Metal Mouth Message Board

I am ready to strangle my daughter! We both have braces and her teeth move ALOT faster than mine.

Bottom line is that our ortho says that if she would wear her elastics, she would have gotten her braces off like 6 months ago!! He told her this and she STILL WON'T WEAR THEM!

I don't know how to force her! I am tired of saying "do you have them in? Go put them in" only to call her downstairs 30 min later to say the same thing!!!!

I am getting ready to have to pay $50 a month if she goes over her treatment time!!!

Have her pay the $50/month if it comes to it. Not sure how old she is, but if she can't get a job or babysit, you can have her do certain chores to "earn" the money. If getting the braces off sooner isn't motivation, maybe that will be?

Do you know why she won't wear them? Is she afraid of or having pain? Is it just annoyance?

Bekah, I hear ya!

My daughter has been soooo good up to now. She's gone through removable braces, expanders, headgear, and now fixed braces and has taken it all pretty much in her stride. But now we've got to the elastics and boy is it a struggle. I feel like I'm turning into a right old nag. It's the pain that stops her putting them in, so I have a lot of sympathy. But of course if elastics aren't worn enough, then it's like starting all over again when you do put them in.

You've probably tried the whole reasoning bit with your daughter already. But maybe you could ask your ortho to give her another pep talk about how the elastics work and why she needs to wear them all the time. You could also try removal of privileges: "you're not going on the computer until you're wearing your elastics," or whatever. And as BR suggests, tell her she'll have to contribute financially if she doesn't co-operate, especially if it does end up costing you extra.

Oh, and obviously try to alleviate any discomfort, if that's what stopping her wearing them. Like allow painkiller half an hour to work before putting the elastics in (which is something my daughter and I forgot at first).

Hope that helps a bit. We battle on

Do a search on the internet for the Forsus Spring and Jasper Jumper. These are both fixed appliances that can be used in place of elastics. They DO NOT look they would be any fun to have attached to your braces full time.

My son has not been prescribed elastics yet, but I have shown him pictures of both of these appliances, and he is fully scared of the posability of having to where these at all.

Thank you guys for the suggestions! I will definitely show her the springs.........that might scare the holy moly out of her enough to wear the darn things.

I do understand her not wanting to wear them, they aren't fun, but I just want her treatment done. My hubby is military and there is a chance we may be moving soon! I don't want to switch orthos. I like the one we have now!

Is she upset about them because they are visible or something? If it's just the discomfort of wearing them, work out something with her - IF she wears them all the time for x days, you'll treat her to something. Also, after several days and some tylenol or motrin, they may stop bothering her. I second the idea of showing her springs or something that will be 'wired in' if she doesn't wear the elastics. I think I would be crushed if I were a young teen and extended my braces wearing by 6 months because I refused to do something.

She is better about it because I informed her that if she didn't start wearing them, I was going to get the hook and do it FOR HER.

She is mortified at the thought of me telling her when she can take them out and then putting them back!

Well her ortho told her the right thing! He said IF she wears the elastics like she is supposed to she will be in "finishing" elastics next month! She knows that she will be out of braces sometime in September now!

She is thrilled. But knows that they will only come off IF she wears them!

[quote="jjs34748"]Do a search on the internet for the Forsus Spring and Jasper Jumper. These are both fixed appliances that can be used in place of elastics. They DO NOT look they would be any fun to have attached to your braces full time.

My son has not been prescribed elastics yet, but I have shown him pictures of both of these appliances, and he is fully scared of the posability of having to where these at all.[/quote]


Absolutely, Forsus Spring and Jasper Jumper as well as Herbst appliance puts the fear of God into my son.