Metal Mouth Message Board

I am actually getting used to having the elastics, but I can't stand the breaking 5-6 times a day. I have 1/4" heavy as rectangles on each side and 3/16" medium as a rectangle around my four canines. The front keeps snapping (breaking). It startles me EVERY time. Sometimes, I can feel it coming, other times not. It gets hard when you have to stop what you are doing every 30 minutes to take the broken one out and put a new one in.

I wonder if it is stress related , because I usually snap 4-5 when I am at work, and after I pick up the kids and I come home, they seem to last a lot longer.

They have snapped during driving, being at the movies (I actually finished the movie without replacing; bad bad me ), watching my daughter play soccer, at the grocery store, you name it.

I thought about calling the ortho, but I figured as long as I replace them right a way, I'll be OK. We'll see. They were going to have the same size all over, but decided that it would be too hard on me to have the heavier in the front. Maybe it would be better to have the heavier one since it wouldn't snap on me .

I had a bad bag of elastics once and they broke all the time. Ask your ortho for another bag and give them a try.. No explenation necessary...

good luck!

Just wondering are elastics always part of the treatment?

I haven't been told either way if I'm getting them but should I assume that I will be?

I've never had and elastic break. Maybe its because I have only had them for about 2 months or maybe I have light elastics (5/16" Medium)? I can certainly see how it would be annoying, though.