Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm curious how many folks who had braces recently installed have headgear tubes? i.e. the tubes attached to molar bands which you place headgear into?

I have these, on both of my primary upper molars, and I know my ortho specifically put them on because I have bands on 7/8 molars and none of the others have them.
Wondering if this is for a purpose, and if it is standard practice nowadays.
Seems like headgear is pretty rare nowadays? No idea if that's part of my treatment plan, but why would I have these otherwise?

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I think that's just the way molar bands are made. The tubes are there for the rare instances that headgear may be used. So even if you personally will never use the tubes, if you need bands, you get the tubes too.

tsmurfenator wrote:I'm curious how many folks who had braces recently installed have headgear tubes? i.e. the tubes attached to molar bands which you place headgear into?

I have these, on both of my primary upper molars, and I know my ortho specifically put them on because I have bands on 7/8 molars and none of the others have them.
Wondering if this is for a purpose, and if it is standard practice nowadays.
Seems like headgear is pretty rare nowadays? No idea if that's part of my treatment plan, but why would I have these otherwise?

I have the tubes. I know for sure b/c I was wearing headgear for a couple of months, lol. It seems that they will put everything in your mouth, in case you ever need it. I could be wrong, but my mouth seems "fully equipped" and i know that she didn't mention a thing about using headgear initially.. I'm fairly certain it wasn't part of her plan b/c I was the one to suggest using headgear, and she was surprised b/c she was sure I wouldn't want to use it.

HEADGEAR?! YOU GUYS ARE FREAKIN TERRIFYING ME!!

TumbleDryLow wrote:Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I think that's just the way molar bands are made. The tubes are there for the rare instances that headgear may be used. So even if you personally will never use the tubes, if you need bands, you get the tubes too.

This is what I thought - but I know that my ortho put the bands herself - she fit the bands (which contained no bracket) and then attached the brackets to them later on. And in the case of those 2 bands put headgear tubes. So for some reason she specifically put those ones on.

I have a total of 7 molar bands and only the 2 have headgear tubes so I interpret that is evidence that molar bands w/o headgear tubes exist.

gary I'm with you. I would not look cute in head gear
www.allbraced.blogspot.com

By default most rear brackets have what are called buccal tubes, and that's what headgear COULD go in if you needed it. I don't need it, but I still have those tubes anyway because as other people said, that's just how those brackets are made. It doesn't mean you need head gear! lol.

Well, I finally had my appointment yesterday - and this was on my list of questions to ask my ortho, and she said exactly what you all said. The bands she use have those tubes. She also said I won't have headgear.

Still don't understand how this can really be the case when only 2 out of the 7 bands I have those tubes - proof to me that bands without headgear tubes exist, but whatever. I told her they were kind of pain (they aren't that bothersome but are the least comfortable part) and she said most patients get accustomed to them. I also don't understand even if it were the case that bands without headgear tubes exist, how the industry could let this happen since only a small percentage of patients will use them and they cause unnecessary discomfort, not to mention waste of material, to anybody else. I didn't want to become known as a complaining high-maintenance troublemaker patient, so I just smiled and didn't press the issue any further.

They put men on the moon. I don't understand why the tubes when no head gear will be worn? Obviously the people that make these things have never worn them or they would make a band without tubes because they are unnecessary petty torture -- two years with these things sticking in my cheeks.