Metal Mouth Message Board

I did it. I came clean to my ortho. I wasn't wearing my elastics as much as recommended because they always caused a gap between my front teeth. She was cool about it and said that the configuration wasn't doing what she wanted anyway.
So now I have a power chain across the top four and 2 seperate ones on my molars.
Now the fun part...new elastic configuration. It's the box...but that's not the bad part. The bands are suppose to go from the last 3 molars on the bottom to the last 2 molars on the top. How do you get your fingures back there? Maybe I need to invest in a set of plyers they have at the ortho office. Do you think fishing plyers would work?? Gross.

I've had the box configuration, albeit not as far back as yours. I found it easier to get the elastics on using a plastic tool I got at the ortho office; this is about 3" long and has a hook at one end. Meryaten posted a pic of another tool some time back - I think it's called a hemostat.

There is a tool, but I don't believe it is called a hemostat...those are plyers used in labs. They are long.

I just use my fingers. I need a mirror though. Mine hook to my last molars.

I use the little tool the ortho gave me with my 2 bags of Elastics. I can litteraly sit in a room and replace the elastics with the lights out and my eyes shut. Thats how good I became!

SDFD TSchott

PS: I think I finally learned how to shoot the elastics out the right way to hit people in front not knock it clear down your throat! J/K

Second day with this box configuration and it's not working out for me. I have small hands and yet I still can't get the band to hook. It took me 10 min last night and this morning I had to go to a different ortho to get it hooked (this ortho is in the same office building).
One side is easy and the other...well... is a pain in the butt.
I wonder if the hook just needs to be pulled out...huh...
All I know right now is that I don't ever want to take these out...cause that would mean I have to try to get them back in.
It's a blah day.

KK I took our advice and went in to see the ortho again. It turns out that the hook on the bracket on the back molar had broken off. They ended up replacing the bracket and bending the hook out even farther. Thank goodness for wax and salt water rinses.
Now to wait for 5 weeks to see what fun we can have.