Metal Mouth Message Board

Somewhere between 2000 and 3000 for 28 months of braces in the SF Bay Area!

Good luck cs2thecox! What caused your open bite?

I haven't actually waxed any teeth, I've just done warm salt rinses. I did, however, once (okay more like three times) put an entire strip of wax across my expander and bite turbos because my tongue was bleeding. Still haven't gone through an entire pack though!

While I am not currently in the dating pool, the thought of dating with braces has always made me think of this scene from Sex and the City. Definitely remember to chew on the sides and avoid showing off your leftovers when you smile!

It's hard to kick habits, especially when you've done them for most of your life! I attached a couple of exercises I found online to help kick the habit, but other than that I think communication with your orthodontist is the key. Is your tongue thrust caused by sucking your thumb when you were youn...

I'm no expert on tongue thrust, but can't you ask your orthodontist about getting a tongue crib? They may not be comfortable, but it should help, although it really depends case to case. Everyone is different and orthodontics definitely isn't "one size fits all", but as long as you ask you...

I eat pretty much everything (except sticky foods and meat, including directly biting apples and crunchy carrot sticks) with my braces and never floss for the first two weeks after an adjustment (at first it's way too sore, then I'm way too lazy) Plus, I've used a nebulizer with braces in. I wasn't ...

My upper teeth only had one tooth that was messed up (other than being slanted down), and that was fixed with my expander, so my tops were already pretty straight, just canted with an off midline. The side that goes down too much had actually pushed in a tooth on the bottom, but I think wire bends h...

Your teeth look amazing, with the rate of your progress, I'm sure by next time it'll be perfect and the doctor will give you a debanding appointment! In the mean time, good luck! Hope that rogue tooth doesn't hurt too bad while it's moving!

Will the rectangle wire be able to fix a canted smile?

I bought a few floss threaders and it only takes me about 7-10 minutes to floss, plus I get to use whichever floss I like. If a few spaces open up where I can be sure the placker will fit without popping anything off, I'll be sure to try that! In the mean time, I'm a bit too scared to risk it.

My time estimate is 28 months (hence the username) and I only had to pay $3200. My friend had hers for 4.5 years and she payed about as much as you are for six months! Definitely go with another orthodontist, that price is ridiculous.

I went to the orthodontist today for what was listed as an activation appointment. However, the ortho said that they would wait until next time to activate my expander (I think it might've still been activated from last time, but I'm not sure) and checked out how my teeth were moving. He said that I...

Always the left. I was told it was because I'm left-handed but I'm pretty sure it's because of an old dental experience when my dentist messed up a tooth on the right side (that I am now paying thousands of dollars to fix)

If you don't have white spots and it's that expensive, why don't you try using once a week and using mouthwash the rest of the time? I know a few people who did use it and liked it (in regards to flavor and effectiveness), but they all said they only got it once because it cost a lot.