Metal Mouth Message Board

You need to look at the entire treatment time as a process. Gaps may appear and then disappear as your treatment progresses, and it's normal. There's no guideline for a gap getting "too big" before it's closed down. Sometimes a temporary gap is necessary for the alignment of other aspects of your te...

We can see your photos!

What sort of retainer do you wear?

An allergy to latex or nickel can become life-threatening if you have repeated exposure over time. It's nothing to take lightly. Be sure to tell both your orthodontist AND your regular medical doctor. Your brackets and arch wired can be changed out for non-nickel ones that are hypoallergenic. Your e...

Yes, it sounds exactly like an allergy to either nickel or latex.

I just wanted to say Hi to everybody on the board and was wondering how you're all doing in this crazy time of COVID. So let me tell you a little bit about myself. My husband and I are mostly just staying home, in the SF Bay Area. Our kids are grown and living on their own, so it's just the two of u...

We have a new article about SARPE Surgery on ArchWired.com at: https://www.archwired.com/glossary/surg ... expansion/

So I was supposed to get my braces off early in the summer. I definitely don’t think that’s going to happen now. I had an appointment scheduled in mid-March, then my orthodontist office closed because of the lockdown. I was rescheduled for mid-April, but the lockdown is extended until May (although...

You need to clean them every single day.

If you are an orthodontic patient and can't get to your orthodontist or dentist for supplies (and you can't find them in local stores or online), I can help you. As you may know, I have run DentaKit.com for almost 20 years, and I have accounts with all the major dental suppliers. Just let me know wh...

A friend of mine was scheduled to get her braces off this week before her wedding. She went on a rant about how all appointments are cancelled with the exception of emergencies and that getting her braces off is not considered an emergency. Her wedding is still on in 3 weeks and has no clue how she...

DentaKit.com is open and shipping all in-stock products. The warehouse we work with in Pennsylvania does extensive trucking, as well as shipping of many types of healthcare products and foods. Therefore, they are exempt from the lockdown rules because their business is considered essential (at least...

With many areas of the world going on some form of lockdown, orthodontic patients are being told that their appointments and procedures are being canceled. Some dental offices are closing and people can't pick up their next sets of aligner trays, or get their adjustments done. In fact, the ADA (Amer...

twedledee, where are you in Italy? What is it like for you being an orthodontic patient there while the country is on lockdown? My husband and I were in Venice and Padua in early February (part of a larger European trip we took to other countries). We got home Feb. 10th. As you know, there wasn't a ...

I've been reading posts on social media about people who are getting their orthodontic appointments postponed or canceled due to this crisis. Most jaw surgeries are being canceled, which is devastating to people who have been planning the surgery for months. I even read one post from a person who go...