Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello Bracket Club! The recommendation is to get wired. My bite and jaw are off. As a result, I was prescribed and wear my Hawley wraparound retainer 24/7 (except when speaking at work is essential). I had braces as a teen, stopped wearing my retainer after it broke. Now I have to decide. The adult pain sounds real(the teenage memory isn't that bad). I may be over the self conscious side because I have been wearing thick Hawleys for the last 3 month: And people don't seem to fixate as much on my very obvious, lisp spittle retainers as I do. It has a thick labial bow with acrylic and sticks out and makes me talk funny-- it is weird when people lean in because they can't understand me, though. I have been given the ceramic option, but told full metal mouth is faster (18-24 months). So do I spend the extra dollars for the privilege to wear ceramics longer or just go for full metal? Or not do it at all? I don't feel like my ortho gets "jaw" and pain and he thinks success is an Invisalign style cosmetic fix. He keeps asking me to do the Invisalign scan "because it is a great tool to see how your teeth will end up". But 18-24 months with a full metal mouth for more/worse/no improvement jaw pain worries me. I know my teeth will look better, but if the pain doesn't improve what next? Any advice? Wearing my retainer "art" now.

Go to another ortho, make sure he's an ortho and not a dentist that's done a weekend course. Regardless, seems you aren't happy with him so shop around.

I have a few clear braces on the top and the rest metal as they are stronger.

With regards to pain, doesn't last a long time.

I also have TMJD, or as some call TMD. I have had it for 7 years. I have been wearing a GNM Orthotic for 4 years. Been doing pretty good. Jaw pain decreased,headaches, tingles, eye pain, hip issues (yes it is a whole body connection) and so many more issues I had. I would not go to an Ortho for this. You have to see a Dentist who is trained in treating Tempromandibular joint disorder. One who continues their education in the field, not just ewhat they learned in Dental school. First Dentist I went to put me in braces and made my issues worse. Now I am on round 2, and doing better. I still have issues because once you have TMD, you will always have it and you try to manage it. Up days, down days. I am in braces on the top, and they are complete and we are working on the bottoms now as we will be slowly bringing up my teeth that were pushed in from the appliance I had for 3 years that a Dentist who had no idea how to treat made my pain and issues worse, suicidal.