Metal Mouth Message Board

So far, I've seen Janet Stoess-Allen, Joseph Hung, and another ortho whose name escapes me. Dr. Stoess-Allen impressed me with her understanding of my case, but her treatment coordinator was rather pushy and acted impatient when I asked questions over the phone. Joseph Hung is a Harvard ortho who re...

I am on a quest for an awesome ortho in New York City; Manhattan, preferably. So far, I've had consultations with 3 different orthos that I've found online, but none of them have really impressed me. Do any of you have a Manhattan-based orthodontist you adore and would recommend? Thanks so much! :D

Oh my gosh I had no idea my avatar was so big!!! Sorry!!!

I never really mentioned my TMJ to my dentist. He didn't really notice the TMJ when he examined me, either. He just basically said that before I got braces, I should eliminate the malocclusion by changing the shape of 2 teeth by shaving them. I don't have any fillings; I've never had a cavity, knock...

You guys are lucky! Sometimes I feel like the "treatment coordinator" at my ortho's job is to reduce contact between me and my ortho! It's a struggle to get a direct answer from the ortho when I have a question over the phone -- is that normal?

Congratulations!!! Sounds like this has been a really gratifying experience for you.

That's an excellent point. I definitely got the impression that my ortho had a master plan. The only distressing thing was that my ortho didn't notice the malocclusion that the dentist did -- and now that the dentist pointed it out to me, I can definitely tell that it's there...

I think that's great advice. I'm beginning to learn that orthodontics is as much about educating yourself as finding a good ortho. It seems to be very rare that one ortho or dentist has all the answers. Some of them might have an alternate approach you don't agree with, some of them are just plain w...

Thanks for your thoughts, verticaltrailmix! I actually did see another ortho prior to this one, about a year ago, and I remember him mentioning the malocclusion, but he thought it could be fixed with braces. Of course, he also recommended Invisalign, which I now know can be bad for people with TMJ! ...

Hello all, I was wondering if you could give your two cents on this. I have widely spaced teeth on my uppers and lowers, plus a good case of TMJ. I was all set to get braces next Friday, with an ortho who specializes in TMJ issues, who I felt very comfortable with. Then a couple of days ago I went t...

Wow, thanks so much! It's nice to know that it's a relatively rare condition. I will put even more emphasis on my cleaning routine now! The only other concern is the tooth pain, but since I'll just be getting uppers at first I'm hoping it won't be too bad!

Hi Everyone, I am about to get braces for 16 months, and would like to keep my teeth, gums, and bone in the best shape possible (I have widely spaced teeth, but never had a cavity!). I know that bone loss/loose teeth is a risk with braces, and wondered if there was anything I could do to prevent thi...

Yay!!! That's awesome. Congratulations and enjoy your new smile! It looks stellar.

Thanks, KK! That really helps explain things. It's hard to tell what people mean when they say "bigger"! The first type I got were the best, as the brackets arc back towards the tooth, making them even more comfortable. The second type ... one bracket only ... has a smaller footprint, but ...

Congratulations!!!! It's the pride and hard-earned achievement of people like you that inspire me to embark on this journey!