Typical arch wire time?

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#1 Post by **Stich** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:14 am

Hi, I am new to this forum. I am 36 years old and am on my 7 month wearing braces. On my last 2 adjustments my ortho has not changed my top wire. At first he thought my teeth needed 6 more weeks to move, but on this last vist he now thinks 2 of my bracket's torques might be off and that could be the reason two teeth are not moving into place. He put ties on the brackets and said we needed to check them again in 6 weeks. That will have given me 18 weeks with one wire. Is this typical? Before this I would change a wire each adjustment. I am starting to feel like I am in orthodontic limbo...any advice would be great.

Becky

#2 Post by **MrsDantel** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:27 am

It's not uncommon.. Some go a long while before thier wire is changed. Good luck!

#3 Post by **Stich** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 9:55 am

Thanks for the info. I feel better already. Sometimes I wish I had been given a book on what to expect....everything seems so foreign. I'm glad I found this site because it is already so helpful. Thanks again.

Becky

#4 Post by **sjsarre** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 12:00 pm

Hi Becky

I know i'm only on my 2 and a bit month, but my bottom row won't be ready for a change from the initial thin archwire that I had put on day one until probably the 4th or 5th adjustment..

I had a new archwire on the top rown on my second adjustment which was great. But everyone really is different..

It would be great if Ortho's handed out a book of say the top 50 questions! They get paid enough!!

#5 Post by **mostro** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:43 am

I guess archire "time" varies a lot. My ortho says I will only use two archwires in 12 months, and then a retainer. I was surprised when I heard that, but I know he has been trained for this.
Trust your ortho as he knows better what is best for you.

Good luck !

#6 Post by **JumpTheDitch** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:19 pm

Getting new archwires at each adjustment is great for progress, but one upside of not getting a new archwire has got to be lessened discomfort following appointments. I just had an appointment where for the first time I didn't get a new wire. At first I was disappointed, thinking progress must be slowing down (believe me, it's been pretty d*mn slow all the way

) but then I discovered that at least I didn't have to resort to putting my food through the blender to be able to eat!

Every cloud has a silver lining...

#7 Post by **JoeMama** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 9:29 am

Hi Becky - I don't know what's normal, but I still have the original archwire on my bottoms, and I'm at about 17 weeks. I don't go back for another adjustment until mid August, so by then it will be something like 24 weeks. I just had the top wire switched last week. Because everyone is different, I think some of us need more time on certain stages. I don't think it's a sign of things happening more or less quickly. I can see changes in my teeth all the time (with the same old wire).

#8 Post by **Flora2006** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 8:34 pm

Getting a different wire definitely varies from one person to another. It all works according to your progress and your ortho's intentions. Your ortho knows what he is doing and if you are wondering about things like that...talk to him. He's the best person to give you proper answers

I got my 1st wire changed after 5 months of being braced. I was so happy...but I know it won't be changed each time.

Each new wire accomplishes new tasks, and I guess that until those tasks are not met, the wire doesn't get changed.

Best wishes with your treatment.

#9 Post by **CLAmom** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 10:32 am

Just to chime in with my wire history so far..... I've been braced about 4 month & so far I'm on my second wire change top & bottom. I went from a 16 round to a 16x22 square NITI top & from a 16 round NITI to a 16 round stainless steel on bottom. I also have had 2 different powerchains on the bottom, the first went from canine to canine & the current one goes from last molar to last molar. Of course this is so different for each person but it is interesting to hear the changes other people are getting and when. If you're anything like me I like to be armed with information!