Metal Mouth Message Board

Yes those ligs really are superb.

FEBRUARY 7TH 2006

Well, I went for my 10th adjustment last week, and it was quite eventful! Here is what happened:

1) They changed my ligs (as usual)

2) The ortho put two 'steps'/bends in my lower wire in order to make two of my teeth 'move upwards', so that my bite fits better.

3) They shaved off my red molar putty on my second last molars! So, I finally don't have any molar putty for the first time in 10 months! I would say it feels great, but my back molars don't really touch each other properly yet, but when they do, I know it will be wonderful!

4) They gave me elastics to wear from my top second last molar to my bottom second last molar (straight up and down). Most people on this site seem to have their elastics in various triangle configurations, but mine simply go up and down. My ortho told me that he is trying to get my second last molars to move upwards, so that all of my molars touch properly. Right now, my second last molars don't touch at all because my bottom molars are too low. The first few days that I wore the elastics were pretty rough--I was in so much pain! I hadn't been in that much pain since I first got braces, which was pretty intense. However, the pain has gotten better now (around 6 days later). My teeth are still sore, but not as bad as before!

Also, the hygenist said that she thinks I might be able to get my braces off by the spring! She was saying that I could possibly get them off by May, which would be amazing since my original estimate was for October. I'm not going to hold my breath, but I will keep my fingers crossed!

The hygenist also showed me a bunch of pictures from when I first came to the ortho compared to now, and the change is pretty amazing! She even printed the pictures out for me which was cool--maybe I will scan them and upload them at some point!

Here are some pictures:

TOP: (my top molars seem to have 'unflared' a bit, which my ortho has been trying to do for awhile)



BOTTOM:



My Elastics (this is the best picture that I could take!):



One of the 'Steps' in my Wire (circled in red):



My New Purple Ligs:



I won't be able to see the ortho again for 5 weeks (instead of my usual 4) because I'm going on a trip, but I will keep everyone posted.

Wow! Seeing your progress gives me hope! Your teeth have changed A LOT, and that must be so exciting for you.

WOW Jaws! THat's some frickin' awesome progress there! Your smile is looking absolutely gorgeous! Love the ligs! Congratulations!

I'm jealous! My smile is only starting to straighten out and start cooperating after 22 months! I guess, better late than never!

Keep up the great progress!

-Hannah




Top braces: 4/28/04
Bottom braces: 11/16/05
Last Adjustment was 2/1/06 where they bonded a bracket to my cuspid, which was impacted!!!! OUCH!

What great progress! You must be so happy to know you are nearing the end of your treatment. Your teeth look great.

I know I've seen this question posted, but can't remember where. Do you happen to know why your ortho did not include your back molars? I just had my upper brace put on, and they did not include the back ones. The assistant said they will go on later, but I didn't get a chance to ask the ortho about why.

what kind of brackets do you have??? I like them
I wish to God I could get colored ligs but my ortho is a
big fan of wire ties ickk

Kristine

your teeth are looking great. Amazing progress!!!

Thanks for all of the comments everyone! I am very happy with my progress. I just can't wait until my braces are off! Especially these elastics, I get so tired of having to take them off and put them back on after every meal!

krwhite777--Here is a link with more info about my brackets. They are a bit different than traditional brackets, and they allow the ortho to use different elastic configurations depending on the type of torque that he wants:

http://www.orthoorganizers.co.uk/Produc ... #Stainless

Granola--I'm not completely sure why my ortho didn't band my last molars, although he has talked about potentially doing it sometime soon. I remember him mentioning at one point that the back molars act as a sort of 'anchor' for all of the other teeth, so you don't want them to be attached to the wire at first because you don't want them to move--you just want them to hold all of your other teeth in place. Then near the end of treatment they put brackets on the back molars to straighten them out. That's my naive explanation!

Wow, I just checked the before braces shot of you and the now... unbelievable progress! Talk about hoping mine can look even close to that and being happy. That's got to be awesome to know that it's just a matter of fine tuning and then you'll be out of braces, and even possibly early! Very cool.

You've made really great progress in just 10 months, Jaws. Hopefully you will get your early release this Spring Then your teeth will taste the freedom of the summer months. No better feeling, when your ortho tells you that the next time you see him/her, they will be taking off your braces.

Thanks so much for the positive feedback! I am very happy with my progress...although I don't want to get too excited about the potential early release date, since it was the assistant who mentioned it to me, and not the actual ortho. We will see!

MARCH 9TH 2006

I had my 11th adjustment done yesterday! The ortho and hygenist said that everything is coming along really well, and that things are almost all lined up in terms of my bite! They just want the elastic on the left side of my mouth to do a little more work, so I have to wear elastics for another month

After looking at my teeth, my ortho uttered the following words: "We are getting close to the end." I was so excited! The hygenist has said this to me before, but I wanted to hear it from the ortho! They said that if the left side of my mouth gets into shape, then next month they will maybe look into booking me for a final records apointment. After I get all new records done (i.e. x-rays and stuff to make sure my roots are in the right places) then I might have one more month in finishing wires, and then be done!

I don't want to get too excited yet about the release date, because you never know what can happen. My hopes are definitely up though! So, this adjustment basically just involved changing my ligs and telling me to continue wearing my elastics.

I also had a 6-month cleaning done, and now my teeth feel awesome! It was so nice to have all of my wires out and to get things cleaned up properly. The dentist said that it doesn't look like I have any cavities either, which was good news.

Here are some pics. It's hard to see any change in these pictures, because most of the work is now being done on my bite, which can only be seen with my mouth closed!

Bottom:



Top:



My New Blue Ligs:



In some ways, I find it hard to believe that I could be done soon, because I feel like some of my teeth are still 'off kilter' and that my bite doesn't really line up properly. My very back molars (which were never banded) are also way out of line. This stuff worries me a bit, so I might bring it up with my ortho the next time I'm in.

The blue ligs look fabulous!

Even though 'that time' isn't even close for me right now, I imagine I will have the same concerns. Definitely bring those up with your ortho soon!

And it must feel fabulous to know you are near the end! Keep on truckin', girl, those pearly whites look great.

That's so awesome that you may be done early!

However, if anything concerns you, be sure to let your ortho know and make sure that everything is completed not only to the ortho's satisfaction, but to yours!

Lookin' good though!

Hi Jaws,

indeed, your teeth look just awesome ! Many congratulations !!!
I see that your ortho indeed could unflare your upper molars a lot. I
compared with pics you posted about 10 months ago. The progress is very
obvious. My second molars are looking almost the same like yours. I am
very interested in what your ortho will tell about this. My first ortho had no
intention to correct this. The reason she gave was that it would ruin my
bite. But, maybe you know I switched to another ortho about a month ago.
I will ask the very same question sometime, when my open bite is corrected
some more.

I really hope you'll find that comfortable bite very soon. Best of luck !!