Metal Mouth Message Board

I have a big overbite, my top teeth completely cover my bottoem when I close. I got my top brackets on 4 weeks ago and my bottoms today. I can no longer close my teeth completely as the top teeth rest on 2 bottom brackets. I did tell my Ortho today but he said it was fine.
I grind my teeth a lot at night and I am worried that tonight I will grind a bracket off, or worse, damage a tooth.
Is this possible? Or am I worrying over nothing?
Thanks
Babs

Hi babs,

My top teeth also connect with the brackets on my bottom teeth.
I've been braced for 7 months now, and haven't had any brackets come off.
I imagine you need to be clamping down hard and fast before knocking one of those bad boys off.

Yep, it happens. It happened to me when I was braced in my teens - I have a complete overbite and bit off my lower brackets in my sleep 3 or 4 times. In the end, that was what made me stop treatment - my mum got sick of taking me back for repairs.

I still have an overbite now, but have had bite blocks stuck to my molars for most of my treatment time and wouldn't have been able to bite off my brackets if I'd wanted to.

Thanks - I survived the first night (or the brackets did anyway!) I guess as time goes on, the bite will be corrected and there will be less contract.
I will talk to my ortho about bite blocks and see if they would help me.
Thanks guys!

Bite blocks can make it hard to eat for a while because only the built-up teeth touch. You might prefer to see how things go for a while as you are, and only consider bite blocks in the event of biting off a bracket. Orthos usually work quite quickly to open up a deep bite, so hopefully your teeth will not be in contact with the brackets for too long.

My teeth are like this too, I got lowers on yesterday. My front teeth hit my brackets in the front, and I can't bite down at all in the back. The ortho said that I'll be less likely to bite them off as they bond to my teeth a little bit more. Man, bottoms hurt way worse than tops did. . .

Hi Taylor - I know your pain!!!!!! I had a lot of pain with the spacers before braces and nearly gave up. But I had tops put on 4 weeks ago and no pain, but the bottom brackets yesterday are a different story! Well I guess the pain means it is all working. My ortho told me yesterday that as I have so many crowns I will be sensitive for up to a week - so at least I know it will end.
Are you worried about damaging or scraping your top teeth when they hit? I said this to my Ortho, but he said the brackets are softer than teeth and where I would normally grind my teeth would do more damge, so it was a good thing....I still feel a bit nervous about it all.
It is good to know I am not the only one though!

Your ortho should be able to tell if that would cause a problem. I have a severe overbite and was fitted for a bite plate on Monday and am scheduled to get my braces this coming Monday. My ortho said that if I don't have the bite plate for a few months, the braces would get knocked off (but I don't remember if he said the top or the bottom).

No there are not ceramics, my ortho did say that if they were ceramic they would be harder than teeth. I am probably worrying over nothing, I did talk to my Ortho about it - I just wondered what other people had experienced.

I had a bite plate for six months. In the beginning I could not close my mouth without cracking my lower molar band. I wore it one month all the time. After a month my premolar and canine hit the lower brackets, but I just wore the biteplate during the night( i hated the biteplate).

Now, after six month I still bite on my brackets, but asseemingly there has not been any major damage. I got rid of my biteplate when I got my uppers.

I did!

I got braced on Friday and knocked one off by Sunday. It is my 3rd tooth from the center on the left. It is crammed up against the next tooth becaues of the coil (spring thing).




I will go in on Friday to get it reglued and see if they can help me out any...

Well 4 brackets popped off today - but none where the result of biting, they were all attached to crowns. My Ortho had said this might happen, as there can be problems with the brackets adhering to crowns. Hopefully I can get in to see him tomorrow!

I have a large overbite and having the lowers on is something I am dreading!

I have had the tops on for 2 months now, and my ortho reckons it will be at least another 3 months before he puts the lowers on - he is kicking my top teeth forward first before the lowers go on (so a case of looking a bit goofy for a while).

All seems to make sense to me.

Yes - I had uppers only on for the first month, then lowers went on this week. My top teeth can hit the lower bracketsif I make them, but actually stick out further than them... but my Ortho said this was ok. I have an emergency appointment today, so I'll ask him again. It sounds like your teeth maybe touch more than mine?

Oh babsbruce, I hope you were able to get the brackets put back on quickly ! How inconvenient is that ? The bracket just hangs loose on the archwire ? I never had any pop off in my teens, I hope it doesn't happen this round !

Btw, how does the orthodonist open a bite that is too closed ?? I can't imagine what is used for leverage.