Metal Mouth Message Board

After much research I decided to go with upper and lower Hawleys even though my ortho prefers and recomends Essix. I didn't want bonded dye to their inherent cleaning (flossing) issues. I was content with the Hawleys until the day my upper Hawley found its way into the sink (thanks to our 2-year old...

BTW - I was 33 when I began my braces journey.

I've been out of my braces for nearly a year now. My orthodontic experience began with 6 months in an expander. No surgery. While the expander was a hassle at times it did a good job. My upper arch is noticably wider (bigger, wider smile). I did get small gaps between all of my front 6 teeth. it too...

Welcome to retainer-hood. Depending on which kind you have you may not need to take them out to drink something. I have the traditional. Hawley retainers and I only take them out to drink if I am drinking something hot. I do like to swish a little water around after drinking a soda or something suga...

A quick update: I was at lunch with my coworkers today and one of them looked directly at me and exclaimed, "You got your braces off!" Immediately all the others chimed in, "Wow, I hadn't even noticed!" They complimented me on how great my smile looks and then the conversation tu...

My ortho's assistant said that the usual cause of the white areas folowing de-bracing is called decalcification and is usually linked to poor hygeine while in braces.

[quote="jI have to keep reminding myself that one day I will have nice straight teeth. :D[/quote] That is the best attitude to have. As someone who just got his braces off I can tell you it really is worth it. Expanders can be tough. Learning to speak with them is definitely a challenge. My bes...

I was braced for 23 months. My how it flew by! I am so glad I did it. It hasn't been all that disapointing that some folks didn't notice, to be honest. I am so thrilled with my new smile and my wife has been utterly ecstatic about it. And besides me and my wife, whose opinions really matter? The fun...

There have been many discussions here about how our braces are a far bigger deal to us than they are to anyone else. Here's some added proof. I got my braces off last Friday. WOOT! I hadn't told most people that it was happening; wanting to get a little suprise factor in there. Well, my own mother d...

Picked up my retainers this morning. Hawleys top and bottom. While the top one is much easier to deal with than the removable expanders I had earlier in my treatment, the lower one seems to be a playground for my tongue. It won't leave the darn thing alone! Maybe its because with all that plastic in...

Its really not bad. It feels a litte strange as they use the "file" on your teeth; in fact, it may be a little unnerving for a moment or two. However, there is no pain associated with it and it doesn't take long. In my case their were no after effects other than my teeth finally had a litt...

Friday was my big day and I have to say I love being brace-free! The proceedure was a little different than I had anticipated, though. I had heard and read that the actual removing of the brackets was super-simple and they just "popped off." Not for me. My ortho really had to work to get t...

I did popcorn many times while braced. The only challenge I found was the clean up. Popcorn finds its way into every nook and cranny anyway and with braces there are infinitely more nooks and crannys for it to hide in. Otherwise, it was no problem at all. The only things I really avoided while brace...

I had 2 different expanders, both removable, and the only way I found to learn how to speak and swallow proficiently with them in was to practice, practice, practice. I forced myself to leave them in as much as possible and to try and do everything just like I normally would. One thing that helped s...

My braces are coming off tomorrow (I never get tired of seeing that!) and they said they will take everything off tomorrow. Then they will do the impressions for my retainers (Hawleys). I will come back in a couple days to pick up the retainers. I did however, have impressions taken for one of my re...