Metal Mouth Message Board

hey there! this means they may want to cut some of your gum away - making the teeth appear longer. when you smile, you will see more teeth and less gums. i am not sure what your smile looks like, but this was an option for me as well. i opted out of it for now, because it is painful and my gums wore...

thanks for everyone's replies! i have an appointment next week with my ortho to see what he thinks i should do. going back in braces would be really dissapointing, not to mention, expensive! its frustrating that after doing everything right (elastics, adjustments, retainers) this sort of relapse can...

They take impressions exactly the same way, except they take the wire out. It sticks a teeny bit, but not like you would think. I had to get my impressions and waited about 2.5 weeks until I got my braces off. The impressions were sent to a lab where they made my Essix retainer, they wanted to have ...

I had my braces removed in Late July. My canines were VERY high up to begin with and were pulled down during my treatment. I am very good about wearing retainers, I haven't missed one night, and remove them only to eat and brush during the day. My ortho does not like using bonded retainers, so I hav...

thank you so much for your detailed response!!! I made an appointment with my ortho for next Wednesday - I am going to bring the 2 pictures so he can compare and hopefully agree with me that my teeth have moved. What is most frustrating to me, is that I was the one who originally asked for permanent...

I got my braces off a couple months ago. I have been wearing my retainers religiously - essix during the day, hawleys at night. I have not had any problem with tightness, and the retainers still fit perfectly. I just noticed this today while looking back at my "Debanding" post. Looking at ...

Not sure if every case is the same. My arch was significantly expanded using braces and elastics throughout the treatment. I recently got debanded and although I bought a pair of Essix retainers and was told to only wear them "during moments where appearance is critical". I have been weari...

When I was debanded, I got a C+ thicker Essix retainer for top and bottom. They weren't the thin thin clear ones because my ortho didn't think those are great for retention, especially when you just got your braces off. I went back later to get my Hawley (wire retainer) top and bottom. These are the...

I was debanded one week from last Friday. During my braces treatment, I had some gum sensitivity, but nothing terrible. I flossed and brushed as I was supposed to, and my teeth were pearly white once the braces came off. I cannot be happier with my smile, I'm so glad I had braces. However, I am runn...

Thanks! : )

Those happen to be my real teeth - I actually just bought Crest Whitestrips yesterday and I was going to start using them today. Thanks for the compliment!

I didn't get it! My ortho said that because there are bends in the wire, he doesn't trust that it would not "give" at least a tiny bit over time - just a tiny bit of slack could mean spaces between those teeth. And actually I didn't get any kind of bonded retainer! My ortho does not prefer...

I got my braces off FINALLY!! I had Damon braces on for one year and five months, seven months less than the original 24 month estimate. I wore elastics to change my bite and to expand my arch drastically. My crossbite is long gone along with my snaggle tooth. I won't say that it was painless - deba...

I was stripped of my braces last Friday!! I am SO thrilled and my teeth look awesome. I have Hawley retainers to wear at night, and Essix retainers to wear during the day. I opted out of getting permanent bonded retainers so I could floss : ) I am doing fine so far with my Essix. They are super thin...

Your teeth look AWESOME! Congrats on the quick results : ) . It looks like the top and especially the bottom made a lot of progress and straightened out. Doesn't it feel great to see actual results?!

Hopefully the rest of your treatment goes just as well - keep us updated with pictures!

My impressions are being done in 3 weeks, braces still on. They are being sent to a lab, where the retainers are made.

My braces are coming off the following week, 5 days later, at which point my Hawley and Essix retainers will be ready for me.

Good luck!!