Metal Mouth Message Board

Hey all,
Okay, here's my problem that you can please help me with:
My ortho said "end of 2007 most definitely". Guess what? It's not gonna happen, even though my teeth are done, now. The final straw is that I'm going to Rome, Italy for spring break, which for me is mid-end March. I don't have a picture for you all now, but in my (and my dad's) opinion, I HAVE to and MOST DEF WILL get them off by then (or at least SHOULD). My next appt is Jan 2, 2008, and my mom has a slot to TALK with the ortho with me there to convince him to, in the words that I want to say to him, 'no offense, Dr. but we've been at this for over 3.5 years, and I want them off before mid-March, and I'm not happy".
I cry myself to sleep some nights just from the sort of pent up sadness and anger due to braces, and seeing people without them, eating, and having a good time. For some reason, after THanksgiving 2007, I got out of this sort of complacent state about braces, and I entered a "okay, I HAVE HAD IT! mentality. Has anyone had this experience, or even cried themselves to sleep because of braces? (I'm 16, btw).

Hey mate, I have been pretty down in the past about my braces too. But in the end I realised you just have to grin and bare it (excuse the pun). Look on the bright side, at least you will have the braces off before you go to college. I had my braces on 2 years before I went to college, I am now in my second year at college and still have them! Nobody will look at you strangely for having braces at 16 as lots of people do. I have never even seen another person with braces at my college, now that can be awkward. Even the college dentist said I was only the second bracee he had seen in 12 years.

Chin Up!

The other thing is that whilst you may think that your teeth are finished, orthos spend all day every day looking at teeth, they may be trying to iron out a little problem before the braces come off. At your next appointment you could ask him to explain exactly what he is working on at the moment and then you can check for yourself how it is going.

I thought mine were done, then my ortho made me hold a mirror while he pointed out all the little imperfections that still needed correcting.

Don't you think that after three and a half years it is worth waiting just a couple more months for perfect results? It is not a long time compared to what has already passed.

I'm 15, so around the same age range. I sometimes feel down about being in braces as well, usually it's when my teeth hurt.
When I'm sad I tell myself that when I'm done I'm going to have nice beautiful looking teeth! Thinking positive is the key!!

Your ortho thought that you were going to have them off by a certain date but teeth DO have a mind of their own and move at their own pace. He underestimated your finish time. He didn't want to you to have compromised results, that's why your braces are still on.

On Jan. 2/08 when you talk with your ortho please follow Meryaten's suggestions of asking what's left to complete your treatment and more. I agree 100% with what her post has to say!

Good Luck!!

It's in the orthodontists best interest to get the braces off as soon as possible. S/he is losing money every time you come in because someone else could be seen instead. The ortho is trying to give you the best smile possible. Some teeth probably didn't move as fast as s/he thought, so the estimate was off. Don't worry about it, they'll come off soon. You shouldn't have a time table for braces anyways. It will happen when it happens.

3.5 years is a pretty long time to have braces - I can understand your frustration, especially if your teeth look nice and straight. My teeth have looked about the same for many months now, but my ortho is working on fine tuning the alignment of my bite. This is actually very important, because if it's not done properly, it can cause a lot of problems later!!

Hang in there... you can still have fun on your trip if you have braces, honestly!!! And think about all the years of your life that you will have with straight, beautiful teeth, because you are taking care of them now.

Sorry to hear you're frustrated with your braces.

Do you want your braces off by spring break so you can go to Italy braces free or do you want your braces off now because you just can't stand them anymore?

If you want to go to Italy without being bothered with braces, your ortho may be able to remove them just for your trip and then put them on again when you return. I've heard of orthos doing this for people when they get married, so it may be an option for you in this situation.

Braces can be a hassle, but if you've been wearing them for so long, it doesn't make a lot of sense to end treatment just because you're tired of dealing with them. When your mother speaks to your ortho, he'll/she'll be able to tell her where you are in your treatment and how much longer (best estimate) you'll be in braces. Please don't go into your January appointment with your mind set for getting your braces removed until your orthodontist is able to explain your progress and how much farther you have to go.

Im going to echo everyone elses words of advice and suggest that you talk to the ortho and express your concerns. Like many have said, the ortho usually acts in your best interest and he may see something that needs more time.

At 16 you shouldn't worry too much because its more common for people of that age range to have braces, so you are not in the minority,also think about the end result. At 15 i was told i should have braces but for some reason i didn't take the oppurtunity....six years on im in braces and completing my final year in teacher training. Looking back it would have been wiser to get my teeth straightened at a young age, therefore i wouldn't be getting comments from my class and questions asking why i have braces at my age. Another tricky thing i have found, is that there are two boys in my class who have braces and do get the occasional comment, e.g 'braceface'.... and as a brace wearer for some reason i find it uncomfortable when disciplining them.

Overall, you have done the right thing in getting braces at your age and if you are getting fed up of them, express these concerns to your ortho and you may find he has a valid reason for continuing on with your treatment.

Newmetal

In disciplining them, i mean the children making the comments not the children with braces. It doesn't make me treat them any differently because they have braces, just incase people misread ha.

Newmetal