Metal Mouth Message Board

Fabulous, don't forget your retainers.

Dr Chen

Ouch, this is a very serious question for you to be asking your orthodontist and not on this web site. That being said w/o looking at your records, x-ray or photo I can give you some guidelines: Young kids with convex class 2 profile can be corrected with functional appliances which can positions th...

It is very common for me to hear this from my patients. When braces are put on, all teeth will move. This may lead to alterted bite and proprioception (the ability of our body to remember body position and hence bite). Jaw muscles will learn to accomodate to the altered bite. You will get use to thi...

It is very common for upper teeth to hit the lower. This will lessen as the lower teeth line up. Tubing or special ligatures can be used to protect the brackets in the meantime.

Dr Chen

Bone graft & implants are considered minor surgery. You get local anesthesia, so that means there should not be pain. Grafts can range from $800-2000 per area depending on the difficulty. Sometimes bone is taken from other parts of your body: ie Jaw marrow, hip marrow. Implants can actually help...

I am originally from Vancouver BC, and currently practicing in Peoria Illinois. Graduated dental school from New York University Orthodontic training from SUNY Buffalo I came across this website from an article in AAO Bulletin (orthodontist newletter). This site was recommended as a good reference f...

Common reasons for breaking arch wire:
1)long span --> wire will flex and break. Niti breaks more than B Ti more than Steel
2)Teeth opposing is abrading against the wire.

Solution: switch to stronger wire when ready or place tubing sleeves to protect the wire.


Dr Chen

This is a very common question from my adult patients. Teeth collide with each other as they move, and some unwanted movement can occur. Eventually the teeth will work themselves out if the brackets are positioned properly. Moving teeth is not an exact science, and requires some patience on the part...

Upper teeth and lower teeth need to align together to ensure a proper bite & stable result. Lower dental crowding usually gets worse through life and can lead to crowding of the upper teeth as well. It is rare for an orthodontist to work on only one arch.

Dr Chen

Hi, I have been practicing orthodontics for 2 yrs now. My wife is a pediatric dentist. My patient base has been about 80% teens, 20 % adults. It is very refreshing to find a forum like this because patients are at times not willing to speak their mind to the doctor. I hope to become a better orthodo...