Metal Mouth Message Board

I am getting elastics soon. I was wondering if you could tell me how long you were in them. Not like hours of the day, but how many months you needed them. I know all people are different- I just want a general range.

I just got mine to finalize my bite so luckily they weren't the central part of my treatment. I got them first in late October and wore them full time until Jan 4th when I was downgraded to nights. Now it's just whenever I feel like it, although I still wear them everynight.

Eve

I just got mine at the beginning of January and was told at that same visit that I have about 3 months left until debanding. So I am assuming that I will have them for the remainder of my treatment. I have an adjustment next week so well see what the ortho says than.

Amy
Damon 2's top and bottom
braced 12-16-04

I got my first elastics in july of last year. They went from the top front to the bottom rear. I had them two months. They then changed them to front top and front bottom in a triangle pattern, for two months.

Then it was back to the original ones which i have been in since. So I am now starting my 9th month in elastics.

Thanx everyone for answering.

I got elastics last April and have had them ever since, though the patterns have changed from time to time.

I had crossbite elastics for three months. Now I'm on a box shape elastic for my open bite.

I don't have them yet, but I was told to expect them about 4-6 months into treatment and for the duration. So if this holds true, I'll have elastica about 1 year, maybe 14 months. I have a crossbite, so this is primarily the reason for the length of the elastic wear.

I've had them from the third teeth on top to the first molars on bottom 6+5 = 11 weeks. That was to move the bottom teeth forward.
Now I have a triangle second and third tooth on top, third on bottom (see my www link for a picture), so that the bottom teeth will move right behind the top teeth. I got them at my last adjustment, and they'll let me know at my next adjustment 6 weeks later what will happen then.

11 weeks sounds a long time, but it didn't seem long at all!

So the total will be 17 weeks or more...

I got my elastics in April or May of last year and I was just told today that I don't have to wear them anymore AND I only have 2 more adjustments to go before I get my braces off !!!!!

This may be the dumbest question ever but does everyone with bite problems have to have elastics? My ortho never mentioned this as part of my treatment but I do have a pretty wicked crossbite that we are working on. Would he have told me if I needed these upfront or is it one of those "surprises" that I'm in for later on in my treatment?