Metal Mouth Message Board

I remember being warned about the possibility of a hole forming in the roof of my mouth after my 3-piece Lefort I. If I were you I would go to your local A&E - at least that will give you peace of mind. Alternatively, is the ward at the hospital where you got the operation open 24 hours? At the ...

I am based in the UK. My private health insurance (provided through my job) initially declined my claim but subsequently accepted it when my orthodontist sent them some 'before' pictures and explained the functional issues associated with my open bite.

I get very 'neutral' coloured ligatures and find that Listerine's 'tooth whitening' mouthwash (the blue stuff!) does a good job of keeping the stains away. I don't eat curry or drink red wine but I do drink coffee and eat chilli and haven't found staining to be much of a problem.

Timescales vary extensively between different cases. In my case it took 2 years to get to surgery although my teeth were *very* much all over the place. I should be out of braces within 6 months of surgery though. In your case, maybe there just isn't much movement to be done. I have ceramic braces t...

Hi,

I'm paying for private orthodontics and my insurance covered private surgery. However, for various reasons, the surgery was actually carried out in an NHS hospital.

I believe if your case is severe enough you should be able to get treatment on the NHS. You just might have to wait a while.

Congratulations! Yes, getting the splint out is a major milestone. Since I got mine out though I've been concerned to make sure I follow the dietary restrictions. I've been eating Weetabix, light omlette, ice cream, macaroni and cheese minus the crusty bit, chilli & rice (being careful to mash t...

They just seemed to clip the little wires holding it in. A word of advice though. When my splint was being removed I suddenly felt some extreme pain in my left jaw joint. I thought it was something they'd done but it turned out to be I'd just tried to open my jaw too far to 'help them out'. I was ab...

Thanks folks. Well, a quick update. My orthodontist and surgeon removed my splint last Monday, just over a week and a half after the surgery. From what I've read on here, that's quite early after segmental surgery but I was quite keen to have it out if it was safe to remove it and they seemed quite ...

Hi folks, It's just over a week since my surgery on 6th August and I am recovering well at home. Most folks seem to post some kind of a blog. As I haven't exactly been great at keeping any kind of diary, I present instead a few random thoughts. Hopefully these are useful/interesting to somebody some...

Andantae - Thanks! I mentioned my cold to the hospital but apparently if it is quite mild and isn't a chest infection I should be OK - anaesthetist will have the final call next Tuesday. Do you think antibiotics would be worthwhile? I thought they wouldn't help against a cold since it's viral but I'...

One more here - after 2 years in braces I'm up for surgery on August 6th. 3-segment Le Fort I on top and a 'whatever-the-normal-op-is' on the lower jaw to correct an open bite (~8mm) and slightly expand the upper arch. Got a bit of a cold in the last day or so...taking lots of vitamin C to clear it ...

Twice a day I use the Waterpik, I brush my teeth and use mouthwash (Listerine Advanced...which I think helps to keep the ligs white). I carry a proxy brush for the rest of the time. I don't floss.

Hi, I don't know whether the NHS do ceramic brackets but for private treatment in the UK they cost me £2,500 total for upper and lower brackets. Ceramic brackets were no obstacle for my treatment needs and for my surgeon although he did draw the line at lingual braces - if I'd gone for linguals I'd...

Excellent results - congratulations!

Thanks embraced3, flossing is an interesting point. It hadn't occurred to me since I must admit I've never flossed in my life! :oops: My teeth have always been too crowded. Still, it's good to hear you've learned to maneuver the floss so if I decide to floss once my teeth are fixed it should be no p...