Metal Mouth Message Board

I was debanding four weeks ago. I am loving not having braces anymore but I am having one problem. On the top left side between the back molars I have a space. The space is from having molar bands back there on both molars. Now whenever I eat I get food stuck in that space and I mean really stuck. Floss, toothpicks, fingernails, waterpik nothing seems to be able to get it out. The lodge food does eventaully work itself out over a matter of hours to days in the meantime it is very painful and especially so when I put my retainer back on. Do these spaces close up after awhile and if so how? Since I am wearing an essix retainer I can't see how the space will close up. I do have an ortho appoint. tomorrow and plan on talking to him about it. I just want to hear if any of you have dealt with this problem and how was it resolved.

I also had molar bands and when my braces were removed two weeks ago I had spaces. I have a Hawley retainer and the spaces have already closed alittle. I go to my dentist next week for a cleaning and plan to ask if he thinks there is too much space as I have found out the HAwley's can be adjusted to tighthen things up. I'm sorry I don't know the answer to how things work with the Essix.

Becky

I was debanded around 4 months ago and have a Hawley upper, permanent and essix lower. I use to have band spaces but it all closed up top and bottom since teeth are constantly shifting. Instead, now I have spaces between my canines and premolars (top and bottom only on the right side though).

I have this same problem after debanding last month, and I think the back hook on my lower Hawley retainer is jamming between these teeth and making it worse. I see my ortho tomorrow, and will report what she says about it.

Cindy

Surprisingly this problem has a very easy solution. I told this to my ortho at my 2 month follow up. Basically, all she did was cut off the last molars off my essix retainer! so i have shortened essix retainers. it covers all my teeth except the last molars. This way, the last molar is free to move wherever it wants, but the other teeth stay, so the band gap closes. I wish she would cut off another molar on each side so my teeth will be free to mesh together better, i feel like the braces restricted their movement and prevented from meshing nicely, and the essix keeps them in that position. Anyway, I think she said that she practically cut off everything except the front teeth on her own essix. hope that made sense!

Thanks all. I mentioned it to my Ortho at my first retainer check up. He said if the space doesn't close up by my next appointment, Aug 1st. then he will cut off the last molar on my Essix. The band space is still there and VERY irritating. I went to my dentist for a cleaning 2 weeks ago and he found food in there that I could not get out for the life of me. He showed me a little trick to get the food out until I am able to get my retainer adjusted. The little trick is to put a double knot in the dental floss and pull the knot thru' the space. It pulls out anything stuck in the space. So for now I am able to cope until August.

Hey Nikki, thanks for sharing your dentist's trick with us; I have molar band spaces as well as extraction spaces which have opened up again post debanding so this trick will really help .

Glad your othro feels he can get your gaps closed up!