Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello everyone,

I am being braced next week (28th) and have a couple options. With my seperators in, they will be measuring for bands, and the TPA and then sending that away to be made and then fitted in my mouth on Oct 5th. When I go on the 28th, they were originally going to put my top ceramic brackets on only: (no archwire) and then do the archwire, bands and TPA on the 5th. Questions:

Thank god one of the hygenists had another option...next week have brackets and archwire put on(but not attach it to the molar bands for the next couple of weeks) and then the bands and tpa the next week. That way it will be less pain...

Whaddya think? I am opting for the second alternative, but would like your input....

I would choose as little pain as possible! Good luck!

Is an archwire the thing that connects to the bands and goes across the top of the mouth? Or just the wire that threads through the brackets? Sorry, I never ask my orthodontist anything, I'd rather just keep out of it... I obsess over things when I know too much information. Ignorance is bliss.

Either way, I got everything put on at once. Four upper ceramics, metal bottoms, wire connecting to my upper bands and going across the roof of my mouth, and wire threading through my braces. Sorry for the non-technical descriptions.

I was in pain for about 3 or 4 days... but I wouldn't call it actual pain until I tried to chew on something, so I just ate soup. After that, I just felt a very slight sensation for a week or so when I chewed on things. I'm sure it must affect everybody differently, but it didn't interfere with much at all for me.

from personal expearience i find the brackets feel much more comfortable with the archwire in, i think because your lips/cheeks rub the smoother archwire rather than the brackets.

This might just be me though !

I agree with londonchick. The brackets feel smoother with the archwire in. I don't like the way they feel without the archwire. The assistant who was putting on my brackets told me I was lucky because the doctor decided to do both upper and lower brackets and wires the same day. I still don't know why that is lucky as opposed to doing the upper then the lower some other time.

Hello everyone!

Thanks for all of your replies..and you all seem to say pretty much what I was feeling...do some of it at this next visit and then the TPA and bands at the second appt. I just wanted a bit of a consensus to give me the confidence to tell my ortho that I thought it was the best.

Layla -Is an archwire the thing that connects to the bands and goes across the top of the mouth? Or just the wire that threads through the brackets? Yes - from what I understand they will just not hook it into my bands on the second appt (my teeth will be sore and kinda loose) and just wait for another 5 weeks or so and then do it then.
Kiwi-but it was nice having only the top braces for those six weeks ... Yes I agree with you!
londonchick & Rebraced-brackets feel much more comfortable with the archwire in.. I never even thought of that and it makes total sense. Thanks very much for that tidbit! I will let you all know how it works out next week. Thanks again for the support and helpful opinion!