Metal Mouth Message Board

Hey there! Things are going well, thanks for asking. I hope your journey is as exciting as mine

So I had my first adjustment last week, 2 months after I got braced. My "main" orthodontist wasn't there so the other ortho who works with him examined my teeth. She seemed pretty nice and knowledgeable as well. She said my bottom arch aligned pretty good and that I'd had some good movement in the upper arch too. She upgraded the upper arch wire to 0.014 and gave me elastic bands to wear between my upper high canine and lower premolar. Also the bottom wire now goes all the way to the back molars, something they couldn't do when they first put the braces on for some reason. The focus is now on pulling the canine down and back. I've already seen some movement but now the incisor that was trapped behind the canine is coming forward and causing some problems for the incisor next to it. I'm not really worried about that at this point, once the canine is out of the way there will be more room to align the incisors properly. I've had some minor pain and discomfort for a couple of days after the adjustment but nothing major. Also I swallowed a few elastic bands and I didn't find them tasty at all. Here's a few photos..

looking good so far

looking incredible!

Nice! Do you mind me asking what color ligatures you have on the bottom? They blend in pretty well! I'm looking for something discreet like that, and hopefully some that won't stain too terribly!

I believe they're grey although I didn't really ask for these, the technician asked me if I wanted colored ligs on the bottom and I said no so she just put these on. I guess this is the default color.

Nice to see that you start with the elastics!
Do you see some changes in the profile?

Ok, went in for another adjustment yesterday. My teeth moved a fair bit since the last ortho visit and my ortho was quite pleased with the treatment progress so far. The biggest change was my left upper canine came all the way down and is pretty much level with the other canine on the right. It also moved to the left freeing the left lateral incisor in the process. The incisor came forward and visually it makes a lot of difference now since my teeth look more aligned and symmetrical. The elastics really did the work. My wires were upgraded to 0.018 and the lacebacks were removed on both sides. I'm also wearing elastics on the right side now as well. The metal bracket on the left lateral incisor was replaced by a clear one. The ortho mentioned that my midline is off to the left and one of my central incisors is rotated but said that's fine for now. Next visit in 7 weeks. Here's a few photos.

Wow... your progress is amazing!

Do you experience much pain with the elastics?

No pain at all. I've been very lucky on that front. Hopefully it stays like that.

Silver are the best ligs

How many extractions did you have, and which teeth? Have your experience any changes to your face or lips due to these?

bdsfkw wrote:How many extractions did you have, and which teeth? Have your experience any changes to your face or lips due to these?

I had my two upper premolars extracted. My bottom lip seems to be a bit thinner than before but it's really hard to tell. I think the facial changes may become more apparent when the gaps start to close. I'm not at that stage yet in my treatment.

looking great! im almost at 11 months, had the same extractions as you.. my right side is pretty much closed, but my left is taking its time! would love to see a pic update!

Looking great!

Awesome progress!