I made a huge mistake

[Lisnya]

Hi, my name is Maria, I'm 28 years old and I'm from Greece. I have a couple of issues with my mouth (crooked jaw, some malocclusion) but I did love my minor imperfections and I never really wanted to fix them --I still don't. But I've been getting some TMJ-related headaches and I need to make space so I can get three dental implants, so I finally got them last week. There was plenty of pain at first --my bottom front teeth still hurt some-- but I've learned to speak, brush and floss and I'm getting better at eating and I already feel like changes are happening as far as my bite is concerned.

So things are going great, except here's where I screwed up: I was certain that any orthodontic appliances would be stainless steel and hypo-allergenic. I meant to ask and make sure but I was so stressed that day that I forgot. Now the inside of my mouth is covered in blisters. I have an appointment next Monday and I'm worried that I'll have to remove the bottom braces which are metallic. I really don't want to pay for new braces. Any ideas as to what else I can do? I've thought about just covering them with too much wax to keep them from touching the inside of my cheeks, anybody think that might work?

[bbsadmin]

You shouldn't have to pay for anything new. If you have an allergy to nickel (which is what it sounds like), the orthodontist can remove your existing brackets and replace them with ones that are nickel-free. (Or, are you allergic to the latex in the elastic ligatures??) If you are allergic to latex, you can get ligatures which are latex-free.

YOU SHOULD NOT WAIT TO SEE YOUR ORTHODONTIST TO GET YOUR BRACKETS OR LIGATURES REPLACED if it they are causing blisters in your mouth! Call your orthodontist IMMEDIATELY and tell him or her what is going on. The blisters could turn into a very serious allergic reaction which could become life-threatening.

Please call your orthodontist NOW!

[Lisnya]

I am allergic to nickel, you understood correctly.

I did make an appointment to get there sooner but in the meantime, the blisters started to disappear. I saw him again today and the blisters have been gone for a while. He said that because it's not just pure nickel but it's bound with other metals, there's a small chance of me having a serious issue with the braces --especially since the blisters went away, instead of getting worse. He is going to charge me for new braces just as I expected (most medical procedures in Greece are much cheaper than in the US, with the one downside being that you have to pay for anything extra that might come up), but he doesn't think I need to get new ones.

Honestly, I don't really want to get new ones, either. I already regret getting these... I think I'll just wait and see if I get another reaction and then maybe remove the braces. I'm not really interested in anything purely cosmetic, anyway. I just want to fix the gaps so I can get implants... What do you think?