Metal Mouth Message Board

hi everyone and Doctor
i've been with braces for 14 months and had two extractions. The gaps have already closed and i asked my orthodontist 'will i need the elastics soon?' he said that i might not need them after all..
the only change now has been in the ligating modules, i returned to the individual rubber bands after almost a year of chain.
I wonder shouldn't i wear a chain until the end of the treatment?
This doesn't seem to put any pressure on the teeth..
What are your thoughts about this?
I'm just suspicious it might be a way to prolong the treatment since the gaps have already closed.
Thank you

sorry.. i've been with braces for about 16 months not 14. And treatment should be of 24 months.

purr_miaow wrote:sorry.. i've been with braces for about 16 months not 14. And treatment should be of 24 months.

You should be getting elastics soon.... just be patient

hi will, thanks for the encouragment, but the thing is i don't think i will wear them after all. My doctor told me i shouldn't need to wear them..
which makes me think that if i don't need them the treatment should have already be finished..right?
Thanks..

which makes me think that if i don't need them the treatment should have already be finished..right?

Not really...maybe he wants to tweek some teeth and make some final adjustments...I didnt need elastics and my treatment time still went over by 4months!

I wonder shouldn't i wear a chain until the end of the treatment?
This doesn't seem to put any pressure on the teeth..
What are your thoughts about this?

I had my powerchains removed from the bottom a year and a half ago...and since then no futher adjusments have been made to my bottom teeth...but yet I still have them braced. I think that youre ortho is a professional and I assume that he knows what he is doing...I used too think that they were prolonging my treatment to because my gaps were closed and my teeth were straight. I wanted to throw a fit... but I'm sure they have you're best interest at heart.

hi *!*smilez_of_metal, thank you
i think you are right and i should trust my doctor.. i'm just frustrated because he doesn't bother to tell me why he removed the powerchains or why he thinks i will not need elastics..
All this lack of communication makes me thinks they are just prolonging the treatment.. maybe not.
Now i noticed one of my gaps is opening.. was just a bit but if it continues i will throw a fit for real lol
they were closed before....
Anyway.. some brackets were loose and they didn't fix it.. some have been damaged for a long time and are not fixed because as they say 'it doesn't hurt the treatment'..
Well.. i do believe damaged brackets do not hurt the treatment, but i would like some more explanations. I do ask many questions but they are always in such a hurry..
Anyway.. thanks for your reply.. this forum is great because you can panic here and not make a fool in front of the doctor!! lol
Good luck with your treatment aswell!

Make an appointment to get your questions answered. Don't be shy about it. I'm glad I stood up for myself and required direct answers, even though it was uncomfortable at first. I get more respect now.

As to the elastics and getting them or not...You never know. Some need them, some don't While some people think it might be cool to get elastics, I'll bet if you asked them after a couple of months of wearing them, they would tell you that they don't like them.