Metal Mouth Message Board

That has happened to me, and I second purpleteeth with it being in connection to a TMJ flare up. Before I got braces, I had an "earache," which my general practitioner diagnosed as TMJ. I was having similar ear/jaw pain while wearing braces to bed, and it has gone away on its own. If your ...

I did a lot of research on braces before going on 3 consultations. I was adamant about wanting self-ligating braces. I ended up choosing the one ortho who didn't work with self-ligating braces. He thought it was mostly a marketing ploy because he has been able to achieve the same kind of results wit...

I got clear uppers for aesthetic reasons. I was 26 when I first got my braces, and I have always looked a lot younger than my age. I was also afraid of looking 16. I work in a sales environment and got a promotion, so I didn't want to look younger than I am because I feel like that could affect my f...

You have great progress!

I was also a recommended extraction case, but my ortho decided to take a chance and start treatment without pulling teeth. I'm over a year in and got to skip extractions. I hope the same happens for you!

I had similar issues with my teeth before braces. I avoided laughing/smiling and couldn't even look at a mirror because of how horrible they were. My level of confidence shot up as soon as I got braces because I was finally doing something about my teeth. I was also excited as I started seeing chang...

I am two months behind, but I am finally posting my 12 month update. 2015Month12-Comparison.jpg 091115Month12-UppersComparison.jpg 091115Month12-LowersComparison.jpg I cheated with these pictures and didn't take them on my actual braces anniversary. I thought I would have something more interesting ...

I started off with a very crowded smile. It was so crowded, that it looked like I was missing teeth. Now that my teeth have straightened out, the same amount of teeth show, but my smile now fills out and balances my mouth a lot better. Pre-Braces.jpg 091115Month12-Smile.jpg The have noticed that the...

My estimate was 24 months. I am at 14 months. My teeth were a mess before braces. They are now straight with a Class I bite. It seems like we have to get some roots repositioned so that my teeth settle on a healthy bite. I seem to be on target for a 24 month treatment time.

Great progress! You have beautiful teeth. It looks like you are near the end. I'm excited for you, and a little jealous!

I didn't have a palate expander, so I can't give you a fair answer. My teeth were very crowded due to underdeveloped jaws. I had a transpalatal bar to keep my molars from moving inwards as the rest of my teeth straightened out. My face did change. Looking at my pictures pre-braces, it seems as thoug...

your smile looks fantastic! Can i ask, did you need to have any extractions? No! I was initially recommended for extractions, but my ortho decided to take a chance and start my treatment without extractions. The deal was that if it didn't work out or if I ran the risk of unhealthy tipping for my gu...

They look great. You must be very pleased. I've just reached twelve months but my top teeth are a not level. Still, plenty of time left. Do you wear elastics? Sorry if I missed it in your earlier posts. I haven't worn elastics as much as you would think. I had them for about 6 weeks about 8 months ...

Bracesat57 wrote:Your teeth look fabulous! Great progress. What is the estimated time for your braces to be on?

24 months. I am about halfway there. I'm guessing I'm right on target.

It's always encouraging to see how much can be accomplished with braces.

Here is my one-year anniversary comparison pic!

I will have more pictures up in my progress thread soon, but I thought I would share this as encouragement for those of you starting your journey!

I agree on the wax. I have very rarely needed wax while in braces, but I remember going through some pesky poking when my back molars were bracketed. It's a little annoying to reach back there to floss (sometimes I have scabs in the corners of my mouth from tugging too much during flossing), but oth...