Metal Mouth Message Board

I have had my braces for 5 weeks. I have 2 hooks on the inside of each molar band that are still cutting my tongue. I have to put wax on them most of the time. My orthodontist mentioned cutting them off. Is this a good idea? Is there a possibility that there might still be sharp edges where he makes the cut? Are these hooks on the inside of most molar bands or are mine unusual?

As long as they arent going to be needed for tx I would just cut them off

UGH! I have them too. Drives me nuts. I play clarinet and I always have to wax the darn things so I don't get my tongue all cut up when I play.

Hi. I had a molar band put on two weeks ago. It has a cleat inside, next to my tongue. The orthodontist fill it in with a smooth compound until I need it for elastics. I know it is there, but it doesn't gouge or poke me. he also filled in the "hooks" on the outside of my molars until they are needed. That was a relief, as one of them was constantly digging into my cheek and then "ripping" the tissue. Maybe yours could do something like that to help....

drrick wrote:As long as they arent going to be needed for tx I would just cut them off

you mean i could have had mine removed this whole time!????

I had the hooks on the inside of my molar bands cut off today and it feels great! What a relief! My orthodontist said I don't need them for treatment.

I had the same question when I had my braces on for about a week. I couldn't stand the pricking and poking in my tongue. I found out on this message board I could have them removed. I went back to the ortho immediately to have them removed. The assistant who did it didn't clip them off, but merely bent them in so they lie smoothly along side the band. I can't feel a thing...and my tongue has been thankful ever since!

My orthodontist first tried bending my hooks down. But when he bent the end of each hook down, it left a little "elbow" sticking up at the point where the hook was bent. That elbow turned out to be as sharp and irritating as the end of the hook. So the orthodondist eventually agreed to cut the hooks completely off with his drill. It took less than 10 minutes. I think that orthodontists ought to cut these inside hooks off at the beginning if you don't need them for treatment or else put on molar bands without the hooks. That would save patients a lot of pain and irritation.

They may not know if they'll need to use the hooks at the beginning of treatment. Honestly, I had no clue I could get them removed and its been 4 months now, and I'm used to them. Just let your tongue get cut up a few times and you'll get used to them too.

i had mine removed early in my treatment - and then found that I did need them after all - for my elastics.... now i have a button on my inside back top right molar - and i think its worse than the hook was - its very sharp along the edge...

how does the elastics goto the inside of your mouth? i know they are attached on the outside of the teeth, but I have hooks on the inside too. I was just wondering what they're used for. they're killing me!

Here is my "button".


Right now its not being used and they put a small lig around it and its not bugging me at all.

Originally my elastic went from the button at the bottom tooth to the hook on a top tooth. Of course, you would hit the elastic when you touched your teeth, thats ok.

do you only have one button?

dark_angel475 wrote:do you only have one button?

Just one right now. It did its trick with the elastic I had to wear, now its not being used...but since its still there, perhaps it will be again.

I agree with Chris..just ask your assistant or doctor to put a lig on the button/cleat and it instantly becomes comfortable and tolerable. I'm surprised they don't all do that automatically, mine did it for me from the day my bands were put on.