Getting a bite plate, please help me
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brightsmile
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:37 pm
Getting a bite plate, please help me
My orthodontist told me that I was going to get my bottom braces and a bite plate in 2 weeks. I read on this site where a few people had awful experiences with a bite plate. In fact everyone that posted. What exactly is a bite plate and is it going to change my life dramatically? Some people couldn't eat and it slurred their speech. They also said you can't close your mouth. Can anyone help me with more information? If all this happens, I don't want it.[/quote]
Don't let our whining scare you 
I just got one last week. No, I cannot say that I like it. I find it really the only difficult part of treatment thus far (but I am new, 3 weeks in braces). I sound drunk most of the time due to the slurred speech, and I cannot chew food.
However, I have resolved myself to the fact that in order to obtain the beautiful smile I have waited 38 years to behold, I will do, wear, endure, whatever treatment is necessary. If it weren't a necessary part of the journey, I am sure my ortho wouldn't have cemented it to my teeth!
I will probably continue to moan and groan about it as it is my prerogative, but you better believe it is staying put until the ortho says it's time to remove it.
In the end, I KNOW it will be worth it!
Good luck to you, and if you trust your ortho, believe that it is part of the treatment you need to have the smile you want.
I just got one last week. No, I cannot say that I like it. I find it really the only difficult part of treatment thus far (but I am new, 3 weeks in braces). I sound drunk most of the time
due to the slurred speech, and I cannot chew food. However, I have resolved myself to the fact that in order to obtain the beautiful smile I have waited 38 years to behold, I will do, wear, endure, whatever treatment is necessary. If it weren't a necessary part of the journey, I am sure my ortho wouldn't have cemented it to my teeth!
I will probably continue to moan and groan about it as it is my prerogative, but you better believe it is staying put until the ortho says it's time to remove it.
In the end, I KNOW it will be worth it!
Good luck to you, and if you trust your ortho, believe that it is part of the treatment you need to have the smile you want.
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brightsmile
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:37 pm
Bite plate
Does it hurt or look weird? Do you thikn you will be able to chew eventually?
No, it doesn't hurt, at least not for me. It looks similar to a retainer. Mine is made of a pinkish-red acrylic that fits against the roof of my mouth. It is deeper toward the back of my mouth and is more flush against my palette as you get to my front upper teeth, if that makes sense.
As far as it looking weird, well nobody is going to look inside your mouth but you and your ortho and denist. You can't see it when you are talking, unless you talk with your head back toward the sky and mouth wide open
As far as eventually being able to chew, hmmm...I doubt it, not while it is in there anyway.
As far as it looking weird, well nobody is going to look inside your mouth but you and your ortho and denist. You can't see it when you are talking, unless you talk with your head back toward the sky and mouth wide open
As far as eventually being able to chew, hmmm...I doubt it, not while it is in there anyway.
I am one of the long-term wearers of a bite plate on the Forum having had one for almost a year and will probably have it until my surgery. After that, I won’t be surprised if I get yet another. On Tuesday I got my fourth one. I had one advantage to getting used to it, as it was much smaller than the two bite splints I had slept in for my TMJ prior to braces. Mine fits in the roof of my mouth and is not visible.
Bite plates come in two varieties removable and non-removable. BEG, PLEAD and BARTER to have a removable one. Being able to take it out really helps in keeping it clean and will make eating much easier. I’d rather have headgear than a non-removable bite plate.
The way a bite plate works is by separating your molars they will "grow" out of the gum and will open your bite. Normally a bite plate is used to eliminate a deep overbite. Mine removed a 7 mm deep bite while wearing it 24/7 for eight months. If not for my TMJ and grinding I would not need it anymore. Based upon the way I have chewed up three bite plates my ortho wants me to wear it when I sleep to prevent further damage to my teeth from grinding.
Okay, now for what you really want to know. How miserable is it long term? AS I said I had an advantage in that I had already became accustomed to bite splints. It is not bad in comparison. In fact I became so accustomed to it that it was hard to reduce my wear time to sleep use only.
Initially speaking was an issue. Wear it so your mouth adjusts to it. As a foreign object your mouth will produce extra salvia until it becomes accustomed to it. Practice talking. Sing. Try to control the amount of salvia you have. I teach college and only found one or two times it got the better of me. Much of your difficulties will be the voice you hear in your head, which is far different than what others hear.
If for some reason it is uncomfortable after a break in period, check with your ortho. I found as my mouth changes that the bite plate needs adjustment more often than other things. During my fifth adjustment I told the assistant that mine almost came in several pieces. Something had to be done to it if I were to continue to wear it. I'd even given thought to what colors my new one would be. She removed some material from it and it felt fine. The night before I almost stomped on it with the intent of destroying it (breaking was not severe enough).
If you find your teeth rubbing against each other or the prongs are very tight or too loose ask your ortho to check it. If you find a lot of excess salvia after you have become accustomed to it, that is a sign it may no longer fit as intended. Do not expect your first bite plate to be your last. In my time wearing one I have had four bite plates, three times I've had to have it built up and several times the prongs have needed readjusting. Please note my teeth have also moved a great deal during this time.
Finally you will probably be given the choice of colors or clear. HAVE FUN with it. My first one was clear. My others have been a purple and clear combination. Not only does it show a sense of humor (and with braces you better have one
) but also it’s easier to see when you're not quite awake.
Consider a bite plate trained for a retainer when you're brace free.
A bite plate is not the end of the world.... unless you decide it is.
Good Luck!
Mike
Bite plates come in two varieties removable and non-removable. BEG, PLEAD and BARTER to have a removable one. Being able to take it out really helps in keeping it clean and will make eating much easier. I’d rather have headgear than a non-removable bite plate.
The way a bite plate works is by separating your molars they will "grow" out of the gum and will open your bite. Normally a bite plate is used to eliminate a deep overbite. Mine removed a 7 mm deep bite while wearing it 24/7 for eight months. If not for my TMJ and grinding I would not need it anymore. Based upon the way I have chewed up three bite plates my ortho wants me to wear it when I sleep to prevent further damage to my teeth from grinding.
Okay, now for what you really want to know. How miserable is it long term? AS I said I had an advantage in that I had already became accustomed to bite splints. It is not bad in comparison. In fact I became so accustomed to it that it was hard to reduce my wear time to sleep use only.
Initially speaking was an issue. Wear it so your mouth adjusts to it. As a foreign object your mouth will produce extra salvia until it becomes accustomed to it. Practice talking. Sing. Try to control the amount of salvia you have. I teach college and only found one or two times it got the better of me. Much of your difficulties will be the voice you hear in your head, which is far different than what others hear.
If for some reason it is uncomfortable after a break in period, check with your ortho. I found as my mouth changes that the bite plate needs adjustment more often than other things. During my fifth adjustment I told the assistant that mine almost came in several pieces. Something had to be done to it if I were to continue to wear it. I'd even given thought to what colors my new one would be. She removed some material from it and it felt fine. The night before I almost stomped on it with the intent of destroying it (breaking was not severe enough).
If you find your teeth rubbing against each other or the prongs are very tight or too loose ask your ortho to check it. If you find a lot of excess salvia after you have become accustomed to it, that is a sign it may no longer fit as intended. Do not expect your first bite plate to be your last. In my time wearing one I have had four bite plates, three times I've had to have it built up and several times the prongs have needed readjusting. Please note my teeth have also moved a great deal during this time.
Finally you will probably be given the choice of colors or clear. HAVE FUN with it. My first one was clear. My others have been a purple and clear combination. Not only does it show a sense of humor (and with braces you better have one
) but also it’s easier to see when you're not quite awake.Consider a bite plate trained for a retainer when you're brace free.
A bite plate is not the end of the world.... unless you decide it is.
Good Luck!
Mike
I wore braces (this time) for 1294 days or 3 years, 6 months and 17 days.
But who's counting?
Jaw Surgery June 1, 2009
Thanks for praying for me and thinking happy thoughts.
But who's counting?
Jaw Surgery June 1, 2009
Thanks for praying for me and thinking happy thoughts.
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brightsmile
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:37 pm
My bite plate is of this type
Basically its a removable retainer that causes my lower front teeth to bite into it instead of my gums.
I have a deep overbite, and for reasons the rest have stated it 'supposedly' helps the back teeth grow. I have had mine for 1.5 months now, not sure if there has been any effect now i think it is working a bit.
First week was hard for me, but nothing too bearable. I had my bite plate and braces fitted in the morning then i went to work in an office (had no pain or anything). Only problem first week was excessive salviating cause its a foreign object in your mouth so until you get used to it you will slur a bit (due to the salivia).
My orthodontist suggested a really good thing to do, just read out aloud 10-15 pages from a book every night so you can hear how you sound. It helps you correct your S's. After a week i hardly noticed it.
Now it feels weird if i actually take it out, and i find it weird to speak without it haha. I sometimes have a lisp but only about 0.1% of the time i speak.. something rare etc.
If it does its job its not a big problem, i wear mine 24/7 and its easier to keep clean than braces as its removable.
Basically its a removable retainer that causes my lower front teeth to bite into it instead of my gums.
I have a deep overbite, and for reasons the rest have stated it 'supposedly' helps the back teeth grow. I have had mine for 1.5 months now, not sure if there has been any effect now i think it is working a bit.
First week was hard for me, but nothing too bearable. I had my bite plate and braces fitted in the morning then i went to work in an office (had no pain or anything). Only problem first week was excessive salviating cause its a foreign object in your mouth so until you get used to it you will slur a bit (due to the salivia).
My orthodontist suggested a really good thing to do, just read out aloud 10-15 pages from a book every night so you can hear how you sound. It helps you correct your S's. After a week i hardly noticed it.
Now it feels weird if i actually take it out, and i find it weird to speak without it haha. I sometimes have a lisp but only about 0.1% of the time i speak.. something rare etc.
If it does its job its not a big problem, i wear mine 24/7 and its easier to keep clean than braces as its removable.