Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi all, I'm new here and hope I'm posting in the right place.

I recently got clear ceramic braces put on and I have a few concerns so I thought I would join this forum and share my story in hope that some of you may be able to shed some light on a few things if you've had similar treatment.

First I should say that I've been wanting to get my teeth straighten for about 5 years now. I'm now 25 and on my top teeth all I have is a small gap between two side teeth on the left side, everything else is pretty straight up there. My bottom teeth on the other hand have some crowding in the front four teeth. I am currently on a work contract in Costa Rica and will be here long enough for my treatment so since I didn't want to keep procrastinating and because Orthodontic work here is much cheaper than in The States I said "what the heck" and decided to research a few doctors and get my braces.

I visited 3 Orthos to get consultations and chose the one I felt most comfortable with. The Dr. I chose is a Certified Orthodontist and specializes in his field. He has recently (about 4 months ago) opened a new Dental Office specializing in Orthodontics although they also do general dentistry there. The Doc also has another practice on the other side of town which has been open for 25 years and he's in his late 40's early 50's so to me he seems experienced but a few things have gone wrong or weird for the lack of better words. The following are some of my concerns that I can't seem to find answers for so that when I consult with the Doc I have something to go on and not just take his word for it.

1. The first thing that I found odd is that I smoke cigarettes and drink coffee so my teeth are due for a cleaning but when they put the braces on they only cleaned the surface of my teeth. Is this normal? Trust me, I need a cleaning.

2. When I went in for my bonding appointment I was to see a different Dr. The Dental office is ran by 2 Dr. and this one was the Daughter of the Dr. that I initially met with. She sat me down and gave me a whole new consultation as I had heard of her from her Dad but we were just meeting and she was the Dr. who would be putting the braces on. This bait-and-switch didn't sit well with me but I was told that she and the assistant always puts the brackets on although her Dad would fallow up on treatment. Anyway, this lady had not even seen my dental X-Rays or Dental Impression up until we sat down together. I know this because I had to pick these things up at a lab and bring them with me to my appointment. Long story short, she tells me that I will need to wear a retainer on my top teeth because my bottom teeth need to raise as they are currently to sunken into my gums and the brackets won't fit on my molars. They look fine to me and this just seems weird, apparently the top retainer will prevent my mouth from closing entirely and that will make my bottom teeth grow out so I can get bottom brackets in 2 months. None of this makes sense to me and what made it worse is that she explained that she has been using "this method" on other patients and it has been very successful. I don't like this idea because for one she made it sound like a "one fits all" treatment approach and because I don't want to talk with a lisp which she said I would and I have to wear this thing for the entire treatment. I also don't think that Doc likes or is comfortable using ceramic brackets since she tried to convince me to go with metal even though I have already paid and extra fee for my choice. Let me explain something, here in Costa Rica most people that get braces go with metal because of the price associated with ceramic therefor, any Ortho is naturally used to and more experienced with the traditional metal brackets. In fact they don't even stock ceramic and had to order them for me one week in advance. Anyhow she says that she can't put ceramic brackets on my bottom teeth because I will knock them off with my top teeth. How is that possible if the top retainer will prevent my teeth to ever touching? In any case, has anyone had to wear this type of retainer before? It's like a hawley without the metal. And how often do you see your Doc and not just the assistant when you have an appointment?

3. I read somewhere that depending on the brand, some ceramic brackets are smooth while other are sharp. Guess which ones I got? Yea, they're really sharp in fact I can feel how sharp they are with my finger which is less sensitive than the inner lip. This the my biggest concern right now and here's why.... I LIKE TO FRENCH KISS and I had a date 3 days after getting my braces. With that in mind I went searching high and low for a lip guard which they have never heard of here in Costa Rica. I finally found an Orthodontics distributor and explained that I couldn't find a Pharmacy or Orthodontist that had even heard on a lip guard so they agreed to sell me one for a spacial fee. The reason this concerns me the most is because the brackets are really sharp and although I know that I can get used to them and my lips will grow tougher cells and lining, that still will not prevent my dates from potentially getting cut when kissing me. Of course I can kiss well with the lip guard on but can you imagine a retainer + a lip guard? I wouldn't even be able to make out any words! o_O My question is. Can sharp clear sapphire/ceramic brackets be smoothed out? I'm afraid that when I ask the Doc tomorrow she may tell me that they are too fragile.

Anyhow, that's my story so far. I appreciate any feedback specially if anyone reading has gone through similar treatment minus the Costa Rica part of course. Thanks in advance, I'm sure you'll be seeing me around this forum.

I've never had a problem so far with mine

1. You can't confuse an orthodontist with a dentist/dental hygenist. They are not here to clean your teeth and get rid of coffee stains. They only cleaned the front surfaces of your teeth because they needed those clean to properly apply the glue which makes the braces stick to your teeth. You probably wouldn't want your ortho truly cleaning your teeth, it would be very expensive, IF they would even do it.

2. I understand how you feel about the bait and switch tactic. I'm not sure what you tell you other than to voice your concerns to the ortho you are dealing with. It must be very frustrating to get a whole other consultation with a different treatment plan. Without pictures, I can't tell about your molars but it is possble they are too hidden behind the gums to put braces on yet. The retainer may be there to get those teeth to move down and become more exposed so brackets or bands can be put on. I wouldn't say that's a "one size fits all" treatment.

Best of luck!

Thanks bmueller :)

Still wondering if they will smooth out the edges on ceramic brackets. I've been searching online and haven't found anything that says it's possible or not. I have to go in to pick up my retainer in 2 hours, I called and they let me schedule an appointment to see one of the Orthos. They didn't ask why so I didn't say but I hope they can do something. I will post back in a few hours, hopefully I'll me smiling.

[quote="Smiley1"]Thanks bmueller :)

Still wondering if they will smooth out the edges on ceramic brackets. I've been searching online and haven't found anything that says it's possible or not. I have to go in to pick up my retainer in 2 hours, I called and they let me schedule an appointment to see one of the Orthos. They didn't ask why so I didn't say but I hope they can do something. I will post back in a few hours, hopefully I'll me smiling.[/quote]

Yay! I'm back from the Ortho and the Doc smoothed out the edges and corners of the ceramic brackets. She was hesitant about it and said she could spark my lips, I'm guessing she meant if the drill touched the wire. Anyhow, they feel smooth enough to where I feel more comfortable kissing someone without hurting them. She only did the front brackets so the side brackets are still hurting my lips but I'll get used it.

I also got my retainer, can't wait to get used to it as well. As of now it's really hard to speak and there are certain words that when I try to say them makes my tongue go so far down my throat that it makes me want to gag. P.S. I still don't know what the retainer is for but I'm supposed to wear it 24/7. Learning to speak with it on is gonna be difficult. Of yeah, now I remember she said it's a bite plane. Gonna do some research on that now.

My ortho is also a regular dentist. I think it comes in handy as he can also perform other procedures like when I had to have my extractions done. I have ceramic brackets on the top and bottom. My ortho explained to me before I got them that they would be more rough than metal ones and would take longer to get used to. So far, I haven't had any problems with them and haven't had any break. They have never cut my lip or the insides of my mouth. I did have the assistant put on my braces and she is also the one that does my adjustments. I usually just see the ortho at the begining of my appointment and he tells the assistant what needs to be done, then he checks again before I leave to make sure everything is ok.

Smiley1 wrote:Hi all, I'm new here and hope I'm posting in the right place.

I recently got clear ceramic braces put on and I have a few concerns so I thought I would join this forum and share my story in hope that some of you may be able to shed some light on a few things if you've had similar treatment.

First I should say that I've been wanting to get my teeth straighten for about 5 years now. I'm now 25 and on my top teeth all I have is a small gap between two side teeth on the left side, everything else is pretty straight up there. My bottom teeth on the other hand have some crowding in the front four teeth. I am currently on a work contract in Costa Rica and will be here long enough for my treatment so since I didn't want to keep procrastinating and because Orthodontic work here is much cheaper than in The States I said "what the heck" and decided to research a few doctors and get my braces.

I visited 3 Orthos to get consultations and chose the one I felt most comfortable with. The Dr. I chose is a Certified Orthodontist and specializes in his field. He has recently (about 4 months ago) opened a new Dental Office specializing in Orthodontics although they also do general dentistry there. The Doc also has another practice on the other side of town which has been open for 25 years and he's in his late 40's early 50's so to me he seems experienced but a few things have gone wrong or weird for the lack of better words. The following are some of my concerns that I can't seem to find answers for so that when I consult with the Doc I have something to go on and not just take his word for it.

1. The first thing that I found odd is that I smoke cigarettes and drink coffee so my teeth are due for a cleaning but when they put the braces on they only cleaned the surface of my teeth. Is this normal? Trust me, I need a cleaning.

2. When I went in for my bonding appointment I was to see a different Dr. The Dental office is ran by 2 Dr. and this one was the Daughter of the Dr. that I initially met with. She sat me down and gave me a whole new consultation as I had heard of her from her Dad but we were just meeting and she was the Dr. who would be putting the braces on. This bait-and-switch didn't sit well with me but I was told that she and the assistant always puts the brackets on although her Dad would fallow up on treatment. Anyway, this lady had not even seen my dental X-Rays or Dental Impression up until we sat down together. I know this because I had to pick these things up at a lab and bring them with me to my appointment. Long story short, she tells me that I will need to wear a retainer on my top teeth because my bottom teeth need to raise as they are currently to sunken into my gums and the brackets won't fit on my molars. They look fine to me and this just seems weird, apparently the top retainer will prevent my mouth from closing entirely and that will make my bottom teeth grow out so I can get bottom brackets in 2 months. None of this makes sense to me and what made it worse is that she explained that she has been using "this method" on other patients and it has been very successful. I don't like this idea because for one she made it sound like a "one fits all" treatment approach and because I don't want to talk with a lisp which she said I would and I have to wear this thing for the entire treatment. I also don't think that Doc likes or is comfortable using ceramic brackets since she tried to convince me to go with metal even though I have already paid and extra fee for my choice. Let me explain something, here in Costa Rica most people that get braces go with metal because of the price associated with ceramic therefor, any Ortho is naturally used to and more experienced with the traditional metal brackets. In fact they don't even stock ceramic and had to order them for me one week in advance. Anyhow she says that she can't put ceramic brackets on my bottom teeth because I will knock them off with my top teeth. How is that possible if the top retainer will prevent my teeth to ever touching? In any case, has anyone had to wear this type of retainer before? It's like a hawley without the metal. And how often do you see your Doc and not just the assistant when you have an appointment?

3. I read somewhere that depending on the brand, some ceramic brackets are smooth while other are sharp. Guess which ones I got? Yea, they're really sharp in fact I can feel how sharp they are with my finger which is less sensitive than the inner lip. This the my biggest concern right now and here's why.... I LIKE TO FRENCH KISS and I had a date 3 days after getting my braces. With that in mind I went searching high and low for a lip guard which they have never heard of here in Costa Rica. I finally found an Orthodontics distributor and explained that I couldn't find a Pharmacy or Orthodontist that had even heard on a lip guard so they agreed to sell me one for a spacial fee. The reason this concerns me the most is because the brackets are really sharp and although I know that I can get used to them and my lips will grow tougher cells and lining, that still will not prevent my dates from potentially getting cut when kissing me. Of course I can kiss well with the lip guard on but can you imagine a retainer + a lip guard? I wouldn't even be able to make out any words! o_O My question is. Can sharp clear sapphire/ceramic brackets be smoothed out? I'm afraid that when I ask the Doc tomorrow she may tell me that they are too fragile.

Anyhow, that's my story so far. I appreciate any feedback specially if anyone reading has gone through similar treatment minus the Costa Rica part of course. Thanks in advance, I'm sure you'll be seeing me around this forum.

Hi I live in Costa Rica and that seems odd. What is the name of your Ortho?

nachoesq86 wrote:

Smiley1 wrote:Hi all, I'm new here and hope I'm posting in the right place.

I recently got clear ceramic braces put on and I have a few concerns so I thought I would join this forum and share my story in hope that some of you may be able to shed some light on a few things if you've had similar treatment.

First I should say that I've been wanting to get my teeth straighten for about 5 years now. I'm now 25 and on my top teeth all I have is a small gap between two side teeth on the left side, everything else is pretty straight up there. My bottom teeth on the other hand have some crowding in the front four teeth. I am currently on a work contract in Costa Rica and will be here long enough for my treatment so since I didn't want to keep procrastinating and because Orthodontic work here is much cheaper than in The States I said "what the heck" and decided to research a few doctors and get my braces.

I visited 3 Orthos to get consultations and chose the one I felt most comfortable with. The Dr. I chose is a Certified Orthodontist and specializes in his field. He has recently (about 4 months ago) opened a new Dental Office specializing in Orthodontics although they also do general dentistry there. The Doc also has another practice on the other side of town which has been open for 25 years and he's in his late 40's early 50's so to me he seems experienced but a few things have gone wrong or weird for the lack of better words. The following are some of my concerns that I can't seem to find answers for so that when I consult with the Doc I have something to go on and not just take his word for it.

1. The first thing that I found odd is that I smoke cigarettes and drink coffee so my teeth are due for a cleaning but when they put the braces on they only cleaned the surface of my teeth. Is this normal? Trust me, I need a cleaning.

2. When I went in for my bonding appointment I was to see a different Dr. The Dental office is ran by 2 Dr. and this one was the Daughter of the Dr. that I initially met with. She sat me down and gave me a whole new consultation as I had heard of her from her Dad but we were just meeting and she was the Dr. who would be putting the braces on. This bait-and-switch didn't sit well with me but I was told that she and the assistant always puts the brackets on although her Dad would fallow up on treatment. Anyway, this lady had not even seen my dental X-Rays or Dental Impression up until we sat down together. I know this because I had to pick these things up at a lab and bring them with me to my appointment. Long story short, she tells me that I will need to wear a retainer on my top teeth because my bottom teeth need to raise as they are currently to sunken into my gums and the brackets won't fit on my molars. They look fine to me and this just seems weird, apparently the top retainer will prevent my mouth from closing entirely and that will make my bottom teeth grow out so I can get bottom brackets in 2 months. None of this makes sense to me and what made it worse is that she explained that she has been using "this method" on other patients and it has been very successful. I don't like this idea because for one she made it sound like a "one fits all" treatment approach and because I don't want to talk with a lisp which she said I would and I have to wear this thing for the entire treatment. I also don't think that Doc likes or is comfortable using ceramic brackets since she tried to convince me to go with metal even though I have already paid and extra fee for my choice. Let me explain something, here in Costa Rica most people that get braces go with metal because of the price associated with ceramic therefor, any Ortho is naturally used to and more experienced with the traditional metal brackets. In fact they don't even stock ceramic and had to order them for me one week in advance. Anyhow she says that she can't put ceramic brackets on my bottom teeth because I will knock them off with my top teeth. How is that possible if the top retainer will prevent my teeth to ever touching? In any case, has anyone had to wear this type of retainer before? It's like a hawley without the metal. And how often do you see your Doc and not just the assistant when you have an appointment?

3. I read somewhere that depending on the brand, some ceramic brackets are smooth while other are sharp. Guess which ones I got? Yea, they're really sharp in fact I can feel how sharp they are with my finger which is less sensitive than the inner lip. This the my biggest concern right now and here's why.... I LIKE TO FRENCH KISS and I had a date 3 days after getting my braces. With that in mind I went searching high and low for a lip guard which they have never heard of here in Costa Rica. I finally found an Orthodontics distributor and explained that I couldn't find a Pharmacy or Orthodontist that had even heard on a lip guard so they agreed to sell me one for a spacial fee. The reason this concerns me the most is because the brackets are really sharp and although I know that I can get used to them and my lips will grow tougher cells and lining, that still will not prevent my dates from potentially getting cut when kissing me. Of course I can kiss well with the lip guard on but can you imagine a retainer + a lip guard? I wouldn't even be able to make out any words! o_O My question is. Can sharp clear sapphire/ceramic brackets be smoothed out? I'm afraid that when I ask the Doc tomorrow she may tell me that they are too fragile.

Anyhow, that's my story so far. I appreciate any feedback specially if anyone reading has gone through similar treatment minus the Costa Rica part of course. Thanks in advance, I'm sure you'll be seeing me around this forum.

Hi I live in Costa Rica and that seems odd. What is the name of your Ortho?

Lol which part seems odd? All of it has been odd to me but I'm trying to get get through it. I don't want to post the name of the Ortho's office (yet) but I will as soon as I'm done with my treatment. I've had to document everything because it's been a total circus to say the least and I promise you that I picked what is expected to be "one of the best" here in CR.

Full blog coming soon (6mo or so).

There is the Costa Rican Association of Orthodontists where you can complain http://www.ortodonciacostarica.org/ the website is both in english and spanish if you don´t manage the language. Anyway I can help you don´t hesitate on contacting me for further help.

Yea thanks. Both of the Dr.'s I wrote about are active members of the ACO.

Smiley1 wrote:Yea thanks. Both of the Dr.'s I wrote about are active members of the ACO.

Amazing those things happen with "respected" orthos. I did my first treatment with Dr. Ronald de la Cruz like 15 years ago, now I have to get braces again because of not wearing my retainer and wisdom tooth appearance and not taking them out on time.