Metal Mouth Message Board

So I'm supposed to get braces in a few weeks but my ortho never mentioned anything about spacers for molar bands. I have an open bite and will be receiving the top braces first. Everything i have read ppl have said they recieved the spacers a few weeks before the actually braces. Now my molars are pretty close together so i guess i dont see how i wouldnt need spacer. I just dont want to get super excited about my banding date just for the Ortho to say "oh not today looks like we have to push back your date" I was wondering if anyone has had braces without geting spacers first? I feel like im just being paranoid about things going wrong b/c im soo nervous/excited. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

I've never had spacers they just chucked my braces right on

I didn't have any spacers before getting my braces on but then I haven't got molar bands either. Just brackets on the molars so I guess that's the reason I didn't need spacers.

Me too, no molar bands so no spacers and they aren't in my treatment plan either. (hurray!). Apparently there are alternatives to molar bands depending on your teeth and how your ortho likes to work in many cases.

Nope, I got my braces without them too But then my ortho told me we'd skip that stage, so I knew what was going on etc. I don't have brackets on my very back molars either....

No spacers for me!

You probably aren't getting molar bands then. I just have brackets right to the back which I can tell you is a whole lot better than having molar bands like I did the first time!

No molar bands, no spacers. I have the Damon system (self ligating braces).

Thanks for the responses everyone. I think I'm just anxious and thinking of all the possible things that can go wrong. Good to know that the spacers arent always necessary.

Another with no bands - my molars have brackets on them. The very back ones are bracket-free. I thought from what I'd read that bands were only necessary if you have a filling which reaches the side of the tooth - there may be other reasons as well I guess.

rawr101 wrote:Thanks for the responses everyone. I think I'm just anxious and thinking of all the possible things that can go wrong. Good to know that the spacers arent always necessary.

Totally normal . It's an exciting time starting orthodontic treatment and a lot of people feel anxious too and don't want any delays

Like others have said, if no mention of spacers then you're most likely going to have brackets on your molars and not molar bands. I have molar bands on my first molars but brackets on the 2nd, I much prefer the brackets!

I was given spacers, but I wasn't supposed to have them. I went in a week later to get braces and they apologized profusely because my treatment didn't call for molar bands. The brackets are glued directly onto the molars and like kingy, my very back molars were left alone. Not sure if it matters, but I also have the Damon self-ligating brackets.

No spaces or molar bands here. Many orthos in my area are getting away from using molar bands. Nasty things, I had them the forst time around when I was a kid.

@rawr101 I was just freaking out about this last night too!!!! My ortho never said anything about spacers and that's all I have been reading about on this forum. I definetly don't have room between my back molars for bands either. I just called my ortho (I get braces tomorrow EEEKkk) and I am getting self-ligating braces. Sounds like you are too!!! GOOD LUCK!

I had spacers for a week, then when the molar bands were being fitted it turned out they wouldn't go over my teeth, not enough room made so ended up with brackets instead, the back brackets have a cross type hook on them, not sure what that's for?