Metal Mouth Message Board

I got my braces off 3 weeks ago, and got permanent retainers top and bottom as well as a Hawley for the top. I'm still supposed to be wearing it all the time except for eating and brushing, but this week it started to really irritate the roof of my mouth. It feels like there's a piece of the plastic...

I agree with CountessDeSangre, don't take them off until you are happy. If your orthodontist doesn't think it's possible to fix, then get a second opinion from someone else. You should be happy!

Mine used to be significantly longer, which I hated. My ortho pushed them up and did some filing, and I LOVE how they look now - they are slightly longer than my second incisors, but not much. I think it's a perfect compromise because my smile still has personality and still looks like ME, but it al...

Hi Danielle, you are right about how turbos are supposed to work - the idea is that your front teeth don't touch the brackets on your bottom teeth and potentially shear them off (at least that's why I had them, maybe there are other reasons). Do your bottom teeth touch them at all, or are they just ...

I agree with klobird, it sounds like you have molar buildups - I had turbos (they get stuck behind your front teeth so your bottom teeth hit them before your teeth touch) and they REALLY SUCK. I was on liquids only for about 2 weeks and I was cranky and tired just like you. Here are some foods you c...

I concur with the opinion that it's more about how you act with braces than it is about how they look. Being self-conscious about it naturally makes you less desirable I think...because confidence is sexy! I was really worried about it 6 months ago when my boyfriend and I broke up, but I have to say...

How's it going Artichoke? Those first few days can be really tough, I hope you're not finding it too terrible.

Happy early birthday!

I can't speak for a bridge on the top, but I had a bridge on the bottom when I was about 12 and it didn't affect me at all from a functional perspective. I'd guess you'll be fine to bite into things with just a bridge.

I felt pretty much normal after 3-4 days when I got three wisdom teeth pulled. However, I heal really fast and they weren't majorly impacted. Also, I wasn't eating normally until about a week and a half after the surgery (mostly because I didn't want to be fishing bits of food out of my extraction c...

I only had one tooth pulled (an incisor on the bottom), and I think it took about 2 months for the gap to close halfway and another 4 to close completely. Power chains definitely make it go faster, and it's normal to get some extra gaps between other teeth as they move around. Take pictures because ...

Congratulations! I wouldn't get your hopes up about eating normal food by Saturday - my teeth were very sore for over a week after getting braced, and I had bite turbos which kept me from chewing ANYTHING for 2 weeks. Whether you get turbos depends on your current overbite, so you may not need them ...

Hey AGB, welcome to the wonderful world of braces! I was really nervous about getting mine on too, but it went really well. Definitely make sure you put on lots of lip balm or Vaseline before your appointment as the thing they use to hold your mouth open can cause your lips to crack a bit if they're...

I'm getting mine off early, but I wouldn't necessarily get your hopes up until you hear it from your orthodontist. From what I have read, it's certainly not rare to get them off early, but at the same time it's mo the norm to be on time or take longer.

Why don't you ask next time you are in?

I was given an Oral-B electric toothbrush when my treatment started, and it's been great. I noticed a big difference when I go to the dentist - before I always used to get a lesson on how to brush properly, and now they just tell me I'm doing such a great job a cleaning my teeth, they're so clean, e...

I was originally quoted 18-24 months, but on Friday my ortho told me I will definitely have them off by Christmas this year, which will be about 13 months. Early release DOES happen sometimes, I guess it's just not common!