Rockin' the Braces Again at 32

[sneed1o1]

I am basically in the same boat as you! I'm scheduled to have my braces placed August 19th. Do you mind sharing what the guard looks like? My orthodontist suggested I have one, and I had never heard of it before.

[HummerMan3]

1.5 week update!
I got used to the braces themselves very quickly, within a few days. Although I've been (mostly) behaving myself, I've still managed to have an archwire slip out of a rear molar bracket (fixed 2 days ago), and bite off said molar bracket yesterday. I did eat some popcorn, but I don't think either one of these issues was related to that. It's frustrating... the first time I had braces, I only had one non-routine appointment for a broken bracket, and I've been a lot more careful this time around!
The only things that are still driving me nuts are the damn tongue spurs. Speech has improved considerably, though the lisp is quite noticeable after I've been talking all day and have a dry mouth. Eating is still a chore, but I have been able to slog through burritos, hamburgers, and chips. The trouble comes when my OCD kicks in and I start trying to clean off all the food from my braces, I end up stabbing my tongue on the spurs a million times over. But the worst part is that my tongue continues to push hard against the spurs while I'm sleeping at night. I wake up with a very sore and sometimes bleeding tongue because of this, and I can't even think about eating for several hours after I wake up. I'm perplexed as to what to do, as myofunctional therapies target tongue thrust behavior that can be consciously altered, and this is something that's occurring in my sleep.

I am basically in the same boat as you! I'm scheduled to have my braces placed August 19th. Do you mind sharing what the guard looks like? My orthodontist suggested I have one, and I had never heard of it before.

Good luck as you start your treatment! This isn't the best quality photo, but the best I could achieve with my Chromebook. There are two identical spurs on the top central incisors:

[sneed1o1]

[quote="HummerMan3"]1.5 week update!
I got used to the braces themselves very quickly, within a few days. Although I've been (mostly) behaving myself, I've still managed to have an archwire slip out of a rear molar bracket (fixed 2 days ago), and bite off said molar bracket yesterday. I did eat some popcorn, but I don't think either one of these issues was related to that. It's frustrating... the first time I had braces, I only had one non-routine appointment for a broken bracket, and I've been a lot more careful this time around!
The only things that are still driving me nuts are the damn tongue spurs. Speech has improved considerably, though the lisp is quite noticeable after I've been talking all day and have a dry mouth. Eating is still a chore, but I have been able to slog through burritos, hamburgers, and chips. The trouble comes when my OCD kicks in and I start trying to clean off all the food from my braces, I end up stabbing my tongue on the spurs a million times over. But the worst part is that my tongue continues to push hard against the spurs while I'm sleeping at night. I wake up with a very sore and sometimes bleeding tongue because of this, and I can't even think about eating for several hours after I wake up. I'm perplexed as to what to do, as myofunctional therapies target tongue thrust behavior that can be consciously altered, and this is something that's occurring in my sleep.

[quote="sneed1o1"]I am basically in the same boat as you! I'm scheduled to have my braces placed August 19th. Do you mind sharing what the guard looks like? My orthodontist suggested I have one, and I had never heard of it before.[/quote]

Good luck as you start your treatment! This isn't the best quality photo, but the best I could achieve with my Chromebook. There are two identical spurs on the top central incisors:
[url=https://imageshack.com/i/pnGY1qlqj][img]http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x48 ... GY1qlq.jpg[/img][/url][/quote]


Very nice and unfortunate at the same time! I never knew I had a tongue thrusting problem until my orthodontist mentioned it, so it's interesting that you mentioned it happens in your sleep. I'm wondering if this where my issue lies, and if that's the case, how do we control what we do when we're asleep! Have you tried putting wax on them? Thank you for the visual, it gives me a better idea of what to expect!

[sneed1o1]

Oh! I forgot to ask is the reason you have it on both the top and bottom plates because your tongue thrusts on both? My ortho said he will only place them on the bottom for me.

[HummerMan3]

1 month down, 17 more to go! In no particular order, here are some thoughts I've gathered on my metal mouth over the past month.

- Eating, for the most part, is no longer a big deal. I eat quite a bit more yogurt and pasta than pre-braces because it takes a while to chew through more complex foods. A small, 8oz steak takes me roughly the same amount of time to work through as it took for the Cold War to end.

- I've become borderline neurotic on my dental hygiene. My typical routine is Listerine mouthwash when I wake up, brushing teeth and mouthwash after lunch, and brushing teeth in the evening. I've got a toothbrush & paste in my car, Listerine strips in my office, and 2 gallons of Listerine from Costco that I initially would last through the apocalypse, but I'm now realizing that I should have purchased stock in the Listerine Corporation. My technique for cleaning food out of my braces with my tongue has improved considerably, but I still make a beeline for the bathroom after a meal so-as to avoid spraying everyone with food particles when I'm talking.

- I'm apparently worse at taking care of my braces than my teenage self. In this past month, I've had two broken brackets and two instances where the archwire popped out of the rear-most molar bracket. To be fair, one bracket issue occurred when I was absentmindedly trying to bite my nails, the other when I had a crunchy chickpea snack. I've also take liberties with eating popcorn, granola bars, and peanuts, so I've not exactly been a saint when it comes to sticking to the foods-to-avoid list. But I was a lot less conscientious about trying not to break my braces the first time around, and I only had one impromptu visit for a broken bracket over the entire 2 years! My theory is that these smaller self-ligating brackets have less surface area with which to adhere to the teeth.

- Definitely glad I went with metal brackets. I like my curry, beer, tea, and wine too much to cut those out of my diet, and I'm certain if I had clear brackets, they would be an gnarly neon-green color by now. I interact with hundreds of people a week where I work, and very few have seemed to notice or care that I have braces. Maybe 3 people per week have commented on them. No one has had a negative reaction, and quite a few have told me that they've been wanting to get their teeth fixed too!

That's enough rambling for now. Tomorrow I get knocked out to have 2 TADs placed, wish me luck!

[sneed1o1]

How did the TAD placement go? Did your ortho offer you IPR before the TADs, or why he chose one over the other?

[HummerMan3]

2 month update! It's hard to believe that my teeth have been behind bars for that long! Not too much movement yet... I feel that there has been some straightening, but the open bite seems to be more pronounced than ever. I got 2 temporary anchorage devices placed by the oral surgeon on August 19, which went well. A little soreness afterward, nothing to write home about. They were attached to my braces at my next orthodontist visit the following week. The attachment seems to be about consistent with the spring one would find inside a retractable pen. Zero discomfort from it, but also not any notable movement yet. The triangle it forms between the attachment points provides the most annoying place for food to get stuck. Just as I was figuring out how to navigate my tongue around the tongue spurs to dislodge food after I eat, these things make it damn near impossible to get the gunk out of my teeth without a toothbrush!
Other than that, no significant updates. Next orthodontist appointment is scheduled for October 12.

[tillybrace]

Hey,we are got braces on at the same time buddies. How are things going your end?

[HummerMan3]

Hey,we are got braces on at the same time buddies. How are things going your end?

Hey Tilly,
I've been following your story as well. The braces are going ok, I guess. Now 3 months in, I haven't noticed any closure of my open bite. The TADs have only been in for 8 weeks, but I still was hoping for something at this point! Had my second adjustment appointment last week and no major changes other than a power chain on the lower arch. Still same archwires and TAD springs; the orthodontist wants to wait another 6 weeks to see if the current springs are going to start closing the open bite.
Although I'm a bit discouraged about how slowly things are progressing, I can't really complain otherwise. I barely notice that they are there anymore, except when I eat in public places.
When do you get your remaining lower brackets placed? I think you'll see a significant amount of movement when that happens. My first time in braces was because of crowding, and I feel that those movements happened much more quickly than this go-around for me.

[tillybrace]

Hey,we are got braces on at the same time buddies. How are things going your end?

Hey Tilly,
I've been following your story as well. The braces are going ok, I guess. Now 3 months in, I haven't noticed any closure of my open bite. The TADs have only been in for 8 weeks, but I still was hoping for something at this point! Had my second adjustment appointment last week and no major changes other than a power chain on the lower arch. Still same archwires and TAD springs; the orthodontist wants to wait another 6 weeks to see if the current springs are going to start closing the open bite.
Although I'm a bit discouraged about how slowly things are progressing, I can't really complain otherwise. I barely notice that they are there anymore, except when I eat in public places.
When do you get your remaining lower brackets placed? I think you'll see a significant amount of movement when that happens. My first time in braces was because of crowding, and I feel that those movements happened much more quickly than this go-around for me.

I think this Wednesday or i am going to be very very . I thought i would be done by new year, bit it looks like i will be ringing in 2017 as a braceface a single braceface at that . How about you, any progress at your end, been a while since you posted anything
h

[HummerMan3]

4 month update!
Sorry it's been a while since last posting about my progress. I've now been braced for 4 months and just had my second adjustment last week. Unfortunately as you can see from my pictures, there has been no change in the degree of my open bite. My orthodontist seemed frustrated that there has been no molar intrusion after 2.5 months with the TADs. The springs connecting the TAD screws to the molars were changed to the smallest ones he has, which should provide a greater force for intrusion. On the bottom, he's been using a power chain to try to rotate a severely rotated right second molar.
So a question for everybody... If the TADs do not work, what other options do I have for molar intrusion? From my own research, I've come across rapid molar intruder devices, posterior bite plate, high-pull headgear, and orthognathic surgery as the only alternatives. Orthognathic surgery is not an option for me, given my circumstances. The other options don't sound exactly fun, but I'd be willing to do just about anything short of surgery to get the results I want. Does anyone have any experience with these treatment modalities, or know of other treatments that may work for closing the open bite?

[MikeLewis]

Best wishes on your treatment. I had braces a few years ago at age 33, and had them for 2 years. I never had braces before that. From the name of your post having the word "again" I'm guessing this is your second time with ortho treatment. Did you have braces before as a kid or teen? How do the experiences compare? Which one is easier or better? When I had braces as an adult, I always thought it would have been so much easier at a younger age. For one thing, it wouldn't have been so conspicuous. (In the end, I was glad I had gotten them. But I'm still curious about the comparison in treatment times. Any difference?

[aussietrumpeter]

I'm curious - is it possible for the molars to intrude whilst molar bands are attached. It seems in your photos that you have molar bands? I just wonder if they prevent the molars intruding .... my molar bands are right up against my gums. What do you think?

[claudiofranck]

I have a choice tongue crib or spurs?
What would you choose?

Thanks

[HummerMan3]

Best wishes on your treatment. I had braces a few years ago at age 33, and had them for 2 years. I never had braces before that. From the name of your post having the word "again" I'm guessing this is your second time with ortho treatment. Did you have braces before as a kid or teen? How do the experiences compare? Which one is easier or better? When I had braces as an adult, I always thought it would have been so much easier at a younger age. For one thing, it wouldn't have been so conspicuous. (In the end, I was glad I had gotten them. But I'm still curious about the comparison in treatment times. Any difference?

I had them the first time in my later teenage years, so the adjustment time was about the same this go-around. The first treatment took 2 years, and this time I was quoted 18 months. There is much less movement that needs to occur this time, but that movement is occurring at a much slower pace than I remember as a teenager. Even my orthodontist is frustrated with the lack of movement of my teeth, so I suspect I may be in braces for a bit longer than initially quoted.