Metal Mouth Message Board

I get my spacers in only four days before getting braced is this normal??? Given they're called spacers they make space!!!!!! how much space can they make in four day's?????? AHHHH I'm going crazy with this braces thing!!! Every time i read someone elses story and it seems really different to mine i totally panic. Just read a story and someone had spacers for two weeks before getting braces.....

I'm really starting to loose so much sleep over this whole braces saga....mainly cause i've got to get two extractions, should be giving up cigarettes but really not managing....and the amount of time i spend looking at my teeth in the mirror.....and oh god the amount of time i spend in the dental section of the pharmacy........I think i might need a psychologist far more than an orthodontist........

I had spacers in for only five days before getting braced (spacers on Thursday, braces on Monday). They did the job, made enough room for the bands to go in on my molars. So don't worry - everyone has different timeframes and different teeth .

And I can tell you, I was super glad to only have them in for a few days. Now that the cleats have been ground out on my bands, braces are far more comfy than those spacers were!

Yep, got 7 of 'em, all on molars.
One fell out right there in the office but I had to get to work. Lost 2 over this last weekend. Called the ortho who said they had to go back in ASAP.
Wow, feels sooo sooo good when they fall out! But my back teeth so tight the ortho had a heck of a time seating them right, hence them falling out so much.
On Mon 10/29 the spacers go off and the bands go on - and I can't wait! It will have been exactly 2 weeks....
Everyone says it will be such a relief!
Re the cigs: I've been keeping some whitening mouth rinse in a little squirt bottle handy. My embarassing habit! Don't tell!
--Dona/Mstikl

Rosie, I have two things to add:

1. Relax.
2. I like your avatar

I had mine in for 9 days - be glad it's only for 4!!

I'm sure your ortho knows what he wants to acheive, and don't worry to much about it.

If you try to compare yourself to all the different experiences you read here you'll drive yourself nuts...everyone's treatment path is different.

Another spacer fell out last night!
Oh huge sigh of relief!
I did the right thing and called my ortho first thing in the morning, his office was closed (Fri).
Oh, darn! (hope that I don't sound TOTALLY insincere...!)
All of 'em out and bands in on Monday - hurray!
How's your mouth doing, getting any better?
x'd fingers (and teeth) for you.... Dona/mstikl

I think how long you need the spacers probably depends on how much space you already have between your molars....and the availability of the ortho office to get you in to put on your braces.

I only wore my spacers for 3 days.

cosmicgirl wrote:I had spacers for a week which in my book was 7 days too long!!! Absolute agony - it was a relief to have the braces put on, I can tell you. I wasn't sure if they'd made room or not, but put it this way, my ortho managed to put on the molar bands without much - actually ANY - fuss from me - and I'm a squirmer! The bands seem to be slimmer than the spacers, so you should be ok.
Good luck for the fitting! My ortho played some lovely salsa while he was burrowing away, which made me feel like dancing!

salsa.. lol..
I was wondering about the band thickness but I'm glad to hear that the band is actully thinner than the rubber / metal.
My metal popped out right after I got home ( metal was used instead of rubber on some teeth b/c space was just too tight) and I got it replaced with rubber which I'm not sure if it got in all around the teeth.

Sigh. Tomorrow I go in for round two of spacers - the first 2 week round wasn't long enough, and 2 of the molar bands just weren't gonna go on....
Now that I know what I'm in for, I'm trying my best to catch a cold or something to avoid the appt.
The next round should only be on 1 week, and then try again to band those last 2 molars.
Wish me luck.
~~So how has it been for you? Are yours still on, or have you got bands yet? Bands are such a relief! Make sure your ortho thorougly removes the cleats and buffs down the edges, though....
GOOD LUCK!

Rosie I'm glad you brought this up because I was wondering the same thing! I have an appointment at 1 p.m. on Jan 7th to get my spacers in, then the braces go on at 9 a.m. on Jan 11th. After hearing so many people on here say they have the spacers in for a week or two, I was wondering if 3 1/2 days was long enough to get the job done!

Don't worry... you're not crazy for wondering if this is too short a time... so do I!!! Sometimes, with the hours of research I've done, I start to wonder if I need a psychologist more than an orthodontist too. LOL