Metal Mouth Message Board

Well, Monday, May 14, I will have my uppers braces braced following my lowers in later appointment.....

For 8 years I have dealt with an crowded teeth and a narrow palate. Now that I am 18 and finally have an insurance plan that will cover medical costs, I can achieve my goalof having a straightened smile. I had my wisdom teeth removed in September of 2006 followed by a SARPE on March 1, 2007. I have officially corrected my crossbite and my orthodontist finally thinks I'm ready to have my braces put on.

The SARPE was a journey within itself and I'm so glad I'm finished with it. I'm definitely looking forward to having braces on, no matter how many times I hear people telling me it will hurt.

And because I know a lot of you like to see pictures, I'll post my SARPE process.


This was taken April 04, 2007 and the biggest my gap ever got. [Mind you, this is a month after surgery.]


Here's a picture of my evil friend, the RPE.


Taken April 10, 2007. The gap is getting smaller.


And this is from April 29, 2007. My gap is little and I like it. It gives me character. I'll miss my little peep-hole.



I'll keep posted.

It's the long 12 hour wait. I'm so giddy.

Well, I finally had my top teeth braced on May 14. It didn't hurt, but my teeth were sensitive for the next 24 hours. They told me they were going to slowly start detaching my RPE (ie; the little metal arms). So, that made me happy. They decided to put powerchains on three of my front teeth and ligatures on the rest. Naturally, I chose pink.
My gap closed within a few hours of having braces. It took me a week to heal the mouth sores from the brackets and the arch wire, and working at a retail store where you have to "smile" didn't really help the situation. Thankfully I've gotten use to them, and it isn't that bad.

I'll post pictures ASAP. I've had to pull double shifts at work, so I haven't had the chance to take any, but I promise I will soon.

So I finally got the time to post some pictures up. These are most recently from today and boy, am I proud of my toothies. They're doing what I asked them to do. Although it's not going as quick as I would love for it to go, I am happy with what little results I do have.

Thanks Kiwi for those tips. I've been working on it.

How fast they are moving! Congrats!

Congratulations on getting started at such a young age! I just turned 27 and am getting nine on in a week. I considered braces when I was your age, and was too afraid to. I am happy that you have decided to do this for yourself when you are only 18. There are some people that wait until they are 40 or even 60, and go through years of embarassment and hiding their smile, so I commend you and I am sure you will be happy with the end result like so many other on here. This site is what made me take the leap, and I am grateful.

Thank everybody. I am extremely stoked about the progress. Everything is working itself out.
To be honest, I was VERY suprised at how fast my central gap closed.

Wow. It's been about a week since I've posted, so here's the low down.

My mom was hospitalized all last week and underwent a double bypass heart surgery. It's been real hectic. I'm suprised I lasted a week without the internet. Other than that, I have noticed some teeth movement.

Here's some pictures.

Thanks Meryaten & KK.

My mom's doing great so far. It's nice knowing that her heart is properly functioning.

As for my teeth, I really can tell movement. I wish my other canine would come down. It's being a pill.

Wow. My teeth are looking alot better than they did two months ago. Much straighter, considering the canine that is slowly but surely making it way down with the rest of the pearlies.

Ugh, I must say that the lighting on the camera makes my teeth a gnarly yellow. Gross. I swear that not how they look.

Other than that, here's some newly updated pictures.

So I finally had my 8 week follow up on Monday (seems shorter than it sounds) and I got a horrible orthodontist assistant. All she seemed to do was complain and make my teeth sore. A few times, I wanted to slap her. Anyways. They changed out my pink elastic ligatures to red ones, and she had the audacity to make a comment about how I shouldn't have them with my brackets (I have Damon 3). The ortho specifically ordered her to wire three of my front brackets together (so they won't move) and put a power chain on my left central and lateral incisor (or the right side, in the pictures) and to make sure it's as tight as possible. Well she couldn't exactly get them as tight as he wanted, so she gave up and did it her way. Wrong move, I tell you. I come home with a sore mouth and what do you know? My elastic doughnut popped off. I had to call and make an appointment to get it fixed. I decided to give up on them and just use clear powerchains, when needed.
Well, today I went to my appointment and had one of the nicer girls fix my pearlies up. She took off all that was red and just changed out the red powerchain to a clear one... and this time, she did it the correct way. While I was sore for a couple of hours (it went away), I noticed a good change in movement. All of my teeth are starting to meet with their buddies.

And because I know that you guys just fancy looking at pictures, I took some just for you all. Note that it's flipped from all my previous pictures. This is because my previous pictures were automatically flipped because I was using a camera phone. In other words, this is exactly how my smile looks.




By the way, my mother is doing very well. She's been on a great road to recovery. Thanks for all your concerns.

I just looked at your pics from start to now...

WOW. Looking great!

Just read over your story, your teeth are looking good. They are moving very quickly! Hope that all is well with your mother.

Hi PW,
I just read your story and am wowed at your progress so far! Keep those smiles coming for the customers-- they look good on you!

Thanks everyone. I'm absolutely amazed at how fast my teeth are moving. While they may not be moving as fast I'd like them to, I'm still extremely pleased with the results. The powerchain has definitely been working (I can feel it ), so things should be coming together more. I'll keep be sure and do an updated picture in a week.