Metal Mouth Message Board

Just curious - why do some people have to go through all the pain of getting spacers and getting their molars banded, and then some people just get their molars bracketed without the bands like all the rest of the teeth?

I didn't get any of the molar bands and I don't see the purpose of them. My teeth moved fine without them and I got to forgo the dreaded spacers, so why do they not do this for everyone?

Hope everyone is doing well in their journeys - thanks for any responses

I think it has to do with whether or not people have crowns or fillings as the brackets do not adhere as well. I have no crowns or fillings and I don't have molar bands either.

I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the brand of brackets your ortho uses (some brands don't make brackets for molars).Also if your treatment plan calls for some other appliance, it may need to be anchored onto the inside of the band.

Oh that would make sense. I have a filling in a molar but its like right in the center of it so it wouldn't affect the sides where the bracket goes.

Ah yes I also did not need any other appliances. I wonder why some brands dont make brackets for molars? It seems kind of inhumane to make people wear those bands if they don't need to. What with all the pain everyone says the spacers are, and then it would seem like you'd have to find a way to tighten up the spaces between the molars that have bands once the bands come off... so much hassle.

I remember when I first got braces which was March 2008, I had my regular dentist do the braces and he tried shoving a metal band on a molar without having ever given me any spacers and it hurt soooo bad. I basically screamed out loud at the pain and I had no idea what the heck he was doing or how he thought he was gonna get that thing on my teeth. (It was only months later on this website that I found out what spaces were and what they were used for.) He finally gave up and just put a bracket on it. I don't know why he didn't just use the brackets in the first place.... I never had any problems with them and then I got them taken off and had new braces put on when I moved and changed to a new orthodontist who also put brackets on all the molars straight away.

Possibly with all the chewing, you are more likely to de-bond a bracket? Certainly a band isn't going anywhere...

SirWired

I am not sure why i have them, because none of what anybody says applies in my case. My cousin and friend went to the same ortho, and they didn't have bands so its not to do with the brand he uses. I don't have crowns or fillings.

I guess it just depends on your individual treatment plan.

My ortho said I didn't need bands because I wouldn't need headgear. I do have a crown on my back molar & I don't have brackets on either of the back molars. (I currently only have uppers.)
Guess it all depends on the "Great Plan" and each individual case.

I have metal bands on 8 of my molars! I do have them on 2 crowns and 2 fillings... but the other 4 teeth are just regular old teeth so I dunno...

I have to say that the spacers did hurt and when she was fitting the bands and then putting them in it hurt! Now they don't hurt and feel like the other teeth but it is very annoying cleaning them an not being able to get into all those nitches...

I was wondering the same thing! I have regular brackets on the back 8 and was wondering why others have to go thru this band nightmare. Also, I have a crown on a molar 2nd from the back- it just meant using a different bonding material. Hasn't fallen off yet, touch wood.

Maybe it's just newer technology, some orthos use it, some don't??

JJ

I have a crown on my lower right side. The bracket popped off after 3 weeks while eating something soft. The ortho explained that they don't adhere well with crowns so he did the spacers and I go next week to have the band put on that tooth. I have other crowns but so far so good with them.

The first time I had braces (1989!) I had spacers and 4 molar bands. They never involved my 2nd molars in that treatment, dunno why not. When they took my braces off, I noticed a white spot on a bottom molar in the position where the band had been. No dentist ever said anything about it but I suspect the glue came loose there and now that I've read about decalcification I think it might be that. I had worn a fixed appliance which required molar bands for a couple years and then braces with bands for an additional 2.5 years in my teens.

This time I have brackets on all 8 molars and I much prefer them. They are easier to clean and floss around and no painful spacers!!

I'd say the difference is mostly improved technology. Also some people's teeth (especially adults) are so crowded that perhaps spacers wouldn't fit.

When I started to get braces as a teen, I had molar bands and my treatment plan included headgear. (I got the spacers and molar bands but discontinued treatment.)

10 years later with a different ortho, my treatment plan does not include headgear and I don't have molar bands. I've had braces 1.5 years and have not lost any brackets (and I eat "bad foods.")

I have a few fillings, nothing major.

Now I'm curious too!

I've wondered that myself!

The first orthodontist I consulted with was going to use them (even put the spacers in at the consultation!), but then I decided to go with another orthodontist who ended up not using them. I have no fillings at all (so far -- knock on wood!), so I'm thinking it must just be the orthodontist's preference. The one I went with has said he avoids using them whenever possible.

I had to get a band around one of my molars after the bracket on it fell off while I was eating cereal. I have a large filling on the side of that molar and the bracket didn't adhere strongly enough to it.