Metal Mouth Message Board

Same instructions from my ortho - replace once a day, and remove for eating and cleaning (which are the same thing really...). I think the daily change is more hygiene than mechanical. They certainly seem as happy to ping into the far corners of the room whether fresh or used. D.

Hi Anna, glad your fitting went smoothly. Your brackets are really small and neat, though I'm sure they feel anything but! Cleaning gets quicker with practice, honest. D.

Pufferfish club member here too! Best way to unstick first thing in the morning, and then some nice cool water to slosh around and get the mouth working again. I've found indents in the my cheeks when I get up, but it goes away fairly quickly.

I did drool on the pillow for the first few days...

D.

Hi Elaine, Sorry to hear that the final tweaks are taking longer than you'd hoped (or been led to expect). My dentist recommended I take the ortho's program with a pinch of salt and think of the 18 months as two years, then I'd be happy when they came off. Of course, me being a pessimistic old fogey...

Hi, wax is not a last resort. I used it liberally in the first few weeks as I got used to all the various pokey bits, and it helps ease the irritation. Just roll up a ball in your fingers and stick it in. I found it stuck more easily if dried the tooth off a bit (breath in over it) and stuck the bal...

Hi Anna, hope your appointment goes well. I'd add a small bottle of water (maybe one of the ones runners favour as they're flatter and seal well) as I found I was really thirsty for the first week or so after getting the brackets fitted; sipping water every 15 minutes made a big difference in keepin...

Hi Jamie, That's pretty much my configuration, although it's the top 8, so have a look at my Dunc's Dental Dialog thread for pics. I went for it as the self-lig brackets don't need elastics so staining is not such an issue. Not sure what powerchains will look like, I'll worry about it when/if it hap...

Happy birthday! Push the boat out, cheesy mash and scrambled egg. Ah, the epicurean delights of embraced dining.

D.

Hi Steph, I usually use a hand toothbrush, a softer one than I used to use, and clean in small circular motions right up onto the gum and angle the head to get into the crevices. Then I floss and finally use a small headed electric brush (dipped in mouthwash) to get behind each bracket's hook and un...

Hi all, Had a couple of adjustments since my last post, not anything exciting really, but got elastics this time. (No exciting names, just "The green ones." And only the bag is green.): https://dl.dropbox.com/u/35388015/RIMG0246.jpg As you can see, very simple ones - a single loop from the...

Hi Anna, Congrats on getting it started. I had an NHS attempt at 16 that did the usual extractions and ineffective plate, then waited 30 years to get my deep bite fixed. My bottom incisors are 30% worn and crazy-paving chipped, in hindsight should've got it sorted much sooner but thought it was OK a...

They shouldn't meet tip to tip, I'm in braces mainly because mine met badly and caused the bottom incisors to wear. And, I discovered when the braces were fitted and the teeth got really sensitive to touch, cross bit when I talked. Phone your ortho and see if they will take a look. I had a molar tou...

Hi Betsy, sorry to hear you're in pain after the adjustment. Hopefully it will pass soon. The pic of the overbite seems to show a better match between the upper and lower arches, but I have to say I'm not great at spotting changes. Generally though, they look great, I'd be more than happy if my snag...

Hi Betsy, Good luck with your adjustment tomorrow. I'm getting used to the turbos; the first two weeks were the worst. Going into school the following day was interesting. (I volunteer one day a week and slipped up on the appointments as I'd intended to book the day after, not the day before. "...

Another adjustment completed, again fairly uneventful, with just a change of the bottom wire from .016 to .018 and shaving a mm off the turbos so I have slightly more chewing ability. The ortho said he was happy with the movement so far and planned changing to rectangular wires for my New Year prese...