Metal Mouth Message Board

Wearing elastics is tough enough without the hassle of having a reaction to them. I've had a reaction to mine but it was mental and not physical. You are real trooper and have put up with more than most. Sometimes when I read other stories I feel a little guilty that mine has been a relatively smooth journey.

When you get your braces off think about doing a toothpaste commerical. You definately could be the postergirl for white teeth.

Hang in there and stay positive.

Picture time!

Absolute WOW!!!!!

I think the long sentence is due to molar positioning. At my 1 year anniversary, I will ask him if he still thinks it will be 3 years.

OMG it did it again after I wrote an entry twice as long as the one I was going to post last time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It told me to log in again!!!!!!!!

great, great progress!

just to let you know whenever i need to write anything of length, i write it first locally on a document program (ie ms word). then i can edit, save, etc. before posting/submitting. that way i won't fear about timing out on web servers which happens more often than i'd like.

It's odd that I get timed out so quickly, I usually write the entry within 20 minutes while I'm sitting at my desk at work. Other times, I go to lunch for an hour and come back and don't have to sign in. I guess I won't be updating much for this adjustment.

I'll just say that I have two powerchains on my lowers one on from canine to canine and the other going all the way across my lowers. No rubberbands for this month and the implant idea is on hiatus as he watches what my teeth do. The ortho is contemplating whether or not he will let me use non-latex rubberbands instead since I had such great success with the movement achieved in the prior months of rubberbands. Next adjusment is the 5th of January, let's hope my gaps close up by then!

Hay Miss Smiley, just wondering will you be asking your ortho to shape your teeth at the end of treatment?

I don't think I will be reshaping my natural teeth. I will have new crowns made to replace my nasty bridge and will ask the dentist to match those to my natural tooth shape. Who knows, maybe my mind will change after 2 more years of ortho.

Hay Miss Smiley, just wondering will you be asking your ortho to shape your teeth at the end of treatment?

Vyse - just out of my own curiosity, what made you ask whether Miss Smiley is considering reshaping her teeth? They look nicely shaped to me.

The reason for my curiousity is that I am thinking about reshaping/reconstructing some of my teeth. I have some chipped ones that I would like to get reconstructed. But if I had Miss Smiley's teeth shapes, I would be very happy.

Is reshaping the same as adding veneers?

I already had some veneers done to my lower front 4 that were chipped and I like the outcome.

Veneers are thin, egg shell type covers or built up on the tooth that attach to the labial side of your teeth (the outside) to cover up chips, restore a tooth without taking away as much as a crown. Veneers can also be used to give the illusion of straight teeth but sometimes are needed to be used in conjunction with ortho for some types of bites and are not a permanent solution as veneers can crack or fall off.

The tooth contouring or reshaping most of our ortho's perform are actually shaving/smoothing down some enamel on our natural teeth to make them fit better or change the length, or just to smooth out the surfaces.

Thanks for the answer. I think I'll stick to the veneers plan. If a veneer cracks, I can always get a new one.

Filip - I remember reading that underbites would be a type of bite that would need ortho correction first due to edge to edge contact.

I don't knock veneers but I prefer to straighten my teeth first and then work from there. I thought about veneers pre-braces but was told it wouldn't correct my lip strain and protrusion. Since I don't live all hours of the day with my mouth wide open or smiling, I figured I'd try the braces and veneer if neeeded. So far, I like how my teeth are coming into play. I just can't wait to get into some cute retainers and have my crowns re-done!

Oh, both my cousin and brace buddy have gotten their braces removed, I'm so jealous! My cousin has a bonded lower and hawley upper and lower. I'm going to ask my brace buddy what she got.

Totally awesome progress!!!! I will be very curious to hear if your ortho revises his original treatment estimate. However, as you say, the molar moving is a bit more of a time intensive proposition.

Hey Andi, long time no see around on the boards! I'm going to wait until my 1 year adjustment to ask if there is any hope of gettting them off before the original time frame. I will post some new pictures once I get a chance at home.