Hello and OMG elastics are to be despised

[Twangsnap]

Hi everyone, I've been stalking this forum for the past few months and it has been SO helpful but today is such a low day I really felt the need to post (and moan ) with a group of people who probably get how it feels to have a bad braces day!
So, I'm 42 years old living in France, into month 10 of brackets (ceramic and metal), fixing very overcrowded and crooked teeth, overjet and overbite. I had an ortho appointment today and even though it was actually FILLED with good news - ok, just one bit of good news, but it's my disbanding day (10th May!!) - I still came out feeling so bad i wanted to cry. I've been in elastics for 3 months now and thought I'd be out of them today but no, apparently my teeth still have a long way to go and I'm stuck with them until D-Day . I have welts and cuts on the insides of my cheeks, can't sleep properly and have constant discomfort with all the pulling. I really didn't mind the braces up until that point. So please, give me all your great coping strategies to get my mind of it because I am obsessing over these stupid elastics and can't seem to think about anything else.

[SinkFullOfDinner]

I don't know how many hours a day you were told to wear your elastics, but when I finally stopped trying to take them off every time I was heading into a meeting or ran into someone I knew or ate, things got a lot better. Of course, there was one configuration that I couldn't eat with, but I think the consistency of the pulling instead of on-off-on-off is what stopped making my teeth sore and allowed my cheeks to acclimate. Even if it doesn't work, you've gotten your braces off day scheduled already! Awesome. I'll trade my no-pain elastics for your removal appointment. Deal?

[Twangsnap]

Let me think about that for a second...no thanks

I was told to wear them 24/7 and double up at night. I have also lost all shame - I go swimming with my son and his class with double elastics on. Poor boy. I also pop them out mid-conversation which probably freaks people out. Very. Little. Shame. But yes, there was a week when I was travelling for work with a lot of meetings and presentations and I just couldn't do it, so, big pain in jaw after that.

Monday was a black day, but I'm getting over myself (to be fair it was compounded by almost but not quite getting tickets to see U2 in Paris for the Joshua Tree tour on the very same morning )

This too shall pass...

[Len]

I got my rubberbands today and my orthodontist told me to wear them always and only take them off when eating. My teeth are hurting like crazy (they always do when I go there change my wires and they are so thick right now). This only gave more pain and I can't do anything today let alone eat. My cheeks are also bleeding because I talk way too much.
My way to cope so far is taking a picture every month and comparing results. It always makes it worth the pain.
Hope your rubberbands come out soon!

[Twangsnap]

Hi Len, I am thankfully out of elastics after five months. I guess the good news is they really do their job - I had a horrible overbite and the elastics have pulled my lower teeth an entire tooth's width forward, it's incredible. But I hated elastics, hated hated hated them. They lacerated the insides of my cheeks and I'm not even a big talker so I can imagine your pain Stay strong!

[Beckett]

I'm to the point where I'm so used to wearing elastic that my teeth feel weird when I don't have them in. I've been wearing them since my first adjustment in one form or another.

[SinkFullOfDinner]

Glad to hear that you're done done done with elastics. Sounds like that's been one of the most annoying parts of the whole process. I think you're lucky they moved everything so much in just five months, but I know it felt like a long time.

I saw a comment you made on someone's thread about the last minute work your ortho is doing on molars that appeared lower and "splayed out." Thought I'd reply here. Sorry to hear about the late hiccup and potential impact on your May date, but hopefully he caught it early and you're still on track. Honestly, it caught my eye because I've been observing the exact same situation, but didn't really think anything of it. There's nothing on the 2nd molars, so the visual must be due to the front molars being moved in, even though it makes it look like the back ones are "splayed out." No worries if it's intentional and everything works together, but I also don't want to have it suddenly "discovered" - like you - toward the end and add time if it can be nipped in the bud now. It hadn't occurred to me to ask about it, but now that I've seen your comment I think I will. I'll definitely be keen to see how that process plays out for you. More luck to you!

[Rebeccasmells]

So many people with elastics. I never saw anyone with elastics when I was a teenager and people have braces...

[Twangsnap]

It hadn't occurred to me to ask about it, but now that I've seen your comment I think I will. I'll definitely be keen to see how that process plays out for you.

Definitely do that. He said that because the back molars previously didn't make contact with any of the bottom molars, they grew longer, and now they're interfering with the bite.

So get this...I went to get the second bracket put back on my back molar the other day so I took the opportunity to ask him about the gaps between my first and second lower molars as I'd done a bit of research and realised that gaps are not ok. And imagine his surprise. Suddenly he's trying and failing to add something to one side to pull them together. SERIOUSLY WTF?!

So now I'm having major movement of the upper molars and probably at the next appointment, new brackets on the lower back molars to try and eliminate the gaps. I have totally lost faith in my orthodontist. He says we're still on track for the 10th May but I am not at all happy about having such significant movement happening so close to debonding.

My autobiography will be entitled "my life with gaps"

[SinkFullOfDinner]

...I am not at all happy about having such significant movement happening so close to debonding.

I can totally relate! Sorry to hear you got another late surprise. I think we can all count the number of times that we've thought "seriously? wtf." It stinks when everyone else says that the last stretch typically involves only little, tiny tweaks and movements that only the ortho seems to be able to see, but then your case involves a few big adjustments late. I'm beginning to think it's not that uncommon to have some late issues pop up when everything is being so delicately balanced near the end. Hang in there! At least he's taking the necessary steps to get everything perfect, even if it involves a little more effort than anticipated.

Hopefully he's correct that you're still on track for May. That would be awesome. Tho I'll remind that you previously thought we were on similar timeframes. Be careful! If you plant those ideas with the Fates, they may start messing around with you. You don't want surprise calendar changes like mine! Fingers crossed for May for you.

[Twangsnap]

Lol, thank you Sink for making me smile and being positive. I have given myself a stern talking to and told myself that my goal shouldn't be getting the braces off, my goal is getting my goddamn wonky teeth fixed. So if that involves a few extra months in tracks, I can live with that. That doesn't mean I don't still wake up every morning with the urge to pry my brackets off with a crowbar

I did have an interesting conversation with a French woman in a bar the other night. Both of her sons are in braces right now and she was ranting about French orthodontists because the unions have made sure they don't have to do anything that isn't strict orthodontistry (including IPR apparently). It was at least a relief to know that French people are also struggling with obstinate orthodontists!

How are things going on your end?

[Twangsnap]

Lol, thank you Sink for making me smile and being positive. I have given myself a stern talking to and told myself that my goal shouldn't be getting the braces off, my goal is getting my goddamn wonky teeth fixed. So if that involves a few extra months in tracks, I can live with that. That doesn't mean I don't still wake up every morning with the urge to pry my brackets off with a crowbar

I did have an interesting conversation with a French woman in a bar the other night. Both of her sons are in braces right now and she was ranting about French orthodontists because the unions have made sure they don't have to do anything that isn't strict orthodontistry (including IPR apparently). It was at least a relief to know that French people are also struggling with obstinate orthodontists!

How are things going on your end?

[SinkFullOfDinner]

How are things going on your end?

Inching forward. Ortho seems pleased with '17 progress and says things like "looking good" and "getting there," but I haven't heard a date offered up. Until I hear a done date, it's all just an exercise in patting me on the head. Oh wait, you were given a done date, and then....never mind. I feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, reliving the same day over and over. I guess I'll just wait until I show up for an appointment and they start pulling stuff off.

Back to elastics here. No gloating now that you're done. I got spoiled having 2mo off. Oh well, it's progress, even if it is annoying. Can't say that I'm thrilled with the config (really visible). Can't say that I'm thrilled with the strength (heavier, but I'm sure others have heavier still, so no whining here).

But these are definitely coming off for meetings and most social, and there's no possible way to eat with them, so that whole "24/7 except when eating & brushing" thing will need to be reinterpreted. I was pretty good hitting 21-22hrs during the first 8-9mo of elastics, but I see a number of sub-20hr days in my future. Hoping that a couple hr/day swing doesn't impact progress much, but I really can't see wearing them in as many situations as before. Honestly, I'd rather take a couple week hit to the end date if it meant not flashing this version of elastics in professional and social settings. It would make the interim months much easier to navigate. There's only so much. Maybe I'll get to your "very. little. shame." point, but I wouldn't bet on it!

Nice to hear that your battle over things like IPR is not just your ortho picking on you, and might just be a system thing. Also, keeping your eye on the main goals instead of May 10 sounds wise (and sanity saving!). Lastly, sounds like you're feeling better about where things stand with all of your ortho's last minute manoeuvres. Good to hear. Isn't acceptance the fifth and last stage of something?

[SinkFullOfDinner]

Ortho seems pleased with '17 progress...

btw, I just realized that they casually referenced progress using calendar years instead of months as my basic unit of time. smh. If I had any remaining doubt that I've hit the "too long" point, it has now officially been removed. Would you please just shoot me now and put me out of my misery? Thx in advance.

[Twangsnap]

I feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, reliving the same day over and over. I guess I'll just wait until I show up for an appointment and they start pulling stuff off.

Yes totally empathise - I used to get excited about appointments because so much was happening but then months went by with the same comments, same everything every time. Will we look back and say it was worth it? You betcha. Do we think that now? Hmmm.

Oh guess what - I just saw yesterday two large gaps have appeared - one between my upper canine and premolar and same on the lower. How does that even happen at this stage.

What's your new elastic configuration? I'm curious now! I had a triangle one for a while which my orthodontist kindly suggested I only wear at nighttime. But then he was probably just concerned that I wouldn't manage a 3 course lunch every day (with baguette).