I went by instead because they are right next door... the dentist wasnt there - its his day off.
I told the receptionist that i really like my brackets small size, shape and quality and she said that mine look like " american orthodontists " but shes not sure, but the hooks on my side teeth look like american brand.
So heres the number incase you want it 1-800-558-7687 for american orthodontics
Im really really happy with these
http://www.americanortho.com/
Just Braced - EXTREMELY UNHAPPY. HEEEELP!!!!
Moderator: bbsadmin
-
Kellyw :-)
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon May 07, 2007 8:52 am
- Location: NEWCASTLE, UK
@ smile2006 : yes, I was thinking the same thing. See my post on page 3.
I am convinced that whatever brand of braces one has, brackets are a bit
different for every tooth. The brackets of the centrals are not the same as
those for the canines for example. I think, when I look at her pics, that her
ortho only uses 1 type of bracket. It is impossible to fit them well on all teeth.
Hence the reason why so much glue was needed. I still am convinced a very
bad job was done. To that extent that something should be done to clarify this.
And maybe more ...
I am convinced that whatever brand of braces one has, brackets are a bit
different for every tooth. The brackets of the centrals are not the same as
those for the canines for example. I think, when I look at her pics, that her
ortho only uses 1 type of bracket. It is impossible to fit them well on all teeth.
Hence the reason why so much glue was needed. I still am convinced a very
bad job was done. To that extent that something should be done to clarify this.
And maybe more ...
Hi Elle (from another Elle) --
I have had a similar experience with my ceramic brackets. If I had known how much bigger they were than metal, I'd have gone another way. Despite Karen's comments about pokiness, I have had a couple of ceramics replaced with metal and the metal are more comfy for me (everyone is different though).
I have an appt. Monday to replace a couple of other brackets with metal. As you can see, the lower lateral with metal moved much more quickly than the one with ceramic.
On the bright side I only have a few months to go -- and it looks like you won't have a very long brace journey, as your teeth appear to be in relatively good shape for starters.
I'm hoping to be done by late October when my daughter is getting married, which would be about 10 days short of one year, the initial estimate.
Anyway, hang in there, you do adjust and while it's never great it isn't nearly as bad as it seems at first. I felt like I had a bus in my mouth, I was constantly parched and sore. Now they are just a bother but most of the time I don't even think about them.
Good luck!
Elle
I have had a similar experience with my ceramic brackets. If I had known how much bigger they were than metal, I'd have gone another way. Despite Karen's comments about pokiness, I have had a couple of ceramics replaced with metal and the metal are more comfy for me (everyone is different though).
I have an appt. Monday to replace a couple of other brackets with metal. As you can see, the lower lateral with metal moved much more quickly than the one with ceramic.
On the bright side I only have a few months to go -- and it looks like you won't have a very long brace journey, as your teeth appear to be in relatively good shape for starters.
I'm hoping to be done by late October when my daughter is getting married, which would be about 10 days short of one year, the initial estimate.
Anyway, hang in there, you do adjust and while it's never great it isn't nearly as bad as it seems at first. I felt like I had a bus in my mouth, I was constantly parched and sore. Now they are just a bother but most of the time I don't even think about them.
Good luck!
Elle
Spacers, Nov. 1; Braced Nov. 8, 2006; Braces off March 26, 2008, just short of 17 months. Glad it's over but the jury is still out on whether the game was worth the candle.
Hey Elle - gorgeous name btw - I'm sorry you've had so much discomfort, emotional or otherwise. I few things to mention:
- It's YOUR mouth. If you're not comfortable, you need to do what you can do get comfortable. And a major thing is to trust your instinct. If you instinct was that your ortho did not use up-to-date procedures/materials, you probably feel that way for a reason. If the 2nd ortho criticized the 1st's work, again, it must be for a reason. I personally don't agree that a good ortho seeing the work of a bad ortho should worry about defending his colleague. I once had a dentist (who'd treated my family for 35 years roughly) overlook a cavity which lead to 1/3 of my tooth breaking off 9 months later. The dentist who fixed it for me was surprised to learn of the first dentist lapse, and although he didn't show his disgust or anything, any dentist would be interested to see the shoddy work of another.
-Don't worry too much about the cosmetic aspect of braces, metal or ceramic. Although we notice them in our own mouths like as if there're made of neon lights, anyone on the board would likely concur that very few people, if any, notice or comment about them. I'd have loved to have clear braces, initially wanting Invisalign, then hoping for ceramics at least. But, my ortho (the same dentist who fixed my broken tooth) slapped me with metals. Frankly, it's not that big of a deal considering how small they are. So, if you're worried about size, then metals would be the way to go...they also work faster, as a couple of people have pointed out already.
So good luck, Elle. No matter what, your feelings are valid. We all experienced the same panic, disappointment, regret, etc, when we first got braced, and if your isn't going away, it's for a reason. I hope all goes well if you choose to get rebraced, and that your first ortho doesn't hold you to any further payments. Oh yeah, and be sure to post pictures of your new braces!
- It's YOUR mouth. If you're not comfortable, you need to do what you can do get comfortable. And a major thing is to trust your instinct. If you instinct was that your ortho did not use up-to-date procedures/materials, you probably feel that way for a reason. If the 2nd ortho criticized the 1st's work, again, it must be for a reason. I personally don't agree that a good ortho seeing the work of a bad ortho should worry about defending his colleague. I once had a dentist (who'd treated my family for 35 years roughly) overlook a cavity which lead to 1/3 of my tooth breaking off 9 months later. The dentist who fixed it for me was surprised to learn of the first dentist lapse, and although he didn't show his disgust or anything, any dentist would be interested to see the shoddy work of another.
-Don't worry too much about the cosmetic aspect of braces, metal or ceramic. Although we notice them in our own mouths like as if there're made of neon lights, anyone on the board would likely concur that very few people, if any, notice or comment about them. I'd have loved to have clear braces, initially wanting Invisalign, then hoping for ceramics at least. But, my ortho (the same dentist who fixed my broken tooth) slapped me with metals. Frankly, it's not that big of a deal considering how small they are. So, if you're worried about size, then metals would be the way to go...they also work faster, as a couple of people have pointed out already.
So good luck, Elle. No matter what, your feelings are valid. We all experienced the same panic, disappointment, regret, etc, when we first got braced, and if your isn't going away, it's for a reason. I hope all goes well if you choose to get rebraced, and that your first ortho doesn't hold you to any further payments. Oh yeah, and be sure to post pictures of your new braces!
Yeah, actually, I didn't experience any of those when I first got braced either.We all experienced the same panic, disappointment, regret, etc, when we first got braced, and if your isn't going away, it's for a reason.
Panic -- Um..no. Can't think of any reason why I would be panicked...I mean, I signed the contract, knew what was happening and knew how long it was going to go on. I'm an adult and felt fully in control. I mean, if a person really doesn't want to have braces anymore, they can can get them removed. Nothing to be afraid of. No panic.
Disappointment -- I had the exact opposite when I first got braced. I was EXCITED! My teeth were so wonky that I was thrilled with the entire process. I couldn't stop looking at my teeth for like first 8 months, waiting to catch every little change. I've felt some disappointmnet in the last six months (the end of a two year treatment) due to some problems with the fine tuning and debanding process, but at the beginning, I was pleased as punch.
Regret -- Never! Braces were the best decision I ever made.
Anywho, that doesn't mean the original poster's feelings are invalid, or what not. I just thought I'd say it's misleading to imply that everyone embarks on the braces journey with a cloud of doom and gloom looming over their heads.
Spacers: 1/26/05; 2/6/06; 3/15/06; 4/24/06
4 First Bicuspids removed: 2/2005
Metal Braces, top and bottom: 3/1/05; Debanded 7/26/07
Hawley retainers top and bottom
4 First Bicuspids removed: 2/2005
Metal Braces, top and bottom: 3/1/05; Debanded 7/26/07
Hawley retainers top and bottom
On the other side, I personally felt a lot of regret in the first month after I got braced. I have had some financial challenges recently, and I'm sort of kicking myself for committing myself to this expensive process (even with my great dental insurance). I mean, I could have bought a (used) car with the amount I'm spending on my teeth.
Of course, my friend has a saying. "Cars come and go: Your teeth shouldn't." So I feel better now. I've come to realize that if I delayed braces every time my car broke down, I never would have gotten them.
I also felt a twinge of "oh my God I look 14" panic on brace day. I deal with the public a lot in my job, and since I already look young I was afraid people wouldn't take me seriously or think I was an intern. But that actually hasn't come true at all.
So, while I no longer feel panicked and remorseful, I totally understand people who do after they're first braced. But it'll pass!
Of course, my friend has a saying. "Cars come and go: Your teeth shouldn't." So I feel better now. I've come to realize that if I delayed braces every time my car broke down, I never would have gotten them.
I also felt a twinge of "oh my God I look 14" panic on brace day. I deal with the public a lot in my job, and since I already look young I was afraid people wouldn't take me seriously or think I was an intern. But that actually hasn't come true at all.
So, while I no longer feel panicked and remorseful, I totally understand people who do after they're first braced. But it'll pass!
Bimaxillary protrusion, 4 MM of overjet with a small overbite
I didn't panic when I got my braces on.
However...I absolutely FLIPPED OUT the night before I got my teeth extracted. This was the defining point in my entire oral treatment so far. I was really close to calling my oral surgeon and cancelling, because once I got those teeth pulled, there was no going back (unless I wanted to live with giant gaps in my teeth). With braces, you can have them taken off if you absolutely hate them and demand your ortho do so. Oral surgeons can't really put your teeth back in if you change your mind after the fact!
Once I got the teeth extracted I was in a much better mood, simply because I didn't have to worry about making the decision to get braces or not anymore - the choice was made!
The most negative reaction I had to my braces was a huugggeee, soul-comforting sigh. Like..well..here we are...and here we go...good luck to me!
I think the fact that braces are on your FACE causes some (not all) people to get that "what the heck did I do to myself?" reaction. How a person reacts to braces probably has everything to do with self confidence. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the best self confidence, so I geeked out before those extractions. And the people that say they didn't have any bad feelings about their braces probably have awesome self esteem. but many people have some self-doubt, so it's completely normal, I think, to have bad feeling towards your braces for a few days.
However...I absolutely FLIPPED OUT the night before I got my teeth extracted. This was the defining point in my entire oral treatment so far. I was really close to calling my oral surgeon and cancelling, because once I got those teeth pulled, there was no going back (unless I wanted to live with giant gaps in my teeth). With braces, you can have them taken off if you absolutely hate them and demand your ortho do so. Oral surgeons can't really put your teeth back in if you change your mind after the fact!
Once I got the teeth extracted I was in a much better mood, simply because I didn't have to worry about making the decision to get braces or not anymore - the choice was made!
The most negative reaction I had to my braces was a huugggeee, soul-comforting sigh. Like..well..here we are...and here we go...good luck to me!
I think the fact that braces are on your FACE causes some (not all) people to get that "what the heck did I do to myself?" reaction. How a person reacts to braces probably has everything to do with self confidence. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the best self confidence, so I geeked out before those extractions. And the people that say they didn't have any bad feelings about their braces probably have awesome self esteem. but many people have some self-doubt, so it's completely normal, I think, to have bad feeling towards your braces for a few days.
While we're all going to have different reactions, I feel bad for those that have negative self-esteem related issues with their braces. If anything, you are doing something good for yourself so why ever feel bad? Crying when I saw myself in braces? Heck no, I couldn't stop laughing, I thought I looked cute if I do say so myself 
...That said, I have to get my wisdom teeth pulled eventually and I will not be a happy camper. I hate surgery, and I most certainly do not want to be awake for it! I'm a little nervous about the whole ordeal, but know it will be over quickly.
...That said, I have to get my wisdom teeth pulled eventually and I will not be a happy camper. I hate surgery, and I most certainly do not want to be awake for it! I'm a little nervous about the whole ordeal, but know it will be over quickly.
All Metal Uppers and Lowers - brackets placed with OrthoCAD
Braces on 2/1/2007, Removed 2/13/2008, now in Essix retainers.
-
pinkpatrol
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2007 11:32 pm
Congratulations, Elle, on finding an ortho that you like. A referral from one's own dentist seems the way to go--it was for me, too!
His criticism of your first ortho sounds scary, though. I wonder if dentists have any professional obligation to report unethical behavior--if that's what he thinks of it (laughing, the 100% profit). I'm thinking in terms of something similar to attorneys' codes of ethics.
Anyway, I hope you continue to have good experiences with the new guy!
Nancy
His criticism of your first ortho sounds scary, though. I wonder if dentists have any professional obligation to report unethical behavior--if that's what he thinks of it (laughing, the 100% profit). I'm thinking in terms of something similar to attorneys' codes of ethics.
Anyway, I hope you continue to have good experiences with the new guy!
Nancy