Metal Mouth Message Board

The Hawleys feel very bulky during the first few days. But it takes surprisingly little time to get used to the way they feel. It's a different feeling to being braced because there is very little on the front of your teeth, just a thin wire which you hardly notice, but there is the plate on the roo...

When you invest so much time and effort into getting a good result, it is easy to obsess and I certainly did that. However, since having the black triangles on my top teeth fixed with bonding, every scrap of amalgam removed (in 10 molars/premolars) and a whitening treatment, I am over the moon with ...

I posted back in January about my post-braces treatment. I had just had my two lower premolars filled with composite and I can now report that I have had a further 6 teeth refilled. I am now totally amalgam free and I am ecstatic!! For the first time in 50 years I do not have a single silver filling...

I have Hawleys and my orthodontist suggest soaking them in white vinegar solution to clean them. Seems to work OK although you have to remember to rinse them in water before putting them back in again otherwise the taste is awful!

Agree with all of the above. Hardly anyone will make any comments on your braces although sometimes I felt that they wanted to say something but didn't know how to approach the subject. I moved around in casual / contract jobs for a while when I was wearing them and I would break the ice myself - fo...

I had my two second lower premolars refilled with composite tooth coloured filling about two weeks ago (as I had the first premolars removed to make room, the seconds had moved forward and are quite visible). I am thrilled with the result as they just now look like normal unfilled teeth so I am happ...

Yes, I can identify with all of that. I'm 57 so my teeth were never going to look like an airbrushed photo but they are now straight so it is a lot easier to get some extra cosmetic work done by the dentist. I view it as a "work in progress" and the orthodontics for 2 years was part of tha...

Great thread.....love it. Don't tell me that my [crooked and skanky] teeth are "me" and that I'll look different with straight teeth (yes, that's the whole point). When I finally get the braces off, please DO notice that I am not wearing them anymore and DON'T say (when I finally draw your...

I got my braces removed three weeks ago and had retainers 24 hours later. I have a hawley type for the top and for the bottom I have what is known as an"acrylic wraparound" (the wires are imbedded in clear acrylic which is in front and behind the teeth). I can answer some of your questions...

I started wearing my Hawley (top and bottom) on Thursday last week and I am in day/night ("most of the time" said the ortho). Like you there is a gap between the retainer and my palate and the retainer fits half way down the back of my front six teeth so it is really locking them in place....

Finally got debanded yesterday and pleased to report that it was not as painful as I thought it would be. The metal brackets came off easily, the ceramics were a bit more tricky but nothing serious. The worst part was that they make an awful crunching sound as they disintegrate. Glue removal and pol...

They look great, you must be very pleased. I get debraced in exactly 14 days (2 years and 4 days) and cannot wait although I am getting a bit nervous about the actual debanding. Did it hurt getting them off? These things are stuck on so fast that I can't imagine how they will come off so easily.

You must be so relieved to finally getting close to a deband date. I am getting debanded in 3 weeks time and will have had them on 2 years and 4 days, I am over it and I just couldn't imagine going on like this for another year. Congratulations and here's hoping you get that magic date soon.

I think that everyone's treatment is different so there isn't a "set procedure". I am getting debanded in 3 weeks (4th November - can't wait) and my ortho told me on 10th Sept, so about 2 months in advance. On deband date, they will remove the bands, clean etc., take photographs and take i...

Honestly, it will get better. When I had my braces put on, my ortho was very honest and said "you're in for 2 weeks of hell, and then you won't worry about it..". Actually it wasn't even 2 weeks before I wasn't worrying about it. I am just about to get mine removed (yay, on 4th November) a...