Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi everyone!

I was reading a lot through your posts yesterday and found a lot of useful information. I found out that my annoying cleats will SURELY be used to attach a palatar device (or nance). I read the case of Lucyloop, and that was quite as mine, this device will surely be used to prevent my molars to fill my extraction gaps. I'm guessing here, since I didn't talk to my ortho, but I'm sure that I'm right .

I was kind of shocked to read some stories and I kept wondering...Is anything worse??? I couldn't avoid making a mental ranking of the most dreaded devices in orthodontic treatment...
So I thought it would be useful to know from your experience What do you think are the worst appliances ever?

I think it would be really good to know, it will prevent some of us from receiving and awful and shocking surprise once we left the ortho's office
What the heck is this thing in my mouth???!!!
Some orthos don't tell much to their patients because they don't want to scare them I think...But I prefer to know!

I know I have not had it as rough as some people, but so far my worst part has been the spring on the upper right side of my mouth. It still makes it hard to eat. I agree I am glad I don't have to encounter some of the appliances other people do...

When I had braces the first time around, I had 2 awful....awful appliances....

One was the palate expander (nightmare, almost choked while eating, couldn't speak for weeks, pain)

The second was this HUGE thing that brought my jaw forward. I could not open my mouth, speak without major garble and I *looked* like such a freak. I would wear it out the door and then hide it in my front yard bushes (I was 13).

I am 27 yo female. I got my braces on back in July. I haven't had to deal with some of the appliances that all of you are speaking of but I have been wearing a cervical headgear for the last 3 months or so. While it is very bulky and pretty uncomfortable to wear, at least it is removable and not required to wear 24/7. It has definitelyt been the most challenging part of my treatment so far.

I am 27 yo female. I got my braces on back in July. I haven't had to deal with some of the appliances that all of you are speaking of but I have been wearing a cervical headgear for the last 3 months or so. While it is very bulky and pretty uncomfortable to wear, at least it is removable and not required to wear 24/7. It has definitelyt been the most challenging part of my treatment so far.

Kittysopretty wrote: The second was this HUGE thing that brought my jaw forward. I could not open my mouth, speak without major garble and I *looked* like such a freak. I would wear it out the door and then hide it in my front yard bushes (I was 13).

ROFL! Hid it in the bushes, did you? I feel very guilty now about not wearing my headgear enough. I used to fudge the hours worn on this little card we filled out and gave to the ortho.

When I was 9 I had to wear a palatal expander and boy was it annoying! It was so hard to talk with it and it made my mouth feel so full and I would hecka salivate!

It did its job though and it wasn't terribly painful!

-Hannah




Top braces: 4/28/04
Bottom braces: 11/16/05

Worst "appliance" if you can call it that, has to be the upper lingual holding wire. It was constantly moving out of place, made clear speech impossible, and left a huge sore gouge in my tongue every morning. The day that wire came out was my second happiest day in braces (first was when they ground off the build-ups on my molars )

Wow! Really scary things!
So far the palatar expander seems to be the worst for me because I'm afraid I might have to use it...I don't know, maybe I just need a TPA/nance only...but you never know.

The things the orthos slip into our mouths!
I'm surprised sometimes how strong some members of this forum are for enduring all those little torture devices...I really admire you people!

Happy new 2006 for all of you!

Worst ever is indeed the palatal expander. I'm 3 months into my 6 month relationship with this thing, and I still hate it every day.

Just when I thought i'd gotten used to everything that could possibly get stuck in this (nothing worse than a piece of spinach or something dangling in your mouth and you just can't get it), the worst thing EVER happened.

Last week, I got the stomach flu.

Now, it's an unpleasant experience enough to throw up 24 hours' worth of food. But to throw up and have THINGS GETTING STUCK ON THE WAY OUT... oh my god I wanted to die.

OMG that sounds awful...I'll remember not to eat spinach if I have to wear a palatar expander!!! Wow!!!

Top and bottom expander... worst ever

Worst has to be headgear, hands down. As bad as some of these appliances look and feel, at least they are contained inside the mouth. To me the worst part of braces so far has been having to wear headgear. Fortunately I don't have to wear it to school or anything like that, but I still have to wear it almost all the time that I'm at home and while sleeping. When I first got it I couldn't sleep at all, it was horrible.

-cass

I would have to agree that expanders are the worst. I have a rapid palate expander on top and an Arnold expander on the bottom and they both are very hard to deal with.

I have to say I am sooo glad I didn't have headgear - have you SEEN the hilarious headgear Willy Wonka wears in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"?