Metal Mouth Message Board

Dan, I think you're asking good questions. I would add three more. 1) Who paid for the studies? Frequently, studies, even scientific ones, are paid for by the very company who plans to sell the product. It makes sense because they need the study to get FDA approval. I don't consider it reason to thr...

I'd go back again. No sense risking that you won't be debanded as scheduled if something moves.

They're off! I'm afraid I don't have a good before picture.

Second the warm salt water rinses. Once every couple of hours, if you can.

YAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!! I have 2.5 more days, counting this afternoon.

I guess I'm a little confused about how he expects IPR to help this situation. IPR is between teeth, not on the fronts of lowers where the brackets are attached, or on the backs of the uppers. How is grinding down between teeth going to bring back overjet? Why not put the wire back on all the teeth,...

Well that stinks, samoorelaw. My ortho wanted to take me out of braces when my molars didn't meet, and I said "nuh uh" and wrote him a letter to that effect. Now, I like my ortho and wouldn't sue him, but I figured a letter would give him that little scare. Anyway, he fixed me up, and now ...

When people say they don't notice their braces, I think they are talking about the feel of the braces against their lips, not movement-related tooth pain/pressure. Of course, the pain/pressure changes with time as your teeth move and the wire/elastic/whatever other hardware set-up is adjusted; you c...

Well, it's official: after one year of braces followed by jaw surgery and another year of braces, they are coming off. I have a deband date scheduled, and even I am happy with my bite. I am also pretty happy with my smile. I have one complaint, but my ortho says the tooth is strangely shaped, and he...

Repeat after me.. Elastics are not to be used as a musical instrument in your mouth.....

But when else will I ever have a true mouth harp? I can't quite seem to nail a scale--not enough range.

Heh, at least I'm not the only one!

Dan, I think you should stretch each one until it breaks and NOT between your teeth!

My story started when I was about 12 and my parents took me for two ortho consults. Surgery was recommended by both. My parents couldn't afford it, so nothing was done. Fast forward 10 years. I began having minor TMJ symptoms which progressed over the next several years until they were really interf...

I never had PT for ROM. In fact, I was never instructed to do anything special to regain it. I figured I ought to do some simple stretching to speed the process along, though. I would open as far as I could without pain, hold for 5-10 sec, repeat 5 tiimes, 3x daily. But don't take that as any kind o...

Don't fret about how your teeth meet at this point. You are still very early in recovery. A lot changes on its own in time, and anyway, that is what post-op ortho is for: to get everything exactly right. Orthos really can tell all they need to know about your bite in a two-minute exam. They look at ...

Personal chef! I think I ate the same four foods the whole six weeks because I'm just not creative.