Metal Mouth Message Board

Wow - look what happens if you don't log in for a while!

I'm sooooooooooooo happy for you Joplin - your braces look FANTASTIC! (actually, they look the same as mine (american orthodontitics I think mine are called???) and I have a white arch wire too! (it wears off after a while, but silver is nice too!))

Katy (currently in elastics and lower power chain)

I have a white arch wire too! (it wears off after a while, but silver is nice too!))

The bit that worries me is the time between perfect white arch wire and plain silver: does it look awfully messy before it's all peeled off? When it starts peeling off, can you scrape or brush off the rest? Any experience on this?

It doesn't really notice when bits come off - you can only tell looking close-up. I expect you can peel the rest off if you tried!

Katy

Lookin good Joplin. I'm so pleased for you that you are now finally in braces. Hope it all works out for you. The very last wire I had was a white one, and because I only had it on for 4 weeks, I didn't experience it peeling. So you never know, you may be lucky and get a white wire at each adjustment but don't worry if you don't, I'm sure there is a reason behind each wire, and what it does.

Thanks, Katy for the info and thanks for posting pics, Dodger!

I don't mind having a regular silver wire, it was just a cool surprise to get started with the white one. Sort of made it easier to get adjusted to the idea of having braces. People don't seem to pay attention to them, and if they will later on when I have a silver wire on, I can say "Oh, you mean these? I've had them for ages!"

I'll have my first adjustment on June 22. Normally it would have been a little later, but my ortho is off to her holidays from June 24 until the beginning of August, so I took the initiative to book an appointment before she's gone for the summer. Hey, don't leave me hangin' now that I'm finally braced! I think she was going to do that!
I'm not sure if they really will adjust anything or just pat me on the head and say "see you in August". I hope they will do something. Otherwise my first adjustment will be two monts from putting the braces on. Anyway, I'm such an eager beaver that I also booked an appointment for August 3, right when she's back - I want to stay on schedule (whatever the schedule is, I did not ask) now that I'm finally SPAM SPAM SPAMMING.

Joplin, I'm sure they'll probably at LEAST change your ligatures! That'll help them move again more, too!

Thanks, Pamela! I already miss having a glass a red wine and I'd like to know when I can have one

Well, within 8 days. June 21 will be ok, the day before your adjustment.
Maybe you can exaggerate some by drinking some more than just one
glass. No no, not to get drunk, but to compensate for the waiting ... but
more to test if your ligs get colored. So, up to june 21, TESTING DAY ONE.

I had my fist adjustment today, woohoo! Now I feel I'm a real member of the Metal Mouth Club and not just a "wannabe"
Here's what I got:
- A new white NiTi wire, the same kind I started out with 3 weeks ago. The first wire was now too short, because they needed to make a few new bends in the wire to create stronger forces
- Wire ties in all other brackets but those on my laterals: they are still rotated too much to be properly tied, so they just got new clear ligs

Next appointment on August 3.

During these first 3 weeks I have not noticed any changes, really. Let's see what this tightening does. The ortho's assistant (didn't even meet my ortho this time) said it may take time until those laterals move, because they are rotated so much. I have faith in these wire ties, they look so... eh... effective. I'll try to post a new picture later.

Not much is happening yet. Here's the whole gallery backwards from today to the day before I got braced. The right lateral seems to have moved just a little, I think, I hope, I wish! The left one may prove to be very stubborn, though Boy, it really looks ugly to me now that I've got my mind set on getting things straight!

Later additions (from "The End" towards "Once upon a time"):

The final result in June 2008. So much better!


One year in braces is up in August 2006. The upper wire is the strongest one I've had so far. Between the lower left molars there are three spacers that are supposed to be doing something about the crowding. Luckily they haven't given me any bad time at all. That bite still has a long way to go...


Two pics from April 2006, after 10 months in braces. Those laterals have been behaving themselves lately. Now that those wild ones are looking like normal teeth should, the missing corner of my left front tooth catches my attention... I never really realized that problem before, thanks to more obvious dental problems



Late December 2005. There she goes again: the left lateral has taken one step back away from the front tooth again. Otherwise nothing special going on. In this picture there is a long single tie wire connecting all the uppers together - cool & handy! Nothing staining!


October 31st, 2005: the left lateral is finally touching the front tooth. Please ignore the yellowish tint on the powerchain... that Nepalese dinner I had last weekend simply was too good to be turned down!


September 20th, after my fourth adjustment. A HUGE difference immediately after getting my uppers powerchained! (Not the mention since day 1 ):


September 2, at 3 months in upper braces I got the lowers braced too. That left lateral really is a stubborn one!:


June 23:


June 9:


June 2. Notice the gap that opened between the front teeth.


June 1, the day before getting braced:


Anyway, I'm happy to report that after my very first official adjustment all pain is gone in 24 hours, YAY! That's good, unless we're talking about "no pain no gain"

Joplin, I did your teeth in a morph program called Sqirlz (find it online) and saved it as a flash file....you can DEFINITELY see changes:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a224/ ... change.swf

It will open in your browser when you click on it and will be large, just resize your browser smaller and it will be clearer.

THANKS, Pamela, how sweet of you! The image is really mesmerizing

Just popped in your thread to say hi and see how you were doing Joplin.
How's it going with your braces, are they still sore? Do you find any teeth hurt more than others, I can imagine that the laterals might be sorer than the rest because they're the most out of place.
I meant to ask you before, are you having anything done to your bottom arch?
Sorry for all the questions, I'm just very curious - I can't wait to join the braces club myself!

Joplin, what's the latest? Noticing a lot of changes yet???