Metal Mouth Message Board

I just got braces yesterday. I'm 35 and have always had small teeth which have started to wear out due to an over bite.

So I had braces put on yesterday. The problem was my teeth are so small that the brackets hit each other when I bite down. I could tell this was rather unexpected, but the doctor's solution was to put some kind of substance on my back molars, which doesn't allow me to bite down all the way any more.

Even so, 2 of the brackets have already come off in less than 24 hours.

It really sucks not being able to bite or chew any more and having a 1/3 inch gap between my jaw all the time.

I'm not an orthodonist, but it would seem, even as small as my teeth are, that they should have put them lower down on my teeth so that the brackets aren't hitting each other and so I can chew somewhat normally.

As things stand now, I'll only be eating soup and ice cream for the next 2 years.

Is this normal? Has anyone else had this happen to them or did my doctor mess up?

Brackets are positioned so that the ortho can get the desired effect once the teeth move, not because of whether or not you may bite them off. Having the build ups on the molars or behind the front teeth is very common for patients whose top teeth hit the top of their bottom brackets.

Annoying, but common.

You only got braced yesterday, so the pain is all fresh and new to you. In a few days, you'll be able to eat real food again, so don't worry about it.

I totally understand what you mean about having the space between your molars and not being able to chew. I went through that for a few days after being braces. I also have small teeth and my brackets are placed pretty darn close to the gums. My assumption was that it was the most efficient place to move the roots, not just the tooth. I can tell you that your bite will change and it will get better. My molars started touching again today (Day 7). My issue is that my teeth are moving and the brackets and hooks are now hitting a different part of my mouth and creating new chaffed areas! Ack! Aren't braces FUN!

Whew! Thanks for the responses - I feel a lot better. Hey I'm from MN too!

Isn't it great when you walk outside and it's -4 and that air hits your brackets! Whooo, what a rush. Can't wait til it's -30

Erin

It will get better. I had the same scenario with the small teeth and feeling like I was going to chomp my brackets right off if I wasn't careful. I also had the composite in my molars to help. My bite did return after only a week or so. I was eating chicken strips and potato skins at Bennigan's by the second or third day. You will get used to it before long, but it does feel very weird for several days. You just have to relearn how to chew. No one can prepare you for that sort of thing. You can't really understand or explain how it feels until you've been there, as I'm sure you're figuring out.

So how long do you have your braces for? At least 2 years for me. At least I'll lose weight.

Who, me? I just got mine off yesterday! One journey ends and another begins....

I know it sounds silly, but when I had cement in my molars and couldn't chew properly, I used to eat things that were really big, you know so you could actually sort of at least chew something. Thin things were ridiculous, not worth the effort.

I was thinking though, one thing your ortho could have done was put your top braces on first and get the top teeth moved out of the way a little, that's what I had, although when I did get the bottoms on the top teeth still hit the bottom brackets, hence the cement.

But it does get better after a little while.

I know what your going through and it will get better! I didnt have the cement on the back of my teeth but my top teeth would hit my bottom teeth brackets and my back teeth didnt meet once I got braces... Things are much better.. through time it got better.. No worries!

I have the same thing on my teeth and I haven't been able to chew since my braces were put on. I feel your pain. Good news is it helps you loose weight.

I feel your pain. I had build-ups on my back molars for what seemed like an eternity (I think it was close to half a year!) The day he said they were grinding them off was the second happiest braced day so far. It'll be tough, but looking back at the progress I've had since then, all I can say is stick with it, it will be well worth the trouble