Metal Mouth Message Board

Hey...I have recently started doing this "thing" with my teeth and wondering if I am the only one doing it or is it a common "thing" that you all do too. What is this "thing" you ask? Well..I find myself biting down or clenching my teeth and hearing crackling sounds when I do it. The funny thing is I can't stop doing it cause it feels kind of good. Am I doing harm to my teeth and one day soon will crumble and fall out?? If there is anyone out there that have experienced this, please share with me.

I am 3 months plus into my treatment.

Best,
LN

I don't know if this is the same thing, but sometimes when I bite I hear and feel a slight "crunch" that seems to be my teeth moving. It seems to feel better after I do it, like it relieved some pressure. I don't know what is actually happening to cause that noise and sensation, but it seems like it has to do with the roots of my teeth readjusting to their new positions.

So I can't answer your question about harming your teeth, since I'm only speculating about what is going on. This would be a good question to ask our orthos.

Hahaha, I still do this sometimes when I put my essix retainers in at night! Sometimes (not every time) there's a bit of a crackle as the teeth all line back up where they're supposed to be after a long day of freedom. And it feels sooo good.
When I had braces I would find a tooth every so often that would "click" and I couldn't stop messing with it once I'd discovered it.

lol its good to know this happened to you actually, because it happened to me all the time. and i freaked and posted.... it stopped when i decided to leave well enough alone.. no worrys its just your teeth moving..

I'm really glad this question was asked. Brackets were attached to my molars last Tuesday, and it took a week before I could really bite down without scrunching my face up in pain. Now that the pain has subsided, I can definitely hear the crunching/cracking sound if I bite a certain way. As it's rather disconcerting, I'm glad that it appears to be a common phenomenon in the orthodontics process.

I too am glad you posted this! I just keep telling myself, "It's OK, it's OK!"

I heard that too when I first got mine on. I had three crowded molars on the top right that kind of zig-zagged in and out to fit. When he was putting on my wire he said that it was difficult to get in at that spot and warned me that my aching would probably start right there.

Well he was right, and I also noticed the crackling sound when I bit down over there. I never asked about it, I assumed it was the sound of the stress of the bonding or cement and bracket pulling at the tooth as I bit down.

Well, now that side doesn't even hurt anymore, the crackling has stopped, and I had to go the dentist to have my wired trimmed in the back only two days after getting my braces. He said the teeth had already moved.

I think the sound we all are hearing is the sound of the brackets and bonding pulling on your tooth while you bite down sending it a different direction. Should go away when the tooth moves into a better position.

HAHAHA! I am so glad someone brought this up!

I do the same thing, but its like I hear it more than I can feel it...If that makes sense!
WoW, that just really made my day!