If you want to share the detailed saga of your braces story, this is the place to do it. You can use this forum as a braces journal, editing and updating your posts as your treatment goes on. Remember to also visit the main ArchWired.com site for additional stories from other readers!
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Congratulations on your bracesversary! A year goes by fast, doesn't it?
Do you know if you'll be getting permanent retainers in addition to removable? I'm getting them on top and bottom to be extra careful about keeping my teeth in place. Perhaps you won't need them, though, if you keep your braces on longer?
Congratulations again!
•Braces placed August 14, 2014
•Deband November 11, 2015
•Permanent retainer top and bottom
•Essix retainers top and bottom 16 hr/day for a year and then nightly afterwards.
Thanks, Newbte. We haven't discussed retainers yet but I'm happy to have permanent ones in place as I never, ever want to wear braces again after these are off. It may not be possible at the top because of the crowns.
I thought I had better make a post although things are moving very slowly. It is a year since I first started wearing elastics. On my last visit the ortho put me into double elastics to speed things up a bit. My grandson says they look like pasta.
The good news is we have just returned from five weeks in North America with no disasters to my braces. The recalcitrant tooth up the back had slipped off its wire but had only moved a little. I am worried about my bite as the lower left molar is not lining up with the one above. Unfortunately I had a tooth removed next to it years ago as it was sticking out sideways. If only I had kept it and braced it! Now the molar has moved away from the one above and I am missing the one on the other side as it split and could not be saved. I am thinking of having an implant there after my braces are removed. Then again I may be so over it I will leave things be.
I have not been given a debanding date. The double elastics are causing a lot of movement so hopefully on 3rd August I will get some good news. We are heading off to sunny Queensland in the caravan for a month that same day so I hope to leave in a cheerful mood. If I am out if braces before Christmas I will be happy.
OK. They are not perfect but I'm hoping to get them off on January 4th! The ortho said last visit that I should wait until Easter next year. I replied I don't want to be 66 with braces so he made a note of that and said I could get them off now but the longer I leave them the more improvement there will be. I am not seeing any improvement and have had enough! I rang and made an appointment to have the braces removed and a week later for the retainers. Tuesday this week I have my next appointment so I will see what the ortho says.
The main things I wanted have been achieved. The bottom teeth are straight. They are no longer hitting the top teeth and wearing away as they were before. I can now bite again as the braces did cause my front teeth to go forward and make biting difficult. The only problem is my top teeth meet sooner on the right side than the left. That has not changed in twelve months. I can put up with that. I just want to get them off. Maybe if I was 30 or 40 or even 50 I would persevere longer but I am over it.
How exciting that you're that close! I completely understand the "let's just wrap this up" impatience if everything is looking pretty good and you're not seeing any additional progress. I'm feeling a bit that way myself. If your ortho is still seeing even tiny improvements, however, perhaps see how you feel on New Year's a couple of days before your requested "braces off" appt. Take it a week at a time and see if you're willing to tolerate one more month. If not, happy naked teeth! If one more won't kill you, great! Repeat a few weeks later until both you and your ortho arrive at the same date. Either way, you've won! Congratulations in advance.
I totally get how you feel. I have been in my braces since July 2014 and my projected de-brace date was Jan. 2017. I somehow think they won't stick with the Jan date. I have some teeth that hurt when they touch and it's been ongoing for over a year now. I will see what they say at my Dec 5th appt. since they have me going in every 4 weeks instead of 6 weeks now.
Good luck with your de-bracing!
07/14/14 - 4 spacers put in
07/25/14 - braces top and bottom put in minus 2 molar bands that they couldn't fit
9/11/14 - 2 spacers put in between the bottom back molars
9/19/14 - last 2 bottom molar bands in and all hooked up, new wire, started elastics too
10/14/14 - new square wire change and thick elastics
04/24/17 - braces removed!!!
They are off! I noted that the ortho wrote on his card I had requested to have them removed. The relief was enormous. Impressions were taken for retainers to be picked up the following week. My joy was short lived when I felt a large piece had come away from one of my molars. Fortunately I was able to get in to see my dentist and he found the corner of the tooth had broken off. The middle of the tooth had a large amalgam filling so when that was removed there was not much tooth left. A temporary crown was fitted and in three weeks I will go back for the proper one (around $1000 after health insurance rebate - ouch!). My dentist was concerned about the retainer and whether it would fit.
On my return to the ortho I found that there was a Hawley retainer for the bottom teeth and an Essix for the top. The top was where the temporary crown was situated so the ortho cut a hole in the retainer to allow the obviously larger tooth to fit. Then came the nightmare of getting it off. The Hawley was easy but I couldn't get the Essix to budge. Eventually I was able to loosen it on the side where the hole had been cut. I am getting a new Essix retainer after the crown is fitted so am wondering if it will be even harder to get off.
I haven't said anything about how my teeth look. Before removal of the braces my main concern was that my bottom teeth seemed to drop to the left and that hadn't changed in twelve months. I hoped that when the braces were removed that would rectify itself. Even in the two weeks they have been off it looks a lot better better. The teeth at the top are fantastic. The bottom ones are never going to be perfect as they are worn down in places but they are smooth and even, so I'm satisfied.
Wearing the retainers is a headache because whenever I eat or drink I have to remove them. The Hawleys are easy but it takes me at least 30 seconds to wiggle the top ones off and every time I feel they are going to pull my three front crowns off or break the retainer. I am sure this will get easier as they loosen but then I will have to start all over again in four weeks with my new Essix retainers.
Reading this it sounds like a lot of complaining but I am really happy to have the braces off. Was it worth the two years and two months I had them on? Well I am much happier with my teeth than I was two and a bit years ago. The bottom teeth are no longer rubbing against the top ones and wearing away so they should last as long as I do. The teeth that stuck out sideways are all in line and my top teeth are all the same length which was an unexpected bonus.
I just picked up my new retainers yesterday. Fortunately I was able to take them out in the surgery so escaped rather quickly after being told I can revert to night only after April 12. Because they fit so snugly they are difficult to get out so I make sure I eat enough for the next few hours before putting them back in. My nails are so sore from pulling them out I have been researching other ways to remove them. I read about using a crochet hook so found one in the sewing cabinet which must have belonged to my grandmother. It is important not to throw anything out! Even using that I was only getting half way when I also read to squeeze the retainer around the molar area. It came out!!! Hopefully it will get easier. It just takes a long time but fortunately I haven't had to rush it.
I imagine in another few weeks I will wonder what all the fuss was about. Still I thought I would share with others who may be suffering similar problems.
Thanks for the tips on removal of retainers. I have had mine in for about 4 and half hours. Took off an hour to eat and drink some tea and wine. Now back in, took 30 seconds to get them back in. This is going to be an adventure!
Another thing I found saved my nails was to put a disposable plastic glove on my right hand. After loosening the retainer with the crochet hook on the left side I use my right hand with the glove to grab it at the end and wiggle it off. Still not able to do it easily without these aids. It must look rather strange in a public rest room when I get out all my equipment.
I have no idea if this will work, but would the little plastic, elastic placer hook thingy that comes in every bag of elastics have a large enough hook end to grab the essix instead of your crochet hook? If so, it would be a lot smaller to carry around. Hopefully so. As a guy, it's hard enough to have braces, but if I'm caught carrying around a crochet hook as well, I'll be completely hosed.
Definitely not a man thing!!! I haven't seen any little hook with the elastics but I know there is a proper device with a hook for loosening retainers. Your ortho might have one.
I haven't seen any little hook with the elastics but I know there is a proper device with a hook for loosening retainers. Your ortho might have one.