NEWW

[charm0401]

I am thinking about removing my braces early. I am near the end of my treatment and teeth look as straight as I would like them. My ortho is simply trying to "up my wires" Ive had braces for about 16 months. I would like advice from anyone who is/was in the same situation

[chichi]

I would keep them on until your ortho says you're finished. You've been in them for 16 months already and have probably spent plenty of money on them, so I would stick it out and finish treatment.

[boodles8]

Agreed. Stick it out. If you take them off before you should, they could relapse because of a not-quite-stable bite, and then you will lose even the 16 months you did do.

[sirwired]

The ortho doesn't want you braces any longer than necessary either. After all, every adjustment takes up valuable chair time and not earning him/her any additional money.

Yes; most of the visible "wow!" progress often occurs early on, but the later, more subtle, changes are quite important for a stable and healthy bite for the rest of your life. If your ortho is "upping your wires" that probably means he is putting in stiffer/larger rectangular wires. The earlier wires put your teeth in a nice, neat, row, and these wires make them upright. If your teeth are not pointed at the correct angle, there could be swift relapse and/or long-term damage to your bones and gums.

It's not real visible at all, but these changes are important.