Pros/cons of molar buildups vs. bite turbos?

[auco99]

I currently have bite turbos behind my upper front teeth. I detest how crowded my mouth feels (I have a very small mouth anyway) , my lisp, and maybe the worst thing is slamming into them with my lowers. I walk around all day paranoid that I am going to crash into them with my lowers and it's kind of ruining my quality of life. My teeth aren't even sore, but I have to eat so gingerly because I don't want to hurt myself.

Would the molar buildups likely be a better option for me? My ortho has offered to remove the turbos and install molar buildups. I guess I'm just wondering if it would be any better with those.

Any thoughts? Are the molar buildups easier to eat and speak with? I'd especially love to hear from anyone who has had both.

Thanks!

[EbonyQ]

I was supposed to get bite turbos too but I did not want them; my ortho is working around them. For me the thought of not being able to bite down on my molars was too much, don’t like the thought of molar build ups either so for my ortho it’s either work without them or no bottom braces (if you read my journal you will understand why… ).

For what I have heard molar build ups are bit more comfortable for the pt but that bite turbos is best for the treatment, it makes things moves faster since you can’t bite down on your molars.

I hope that you will get used to them but remember that you have a choice, if you can’t do it with them then there are always other options .

Because of my phobia my ortho has to work without power chains, elastics, bite turbos, molar buildups, and god know what else I might find scary in my treatment. It makes the treatment slower but for me it’s either this or no treatment at all

[auco99]

Thanks for the reply. How do you keep from biting your brackets in the absence of bite plates or buildups?

Any other opinions would be greatly appreciated. I primarily want to know if replacing the bite turbos with molar buildups is likely to improve my speech significantly. Because if not, I'm ready to just have the braces removed altogether.

[EbonyQ]

Instead of putting on the braces a month or two after you got the top one (which is the normal way) I wait for the wire that can push my front teeth a bit out (which is needed in my case) and that combine with my overbite, I will not bite down on my brackets.

Have heard that it’s a bit easier to talk with the molar build ups since it don’t affect the tongue the same way.

Don't give up yet, give it a week or two. From what I have heard it gets easier

[BellaBraces]

I have two molar buildups, one on each side. It's not easy to eat anything vaguely chewy with them, though you do get used to it. I even managed some beef yesterday. Salad is, oddly, quite a challenge. The thin leaves find all the spaces they are not meant to. The buildups don't seem to affect speaking at all.

[auco99]

Not that anyone cares, but a bit of an update: The lisp is slightly better, but still way beyond what I'm comfortable with. Not exactly sure what to do. On one hand, I know the turbos are supposed to open my bite more quickly than molar buildups. On the other, 1) there's just no room for my tongue so I'm lisping like crazy, 2) I HATE my teeth clanging on the turbos...feels like I'm going to break my uppers and lowers, and feels like it is shifting my uppers, and 3) I think eating would be easier with the molar buildups since at least I would have some teeth that touch.

Can't really decide if the lisp is mostly because of the turbos, or the new braces on my lowers. When I hold my lip tight against my mouth when practicing, my sounds are better, which makes me think the lisp might be more attributable to the new braces than I realize.

Conflicted, I am.

[Sevilon]

I SO know where you are coming from. I think one of my first posts here was complaining about the turbos. I HATED them. I had a terrible lisp and they were so bothersome. I called my ortho a few days after getting them and asked to have them removed and have the molar buildups instead. They asked if I would give it 2 weeks. I reluctantly agreed. After 2 weeks I still really disliked them, but it was better. They had said I would have the turbos for about 6 months. After 2 months I noticed a lower front tooth was VERY loose from hitting the turbos and made an appt. to be seen, and the ortho removed the turbos with the intent to put on molar buildups, but my teeth had moved enough in only 2 months that I didn't need either. All I can say is give it some time. You do get used to them, and they do help to make things move quickly.

[auco99]

Hey, thanks for the reply. Did your lisp get significantly better, and if so how long did it take until your speech got kind of normal?

[DrJasonKTam]

One thing to consider with the anterior turbos is that they are often helping a situation with a deep bite more than posterior turbos. As the anterior turbos will contact each other earlier than the other teeth, it will likely intrude the anterior teeth to help lessen the deep bite. Keep in mind, this is useful in situations where the deep bite should be opened by intruding anteriors, but there are situations where this kind of movement is not desired.

Overall, patient comfort is probably greater with the molar occlusal bonding, but each doctor will have different reasons for planning their treatments a certain way.

[CoryDaniels]

To me, the molar buildups are WAY better. they still suck at first, but after a while, I was so used to them, I didn't even realize they were there.

Also, they form to the shape of your top teeth and feel more natural after they take shape.

I recently had my removed and it felt great but really wierd....if you can get the molar build ups...do that!

[auco99]

To me, the molar buildups are WAY better. they still suck at first, but after a while, I was so used to them, I didn't even realize they were there.

Also, they form to the shape of your top teeth and feel more natural after they take shape.

I recently had my removed and it felt great but really wierd....if you can get the molar build ups...do that!

Thanks Cory, and everyone else. I'm getting the turbos removed in 2 hours, with molar buildups installed. I have started to get used to them a bit as far as eating and just generally living, but the intermittent bouts of lisping I just can't deal with for the next 6 months or so. I figure I am going to be wearing the lowers for a long time no matter what additional bite fixtures I have, so if I can be happier and less stressed while wearing them, that's what I'm going to do.

[auco99]

Okay, the drama is over. The turbos are off, the buildups are on, and I feel like a human being again. The turbos must be *significantly* more effective in opening the bite because otherwise there is absolutely zero comparison between the two in comfort and practicality.