can i cut my own wires?

[Joanne]

I have powerchains, and my teeth are moving quickly, so quickly that I have adjustments every four weeks and one to two weeks after every adjustment I have to go back to get my wires clipped when they start sticking out the back of my mouth and cut up the inside of my cheeks. Someone told me I can use nail clippers etc. to trim them myself. Is this true? Is it something I should try to do?
Thanks!
~Joanne

[dr.j]

Just know that when they clip your wires they use instruments called "distal end cutters" DEC's have a safety hold feature that prevents the wire fragment from flying into your mouth and being swallowed or aspirated. In a pinch, clip your own but I'd let the ortho assistants do it.

PS- I have actually broken the most distal band/brackets clipping wires. You'd rather us do that than you!

Dr. J

[Joanne]

Thanks Dr. J., this really wasn't something I wanted to do myself, but was wondering.
~Joanne

[Infamy]

Joanne,

It may be much easier for you to just use the end (eraser) of a new pencil to bend the wire to a more comfortable position until you are able to see your ortho (assistant) to cut the wire.

I've tried to cut my own, bothersome wires before and it's an almost possible task to do on yourself! lol.

I do believe Lynn's ortho gave her the tool they use to cut her own wires, and even still she made her husband do it.

Bending it is much easier and fairly effective.

[Joanne]

Thanks, though I remember when my wires were clipped, even though they were bothering me so much, they were really really short, couldn't have been longer than a mm or so, but just enough to cut me. Would they be really long enough to bend?
This last time I went they trimmed all four ends
Thanks again!
~Joanne

[glowstix]

Just know that when they clip your wires they use instruments called "distal end cutters" DEC's have a safety hold feature that prevents the wire fragment from flying into your mouth and being swallowed or aspirated.

well, once i was getting mine clipped and the little piece almost went down my throat. the clinician went like this -> that was one of those scary "what ifs".

[momof2grlz]

I've used the eraser trick to bend the tip of the wire away from my cheek. It worked for me. Some on the board have said not to try bending the wire because you might mess up how the ortho placed it. My ortho didn't seem to mind that I bent the end a little.

Chris

[beanstix]

I definitely wouldn't want to clip my own wires.

On the same subject - this is worrying: three times after ortho visits, in spite of rinsing after treatment, I have found large wire snippings in my mouth - maybe she is trying to kill me off!. I've often wondered what would happen if a piece of that wire was swallowed ....

[Attagirl2]

Last time the assistant clipped mine, she held a piece of guaze near it to catch the piece, just in case the plyers didn't hold it. (Once, a piece fell into my mouth, she started to dig for it, but I sat up very quickly and spit it out into my hand. I didn't want her causing me to gag.)