Metal Mouth Message Board

Try some sharp sturdy tweezers. I kept some handy with me during much of my treatment. They can fix a lot of things that happen with the braces.

I had some unexpected changes in my teeth that I didn't expect that popped up in about the last month of my treatment. I had an in-depth conversation with my orthodontist about some of my concerns, options--pros and cons, and what I could live with before I agreed with the removal date. I ended up w...

Can I say that I really dislike fall allergies? The last couple weeks I've been sneezing quite frequently. Several times, I've had those sneezes that were so powerful that I've literally sneezed my retainers out of my mouth. It happened when I got them last year too. Most of the time, I catch them (...

There is not one easy answer. I was a bruxer before braces and wore a splint for years. In the year before braces, I had a new splint that put my bite in better position when I slept and completely prevented me from clenching/grinding. I cried when I had to give that up for the braces. I not only ha...

I feel for you on the elastic configuration. I wore the doubled-up configuration like that for almost a year. Only, mine was in a VV or W instead of the M. The elastics were fairly heavy and there was a ton of pressure or 'pull' with this one. I was actually trying to erupt some lower molars. I gues...

I wore class II's my entire treatment and it didn't impact my arch. In fact, with the Damon's, my arch increased significantly. What I did have problems with was the biting/chewing on the tongue when I slept. It was especially bad as my bite adjusted during braces treatment. I did a lot of facial ma...

I'm now officially 1 year post braces. I wear Essix at night and they have done me well so far.

I'm different than most in that my retainers only cover my front 8. Even with that, my molars still have proper bite.

Nice post.

I got my retainers the same day I was de-braced. I wore them 24/7 for the first month, then nighttime only since. Interestingly enough, my retainers don't actually cover my molars, just the front 6/8. (I understand I'm unique with this approach, but it has worked for me now for 11 months, 3 weeks. M...

I agree with the others. The elastics can be used for both. By the time my braces came off, I had used 20 hooks an worn several different elastic configurations. With some configurations, I noticed change fairly quickly, with others it was slow and steady, and with one I never had change despite the...

I wore splints 24/7 for a couple years before my braces and now wear the plastic type retainers that I got when my braces came off last fall. One thing they told me both times was to read out loud to myself every day until I got used to speaking with the splint/retainers in place. I did have a few p...

I finished my braces treatment last fall. I learned a lot with some similar bite issues that were being addressed. I was a nighttime bruxer (grinder). My back molars were worn down pretty far. As part of my braces treatment, I wore elastics to 'erupt' the molars taller. In my case, I wore fairly str...

When I had concerns I always called. Sometimes I'd get advice on the phone, other times, they would have me come in. When I had extra soreness with a tooth, they had me go back to a soft food diet for a bit until things calmed. I had a major incident with one tooth that resulted in going back to 2 w...

I'm 11 months out from getting my braces off and I still come across things that cause me to celebrate since I avoided them for almost 4 years. Fresh summer corn on the cob was one of my favorites this summer. Eating lettuce. A nice piece of steak. (I still find myself cutting things up in tiny piec...

I agree. Sounds like you have elastics in your future. I didn't discuss the elastics I'd be in before treatment. I had a couple early on, but was surprised when they started adding more hooks. Before I finished, I ended up with 20 hooks that I used. :roll: They worked though. I have a great bite now...

I got my braces off last September. I wore my Essix style retainers 24/7 for the first month, then went to nighttime only. That has worked for me.

I agree with Snowglobe though. If they feel tight when you put them in, you may want to wearing them more frequently for a while.