Regrets for the first time today.....

[Lillypad]

10 days ago my back lower right bracket came off. I was able to slip it off of the wire and go right on. Over compensating I began to chew on my other side exclusively and therefore a bracket came loose on the top and it just spun around everytime I would eat. So today I had an appt to have them both fixed. I go in, have the nasty disgusting acid wash or whatever the heck it is and get both replaced. I get home......notice the inside of my mouth on the bottom keeps getting snagged on a wire that I simply can not locate to bend, snip or otherwise tweak. I have blood running out of the corner of my mouth. I then proceed to brush and lo and behold if the top bracket I just had repaired doesn't come loose again. I call orthodontist. They say come right in we can have you in and out before you are due back at work (I drive a school bus) so I go in and wait and wait and wait....finally I have to leave and tell them to just schedule an appt for tomorrow morning. SO here I sit....with tiny rips to the inside of my mouth and a loose bracket that irritates the dickens out of me. Tomorrow afternoon I may feel different, but today I regret it! Thanks for listening to me whine like a 12 year old vs. the 42 year old I am!

[Glandyover]

I'm sorry you're having a crappy time right now. I sure hope you feel better tomorrow after they fix you up!

[xanidu2012]

Oh lillypad I'm so sorry you are so frustrated . Hopefully tomorrow you wont have to wait so long since it's a scheduled appointment. Make sure before you leave Orthodontist office that the bonding that holds the bracket is completely dried around the bracket and if you're not comfortable with anything in your mouth let them fix it before you step foot out the office. Im 50 and I've only had my braces 3 months and I whine, cry, rant and rage. You don't have to apologize for anything that's why we're here.
I'll probably be right back here at the forum tomorrow because I have an adjustment appointment and every tooth in my mouth hurts.

[Angel269]

Sorry to hear about those problems. I was pretty miffed the day after I got mine one of my back brackets came off and he had gone on holiday for 2 weeks!

[Kipepeo]

Oh Lillypad, I know just how you feel. I got my upper braces on and popped a bracket off a molar that night. Went back the next day for rebond. Then 2 days later popped another, and while waiting for that appt, popped yet another. They finally determined these were unidentified crowns and not been prepped properly as crowns (different glue, process, etc). So got those fixed.

Then the following week while on vacation 3000 miles from home, popped another off while eating a crouton. Finally got that one fixed, but was warned if I keep popping them off they will have to band those teeth. Yikes! I don't want bands - DON'T. In my defense, this was the only one that I will take responsibility for.

It's been pretty quiet since early August (knock on wood). I've been pretty careful, and refuse to eat croutons. I'm looking forward to a more substantial wire, hoping it will feel less 'bendy'.

[BraceFace2o1o]

Hey we understand! so feel free to vent

It is frustrating when things like this happen, especially if it's early on in treatment. I remember getting frustrated over so much in the early days, so much so I would tear up. I noticed as time went on it all became normal in a way, still annoying but it didn't seem as much of a big deal anymore.

Hope the bracket stays on this time and doesn't pop off again! I have molar bands on 4 molars and the lower 2nd molars have brackets so nothing has popped off just sometimes the wire pops out somehow or a wire ligature breaks

[TMJJill]

I can't say I have regrets, but I've been feeling a lot the same the last few weeks. I got my lowers on about a month ago and I'm a year out on my uppers. A couple weeks with the lowers, my wire started slipping to the left. I literally have to take tweezers several times a day and use them to pull the wire back into place. Tweezers and lots of silicone wax have been my saviors. It isn't unusual for it to move 1/4" by lunch. I put up with it for 1 1/2 weeks while my ortho was on vacation. Last week I made 3 trips to my orthodontist and each time their "fix" ended up failing. Friday night, my lower wire actually popped off my last two molars. Thank goodness for those trusty tweezers I used to put the wire back in place. Tomorrow, I go back for visit 4.... Did I say it is about 45 minutes each way from work to my ortho on a good traffic day??? That is a couple hours off work min. for each visit, if there isn't a wait. I know they will find my fix, but it can be frustrating. I'm venting along right with you.

BTW, I turn 42 in a few weeks so we are close in age.

[Glandyover]

I can't say I have regrets, but I've been feeling a lot the same the last few weeks. I got my lowers on about a month ago and I'm a year out on my uppers. A couple weeks with the lowers, my wire started slipping to the left. I literally have to take tweezers several times a day and use them to pull the wire back into place. Tweezers and lots of silicone wax have been my saviors. It isn't unusual for it to move 1/4" by lunch. I put up with it for 1 1/2 weeks while my ortho was on vacation. Last week I made 3 trips to my orthodontist and each time their "fix" ended up failing. Friday night, my lower wire actually popped off my last two molars. Thank goodness for those trusty tweezers I used to put the wire back in place. Tomorrow, I go back for visit 4.... Did I say it is about 45 minutes each way from work to my ortho on a good traffic day??? That is a couple hours off work min. for each visit, if there isn't a wait. I know they will find my fix, but it can be frustrating. I'm venting along right with you.

BTW, I turn 42 in a few weeks so we are close in age.

You have self-ligating braces, right?

[TMJJill]

I do have self-ligating braces. I guess I should have explained that. It is how I'm able to put the wire back into place myself fairly easily.

One of the strategies my orthodontist tried to hold the wire in place was ligs on my molars. It didn't work. My wire had slipped before I even got back to work from the appointment.

Lillypad, I forgot to share earlier that I actually had a bracket fall off and I didn't even notice it. I'm assuming I swallowed it. It was only a few days on the tooth too...

[starfish88]

Jill, do you have stops on your wire? I have SL with 2 stops at least on each wire and have been able to have no sliding at all. I was really scared because I can't look at my teeth so I'm glad I havn't had to do any fixing myself (knock on wood!).

[TMJJill]

I do have the stops on. My ortho hasn't found them very effective for people like me with the more severe slippage. He even had tried bending the wires and with Damon wires find a way to straighten themselves. I have had the same problem with my upper wire since I went to the big thick one last December also.

I went in for visit 4 today and they fixed composite on my bracket over the wire and secured it directly to my tooth. By the time I go home, my wire had slipped again and pushed the composite right off again. My orthodontist has a call into the manufacturer to discuss this with them. On the plus side, my arch has shifted so much over the last week that the tech cut the wire a bit shorter again.

I'm really glad to hear the stops are working for you. I think that is really most typical. From talking to the ortho staff, I'm in a minority of their clients having this problem.

[starfish88]

Wow, poor you! That must be so frustrating, is the slippage due to tooth movement or does it not even come with that up-side? Hope they can sort it out for you.

[Glandyover]

I'm kinda glad I went traditional metal after hearing all that. I'd probably ask if they could just ligate the brackets so I could avoid seeing them again for a while.

[TMJJill]

Part of my problem lately is that I've had tons of tooth movement. My wire has straightened considerably in the last month.

With SL brackets, there is a rectangular space for the wires to hold them in place. The first wire used to get all that initial movement is a smaller round wire. They want it to be able to move around so that appropriate forces can continued to be applied. My problem is that it is moving too much. Also, the wire just has a lot of room right now. I can't say that is the total reason, but it is a contributing factor. I'm hoping when my teeth are in correct position and I can "upgrade" my wire things will be better. One can hope right????

My ortho tried putting on the ligs on my first appointment for the slippery wire last week. Some nice dark teal ones. Unfortunately, it didn't help at all and the wire slipped a lot before I even got home.

For the most part, I've loved having the self-ligating brackets. I've had tremendous progress with my upper arch development. I also love how easy my appointments are for taking the wires on and off. It is just this one thing that is troublesome right now.

I forgot to ask earlier Lillypad, how did your appointment go today?

[kickers814]

Jill, does your ortho ever burn the ends of your wires before securing them? My ortho always hits the ends of the wire with a lighter before placing them, killing the memory in the wire so it won't slip, bend, etc. I had one continuously poke me in the gum one day, and I tried my hardest to bend it a different direction, but with the heat applied to it when it was bent it won't budge!!!

I forgot to mention that I have SL's, too.