what does spring do?

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#1 Post by **adultbraces** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 11:54 pm

After having same wire for last six month and haven't changed anything but tighten at each 6 six week's visit, my orthodontist told me I'll get a new wire and SPRINGS!

As secretive as she is, she did not give me any details. And knowing that she gets pretty annyoed with quetions I just left the office without much details.
I did my own search on web and it tells me spring either maintains the gap or close them. What will be my case? Where is spring attached betwen usually and do you eat with your springs on? how painful is this device?

20-24 months estimated treament
6 month down so far.
overbit / overjet
4 premolar extracted
4 wisdon teeth extraced
upper right gap almost closed and 3 more to close.

#2 Post by **jaswi** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 12:13 am

I think there are several different uses of springs. For me, it was placed over the wire and used to push my teeth apart to make room for a tooth that was rotated sideways to come into line.

#3 Post by **skintz** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 7:35 am

I asked the same thing back in march, and had a very helpful answer from Lisa:

Lisa65 wrote:There's two types of springs. Push-coil springs have separated coils and are put on compressed (squashed), so that they "want" to open back up, thereby pushing two teeth apart. There are also closed-coil springs which are put on stretched, and "want" to close back up, thereby pulling two teeth together.

Hope this helps

#4 Post by **shaolin** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:10 pm

Sit there and ask questions until you've done. You're paying for this, they are providing a service, if they don't like the questions they should explain better in the first place.

I hate arrogant people like this who forget who is the piper and who pays.

#5 Post by **YRhino** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:52 pm

Adultbraces, I just had pull-coils put on Thursday to help close gaps created from having two teeth extracted (#5 & #12). One coil covers the gap to the immediate right and left of the excised tooth but the coil on the other side stretches across several teeth. I'm not sure why it was done this way but I assume it is because they want to move the teeth on one side more than the teeth on the other.

#6 Post by **Erikab1033** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:24 pm

adultbraces,
If you check out my story in the braces stories section under "erika's struggle with braces" can see my springs I have them on both sides of my top teeth and they stretch from the back to the front. They are there to close up a space created from when they closed the gap in my front teeth. As far as pain goes for me it was horrible, I have had braces since august of 05' and this is the first time I have experienced any pain with braces. I got my springs on at the end of may this year. I think it was painful for me because I have small teeth and because of that the springs sit on my gums and clamp up my gums when it closes and they were bleeding and hurting for a week and the pain eventually stopped. I also wear elastics on one side to help pull the teeth with the springs. I guess they work but I haven't seen much movement but my ortho said he did. It should not hurt to bad if you don't have small teeth because springs spread across the teeth but like I said since my teeth are tiny they sit on my gums. Hope your experience is much better with springs then mines is. Oh and please feel free to ask your ortho questions, you are the one paying for treatment.

#7 Post by **markGl** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:00 am

ahh springs... heh i had them since my treatment started.. they go from my two front incisors to my canines on top and my lower left incisor to my lower canines on both sides.. to make some room.. lots of crowing so i they're making space, though they also function to close gaps too... they hurt like a **** for the first couple of days, but after that its gone and i feel nothing.. eating is tricky ( but according to your post "do you eat with your springs on? ) i have no choice as my wires are threaded through them.. makes me wonder if we have the same springs lol ) though because the constant pressure on them and the fact that they arnt attached to my left and right upper laterals, they arch over them.. funny to explain.. but they work like charm and i have gaps EVERYWHERE now.. so i hope the alignment phase will start soon but springs are a walk in the park so no worrys youll pull through just fine

#8 Post by **blindboarder2008** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:46 pm

I have had a spring on since i got my braces on, its a push spring, basically its pushing 2 teeth apart to make room for an implanted tooth later on when i'm all healed from my jaw surgery and have my braces off. springs tend to be a bit more painful espicially after an adjustment due to the fact they are activated again. just takes a little time to get used to it, once you get used to it and after a few days of getting an adjustment its perfectly fine! I find i have some pressure pain every once and a while but other then that its not so bad really.