Elastics - what weight are yours?

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#1 Post by **beanstix** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 2:50 am

To all you elastic wearers out there - just wondering - what weight are your elastics ?

Mine are 3.5 oz force value - 1/4".

I've worn them for a week and they keep snapping - only on one side - I have to replace them (in the mornings particularly) up to 10+ times a day - it's driving me nuts.

Rang the ortho office and the message back from her was: "don't worry if they keep breaking - they don't work for everyone, we will look at this at your next appointment in five weeks time". Wrong answer! This is delaying my treatment - and I really want to be working on correcting my overbite (which has developed as a result of a lower incisor extraction to alleviate crowing), particularly as I keep biting the inside of my lower lip when eating. My braces were due off in November, at this rate it will be Nov 07 as there is still much work to be done - and my lower teeth are far from being fixed.

Surely there must be different weight, stronger elastics?

With thanks for any advice.

#2 Post by **lionfish** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:11 am

Mine are 3/16", 4oz. They tend to snap only when I eat.

#3 Post by **stargirl** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:47 am

My elastics are 1/4" 4.5 oz. They're called "Medium" but in another brand I had, this weight was "Heavy". They're pretty strong, and they very rarely snap.

beanstix, sorry to hear about your elastic fiasco! Hopefully your ortho will give you different elastics or figure out something so you don't have to change them 10 times a day!

#4 Post by **Gennel** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:13 am

Mine sometimes snapped due to chewing with them on.They were 1/16" and 3.5oz .

Some orthos try using elastics first to correct a problem. If elastics don't work then they use an appliance ( sometimes)

I totally sympathize with you because I was using elastics for 1month+ and it was not working at all. THe ortho removed the bottom archwire and made a mold impression of my bottom teeth. Now I have to wait4-6 weeks
with no bottom archwire on until they can put an expander for the bottom teeth

So that will add another 1-2 months to treatment time for the bottom teeth

I turned it into a positive by seeing that this would give my bottom teeth a 4-6wk painfree vacation! The bottoms have been the worst/painful for me.

Gennel

#5 Post by **charlotte T** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:25 am

Mine are 3.5oz 3/16". And dont snap unless I'm really struggling to get the damn thing on! Sorry to hear you're having problems.

#6 Post by **Stich** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 12:18 pm

Mine are super heavy 6oz. (3/16"). I have never had one snap. Maybe they will try you on a heavier elastic.