Metal Mouth Message Board

Thank you for the kind words and congratulations. It's nearly two weeks and it's just plain great to have (a) no braces and (b) straight teeth! The retainers (upper and lower) are no bother. If I wait awhile to put them back in, there is a snugness, so I've been concentrating on being very, very goo...

I have no idea how to get it off other than to bring it up when I go to ortho for the final retainers. Or to ask the hygienist at the next dental visit. It's not really bothering me after several days, so I might just let the hygienist have a go at it, if she feels it is necessary. Otherwise, it's n...

The first time I looked at my new straight teeth with no braces was WOW. The tech had taken off all the brackets (which went quite smoothly with almost zero pain) and she was doing this and that, preparing to take impressions, and finally I asked if I could have a mirror. It was like she had forgott...

There's just one bonded retainer, and it's on my two front upper teeth. For a couple of days there was some soreness, similar to when adjustments would be made, although less so. Now it's completely gone. The teeth feel fine and I'm glad the retainer is there to help keep the teeth together. As my o...

Yes, the Essix retainers feel snug if I've been out of them for several hours. I do take them out for meetings, including a 4-hr class last night. Then I'll feel it a bit more. So I try to be very good about getting them back in my mouth as soon as I can. I got a headache or two at first, but now I ...

While I myself don't post more than pictures of my teeth, I must say your video diary is highly amusing. I'd more or less forgotten that I have a waterpik because my bathroom counter is so full of STUFF - multiple toothbrushes, retainers, two kinds of wax, millions of sacks of tiny elastics (mostly ...

There's my new smile! Extra big to show all the teeth, including the lower arch, which is lined up like a picket fence. http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/7955/allteethwa1.jpg Somewhat more relaxed smile: http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/7585/frontwh9.th.jpg I finally found the charger for my digita...

Wow, just look at your new smile! Don't you just love it? Even before the braces came off, I was loving my own straight, gap-free teeth.

Good for you! My parents couldn't afford braces for me, either, so I lived with it until 2.5 years ago, when I was 48, if you can believe that. Now I have a great smile for the first time ever and it was worth it. The time in braces whizzed by and they've been off for about 24 hours now and I am so ...

Look at how great your teeth are now. Isn't it fun to look back at old photos? Also I love your colored ligatures.

I think they are within normal limits, but definitely smaller than many. But now that the braces came off, I think they are bigger. You know why? Some of them were up higher in the gums and the braces pulled them down a bit. So don't worry too much. In the end you'll going to love your look.

Use it in bulk if need be! My ortho's office supplies my wax needs, and I don't hesitate to ask for plenty of it. For wires sticking out in back, I prefer the old-style, sticky wax, not the silicone stuff. It makes an incredible difference.

Still great to hear from folks I recall from when I first got the braces. Since I've misplaced the battery charger for my digital camera and the battery is currently depleted, I can't take pictures. :( I really want to get them posted. Debanding was pretty darned easy. Crunchy sounds, a bit of pinch...

My ortho's original estimate was 2 to 2.5 years. Well, tomorrow they are coming off, and I'll have had them on for 2.25 years. Like you, I'm pretty tired of them by now, but they did their job and I'm very pleased with the progress that was made. Just hang in there, before you know it, you'll get de...

I've been gone so long (bad me!) that I wasn't sure if I would recognize anyone around here. Because after all, it's a time-limited thing. However long one's braces are on. I will post pics after they come off - tomorrow morning. The nervousness is kicking in... some of the molar bands have gone a b...