saying because he wont be assessing me for my final placement and he knows how harsh the assessment criteria is when it comes to communication. He wasnt saying have them removed but he said its something he would consider..i do see what he is saying.

Sounds like discrimination to me. I work in the public sector in England and it is so politically correct. I find this amazing. Extra time in given in exams for people with dyslexia etc. so surely allowance could be made. I would advise getting formal advice on this rather than going through the expense and inconvenience on what may be well intentioned "nod and wink" advice. Best of luck.

Communication is analysed to the max and a slip up on a word or a word projected muffled can cost me my degree

Newmetal - is this what your assessor said to you? Quite frankly I'm shocked if this is true. I also did a teacher training course for my degree (though decided in the end that teaching wasn't for me) and I never heard anything like that in any of my placements (though at the time I didn't have braces). I would really question this person's professional conduct and definitely speak to their superior. What would happen if you had a natural lisp but were an excellent teacher? Would they not award you with a degree for that?

I really would not consider taking my braces off for someone's comment like this and personally would find that offensive if it were said to me (though you do not seem to be offended). I honestly think that person's speaking rubbish - wearing a brace will not cost you your degree, so I'd ask if that's what they actually mean and could they provide you with some more constructive hints for clearer communication (I know nerves can have a lot to do with it) rather than this.

Sorry to rant, just that I've had experience of teacher assessments and cannot believe that anyone could say something like this!!

LoobyLou x

Yea quite a few people seem as though they would be offended, maybe when written down it sounded worst than it was. He wasn't telling me i have to have them off but was just stating that it would be safer so that in your final year you come out with an excellent placement and degree. When i say cost me my degree i mean cost me my last placement in the respect that if i get a low mark for my placement it will impact on my overall degree.

I dont know if ill act on this advice though.

Newmetal

Nah, the way my teaching degree works is that when i go out to look for a permanant job as a teacher once i am qualified my placement notes are what i bring to the interview. So if i have written on my placement notes, sometimes hard to understand or communication difficulties, it limits my chances of getting a job. Aswell as taking my degree down a couple of points it can limit my job oppurtunities as it is the last placement folder the school looks to in deciding whether i will be the teacher for them.

Newmetal

Nah, the way my teaching degree works is that when i go out to look for a permanant job as a teacher once i am qualified my placement notes are what i bring to the interview. So if i have written on my placement notes, sometimes hard to understand or communication difficulties, it limits my chances of getting a job. Aswell as taking my degree down a couple of points it can limit my job oppurtunities as it is the last placement folder the school looks to in deciding whether i will be the teacher for them.

Newmetal

I guess I can see both sides. But wouldn't it be better if it really were a problem to have the braces while you are in school rather than actually teaching? How long in the assessment period again?

There was a wonderful (true) story here in the US ( I think it was on 20/20 or a similar show). This guy with Turrets syndrome wanted a job as a teacher and everyone kept turning him down. Finally this one principal took a chance on him and he has turned out to be one of the best teachers ever! With his disability he is able to point out to these kids (kindergarten/1st grade) that people are different and it actually puts the kids at ease. They learn very young that everyone is different by race, religion and even physical limitations. Imagine this guy in a room with a bunch of kids and he has these occasional distracting episodes!

Good luck NewMetal. Good thing you have 9 months to think about it.

I wont act on anything, i have 9 months to decide but im going to think about it, ill ask a few of my lecturers. Although, i want to avoid negative comments on my final placement sheet though.

Newmetal