Metal Mouth Message Board

I was worried about that as well when I first got my braces - how was I going to sleep without the mouthguard? However, once I got the braces, I stopped clenching. At the beginning it was just too painful so I couldn't even think of clenching my teeth. Then, my bite kept changing all the time... now...

I wear essix retainers. I wore them all the day for 6 months, now I only wear them at night. They are more noticeable to you than to other people, and as long as you keep them clean, they will remain clear. If someone looks closely at your teeth, he or she will notice them, but otherwise nobody seem...

I have a lower bonded retainer, plus essix type removable retainers (right now I only wear those at night, and I have been instructed to do so indefinitely). The bonded retainer does not cause any discomfort at all, except for the fact that I can't floss the front 6 teeth and that cleaning them is m...

It depends on the configuration, for me snacking with them on was ok, but for meals I would take them out and replace afterwards! Anyway, if you feel comfortable eating with them, I guess it's jst fine.

From my experience, the essix can fell really tight at the beginning, but then somehow your teeth adjust to it and it will feel looser. I also had some headaches my first week with the essix, perhaps related to the tightness -but in my case it lasted just a few days! As for the retainer edges, proba...

Yes, a part from the essix upper and lower, I have a bottom permanent retainer as well. But still they recomment nightwear "forever"

I also got the same instruction: every night for the rest of your life. It sounds exaggerated, but considering how many people are in their 2nd round in braces it probably isn't that exaggerated! I'm ok with that: daywear was really annoying for me, but nightwear is just fine. It is not a problem, a...

I'd rather have waited for my lowers to be put in and assumed a slightly longer overall treatment than bearing with the molar buildups, which were really challenging at first, since I could not chew on anything!

I wonder how do you floss with a bonded retainer? I just can't figure out how would that be possible but I'd love to find a way to floss!

I agree: going back to work is ok with some painkillers, but dining out is more complicated, at least for the first couple of weeks or so.

Yes that's SO true: avoid spaghetti!

Oh, I forgot to mention that previous to the "parallel" configuration I wore class II elastics on both sides, to correct the overbite, and then switched to the parallels to correct the midline. I also wore cross-elastics for the crossbite, so I was in elastics for like 12 months with sever...

I also have a bonded lower retainer PLUS removable essix on both arches - I was instructed I was to wear the essix 24/7 for 6 months and then switch to nightwear "for ever". So I guess mostly bonded retainers are coupled with removable ones it probably depends on the problems you had to st...

I got that as well, at first I thought it was impossible to chew anything with that stuff on, but it DOES get better -you somehow adjust to eating with that and in a few days, or weeks, you'll be eating normally, well, almost: there are some things, such as salad, that I never really mastered but fo...

I mean that at the beginning of the treatment my midline was off by one tooth and now it is "only" off by half a tooth...not sure if you'll get the parallel elastics, I did and it kind of worked.