I am trying to decide between two orthodontists. Here are their plans:
1. Distalizers for 6 months (unilateral or bilateral), followed by braces for 12 months.
2. Braces for 20-24 months, with bite turbos for 3 months, and elastics for the latter part of treatment.
I asked Ortho #2 what he thought about Ortho #1's plan. He said that distalizers are not usually used in "non-growing" patients (adults). He also said that bite turbos are new, nobody probably having heard of them until the last 5 years or so. I was pretty well set on seeing Ortho #1 because I wanted to avoid bite turbos and elastics, and Ortho #1's plan involved wearing braces for only 12 months, instead of 20-24.
Ortho #2 has now revised his timeline to be as quick as 18 months (same total treatment time as Ortho #1) provided that patient compliance with the elastics stage is perfect. He said that the distalizers aren't such a great idea because they are unpredictable in the way forces are applied. Ortho #1 claims to be the most experienced in the city with Damon braces, and instructs others in Damon technology.
How uncomfortable is it to wear bite turbos? Does anyone have experience with distalizers?
Bite Turbos and Distalizers
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karencoutts
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Thanks for your help, again!
Yes, I have a unilateral Class II. In face, Ortho #2 said it's more like a Class "one and a half." He said it's not that bad. Here is the rest of his diagnosis:
"The lower back teeth on the left side bite too far behind the upper back teeth.
The upper front teeth overlap the lower front teeth moderately.
The upper front teeth bite moderately ahead of the lower teeth.
The upper and lower teeth are moderately crowded."
You sound very highly educated, by the way. PhD?
Thanks for the reference to Lisa65's story. I will read it after I finish this post.
You may also remember that I saw four orthodontists: one at a University clinic, one who works with In-Ovation, and two Damon fanatics. I'm not dead set on Damon, but I want this to be over as quickly as possible (like an execution, yes). I am also dreading cleaning around the braces, and the sooner I can get them off the better-- since I need to go back to work in two years' time. I also worry about how the braces will impact on the quality of my singing too... I'm sure noone wants to have braces on longer than they have to!
Thanks for the advice about the distalizer as well.
Yes, I have a unilateral Class II. In face, Ortho #2 said it's more like a Class "one and a half." He said it's not that bad. Here is the rest of his diagnosis:
"The lower back teeth on the left side bite too far behind the upper back teeth.
The upper front teeth overlap the lower front teeth moderately.
The upper front teeth bite moderately ahead of the lower teeth.
The upper and lower teeth are moderately crowded."
You sound very highly educated, by the way. PhD?
Thanks for the reference to Lisa65's story. I will read it after I finish this post.
You may also remember that I saw four orthodontists: one at a University clinic, one who works with In-Ovation, and two Damon fanatics. I'm not dead set on Damon, but I want this to be over as quickly as possible (like an execution, yes). I am also dreading cleaning around the braces, and the sooner I can get them off the better-- since I need to go back to work in two years' time. I also worry about how the braces will impact on the quality of my singing too... I'm sure noone wants to have braces on longer than they have to!
Thanks for the advice about the distalizer as well.
Hiya Karen;
The bite turbos I have are metal, attached to the backs of my two front teeth, and pretty much look like square-edged snake fangs (thankfully not visible to anyone but me). I thought they were going to dig two holes in my tongue the first week I had them. They still bother me somewhat and, of course, cause the lisping I mentioned earlier (this has gotten much better in only a few weeks).
I hadn't expected to get them but when I had my brackets put on I was biting down on a bracket on my back right molar so that's basically why I needed the turbos. *grumbles*
I have to say I wasn't aware that they had been in use for only five years! I personally don't like them as I worry about the wear to the enamel on my lower teeth and how my bite will be affected. Eating took some getting used to, as I still cannot bite down all the way. Still, if I didn't have them I'd be chewing the brackets off my teeth! The ortho did mention that they would not be keeping the turbos on my teeth for very long at all—they wouldn't be that cruel (their words)! So, my worries about my bite and enamel wear may be moot after all.
It is something that I will be asking my ortho about about when I go in early September for my first adjustment, though.
The plus side (if there is a plus side) is that my turbos are easy to clean around and don't show unless I tilt my head way up. The lisping does go away once you get used to talking with them in there.
Plus if anyone tried to attack me I could do them some serious injury by biting them. Yay for secret defender fangs!!
The bite turbos I have are metal, attached to the backs of my two front teeth, and pretty much look like square-edged snake fangs (thankfully not visible to anyone but me). I thought they were going to dig two holes in my tongue the first week I had them. They still bother me somewhat and, of course, cause the lisping I mentioned earlier (this has gotten much better in only a few weeks).
I hadn't expected to get them but when I had my brackets put on I was biting down on a bracket on my back right molar so that's basically why I needed the turbos. *grumbles*
I have to say I wasn't aware that they had been in use for only five years! I personally don't like them as I worry about the wear to the enamel on my lower teeth and how my bite will be affected. Eating took some getting used to, as I still cannot bite down all the way. Still, if I didn't have them I'd be chewing the brackets off my teeth! The ortho did mention that they would not be keeping the turbos on my teeth for very long at all—they wouldn't be that cruel (their words)! So, my worries about my bite and enamel wear may be moot after all.
It is something that I will be asking my ortho about about when I go in early September for my first adjustment, though.
The plus side (if there is a plus side) is that my turbos are easy to clean around and don't show unless I tilt my head way up. The lisping does go away once you get used to talking with them in there.
Plus if anyone tried to attack me I could do them some serious injury by biting them. Yay for secret defender fangs!!
I caffeine, therefore I am...
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purpleteeth
- Posts: 448
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- Location: Texas
- Contact:
The only experience I can comment on is with the bite turbos and elastics.
Bite turbos were invented by Dr. Mayes, who is a local dentist in my area
They really aren't that big of a deal and are either clear or white, usually. I have had both of those colors so far, with the white in back and the clear ones behind my two front teeth (presently).
I have had bite turbos for most of my treatment and they are not bad at all. I can't wait to get them off though because they they are keeping my bite from closing completely, which is what we need at the moment so I don't eat my brackets for lunch
I have been in elastics for my entire treatment thus far and was told I would probably remain in them until my braces are removed in 9months (18months total). I have had 4 different arrangements and 3 different strengths so far and I find them comfortable --- actually, my teeth prefer the elastics because they keep my mouth "tight" and "together". The elastics have done wonders for my bite and movement of my teeth, at least according to my ortho.
Bite turbos were invented by Dr. Mayes, who is a local dentist in my area
They really aren't that big of a deal and are either clear or white, usually. I have had both of those colors so far, with the white in back and the clear ones behind my two front teeth (presently).I have had bite turbos for most of my treatment and they are not bad at all. I can't wait to get them off though because they they are keeping my bite from closing completely, which is what we need at the moment so I don't eat my brackets for lunch
I have been in elastics for my entire treatment thus far and was told I would probably remain in them until my braces are removed in 9months (18months total). I have had 4 different arrangements and 3 different strengths so far and I find them comfortable --- actually, my teeth prefer the elastics because they keep my mouth "tight" and "together". The elastics have done wonders for my bite and movement of my teeth, at least according to my ortho.
<img>
What a complication its turning out to be 
On the one hand the more experienced guy says he's never used the (or is it a) distalizer before. Or is it just for this case? Ask him exactly why not elastics instead (as the other guy recommends), and on the other hand, the elastic guy is what seems to me to be taking an unprofessional poke at the more the experienced guy (claiming that about bite turbos).
Ask the elastics guy why you cannot have a removeable bite plate instead, just from the mechanics of the bite turbo it should be more comfortable if all it is intended to do in your case is prevent bracket interference. However reading further about that there is more than one or even two uses for bite turbo including what sounds like the problem in your case (unbalanced bite).
But check with him, exactly if it is simply to prevent bracket interference, why can't you have a removeable bite plate:
"I use bite turbos frequently, especially as an aid in opening the bite, or preventing bracket interference in a deep-bite case. I also have used them on the lingual of one of the maxillary cuspids when there is a unilateral deep bite resulting in a canted smile line that is not skeletally based.
Bite turbos are sold by Ormco and can be bonded to the lingual of the upper incisors. This greatly simplifies the construction project. If you are feeling a little more energetic, then you can use posterior composite and bond it to the lingual of the upper incisor (right or left). I form it to the cingulum of the maxillary incisor and produce a flat plane for the lower incisors to occlude on during closure. If you want a slight repositioning of the mandible, then reshape the flat plane to slant in the desired direction of repositioning.
Another use for bite turbos is in the pseudo-Class III. By placing a bite turbo on the lingual of the lower central incisors, the functional shift of the mandible during closure can be prevented, and the pseudo-Class III will be easier to correct."
For the distalizer, here some info on what appears to be the current Class II preferred distalizer. Simply ask that ortho which one he will use, and why and why not elastics. To either ortho its a 4 second call or 1 second sending of an email to get an answer.
http://www.carriere.es/files/articulos/pdf_6.pdf
Personally I would very strongly suspect that at the end of the day both will do the job as required. Certainly beats the extraction guy for sure.
Maybe as suggested go for a couple more just to get a balance on the whole matter. No shortage of them where you are
http://www.cao-aco.org/FINDNewPublic/Ci ... rovince=BC
On the one hand the more experienced guy says he's never used the (or is it a) distalizer before. Or is it just for this case? Ask him exactly why not elastics instead (as the other guy recommends), and on the other hand, the elastic guy is what seems to me to be taking an unprofessional poke at the more the experienced guy (claiming that about bite turbos).
Ask the elastics guy why you cannot have a removeable bite plate instead, just from the mechanics of the bite turbo it should be more comfortable if all it is intended to do in your case is prevent bracket interference. However reading further about that there is more than one or even two uses for bite turbo including what sounds like the problem in your case (unbalanced bite).
But check with him, exactly if it is simply to prevent bracket interference, why can't you have a removeable bite plate:
"I use bite turbos frequently, especially as an aid in opening the bite, or preventing bracket interference in a deep-bite case. I also have used them on the lingual of one of the maxillary cuspids when there is a unilateral deep bite resulting in a canted smile line that is not skeletally based.
Bite turbos are sold by Ormco and can be bonded to the lingual of the upper incisors. This greatly simplifies the construction project. If you are feeling a little more energetic, then you can use posterior composite and bond it to the lingual of the upper incisor (right or left). I form it to the cingulum of the maxillary incisor and produce a flat plane for the lower incisors to occlude on during closure. If you want a slight repositioning of the mandible, then reshape the flat plane to slant in the desired direction of repositioning.
Another use for bite turbos is in the pseudo-Class III. By placing a bite turbo on the lingual of the lower central incisors, the functional shift of the mandible during closure can be prevented, and the pseudo-Class III will be easier to correct."
For the distalizer, here some info on what appears to be the current Class II preferred distalizer. Simply ask that ortho which one he will use, and why and why not elastics. To either ortho its a 4 second call or 1 second sending of an email to get an answer.
http://www.carriere.es/files/articulos/pdf_6.pdf
Personally I would very strongly suspect that at the end of the day both will do the job as required. Certainly beats the extraction guy for sure.
Maybe as suggested go for a couple more just to get a balance on the whole matter. No shortage of them where you are
http://www.cao-aco.org/FINDNewPublic/Ci ... rovince=BC
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karencoutts
- Posts: 183
- Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:38 pm
Meryaten,
I'm so disappointed to hear that you only have a Masters
Thanks for the advice on the rubber bands-- exactly what I wanted to hear. I could only imagine myself unable to move my jaw as if it were stuck to the upper with crazy glue, and getting irritated, and yelling at my kids, then yelling at my husband...
I'm not very easygoing so I'm worried that the bite turbos are going to drive me crazy. I will be wearing the metal ones as pictured in the other post. I'll have to remember not to complain or I'll get a bunch of I-told-you-so's.
Thanks for the advice about singing. I don't know why I'm asking because I am going to have the braces done, whether or not my singing is messed up. I am not looking forward to being seen as vain by my colleagues, especially if it impacts on the quality of my singing!
I'm so disappointed to hear that you only have a Masters
Thanks for the advice on the rubber bands-- exactly what I wanted to hear. I could only imagine myself unable to move my jaw as if it were stuck to the upper with crazy glue, and getting irritated, and yelling at my kids, then yelling at my husband...
I'm not very easygoing so I'm worried that the bite turbos are going to drive me crazy. I will be wearing the metal ones as pictured in the other post. I'll have to remember not to complain or I'll get a bunch of I-told-you-so's.
Thanks for the advice about singing. I don't know why I'm asking because I am going to have the braces done, whether or not my singing is messed up. I am not looking forward to being seen as vain by my colleagues, especially if it impacts on the quality of my singing!
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karencoutts
- Posts: 183
- Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:38 pm
[quote="dooles"]Hiya Karen;
>The bite turbos I have are metal, attached to the backs of my two front teeth, and pretty much look like square-edged snake fangs (thankfully not visible to anyone but me).
Yup, those are the ones I'm going to have glued to the backs of my two front teeth. Nice to know that I can use them as weapons when I get particularly irritated by any passing strangers. It is the inability to bite down on food properly and the lisping that is going to drive me nuts. I hope that this forced liquid diet doesn't make my body think that I'm starving and thus slow down my metabolism that I've worked so hard to kick start.
I'll start eating my beloved gummy bears now until the braces are on.
I have been sentenced to 3 months in bite turbos. That's the entire fall season, just about!
>The bite turbos I have are metal, attached to the backs of my two front teeth, and pretty much look like square-edged snake fangs (thankfully not visible to anyone but me).
Yup, those are the ones I'm going to have glued to the backs of my two front teeth. Nice to know that I can use them as weapons when I get particularly irritated by any passing strangers. It is the inability to bite down on food properly and the lisping that is going to drive me nuts. I hope that this forced liquid diet doesn't make my body think that I'm starving and thus slow down my metabolism that I've worked so hard to kick start.
I'll start eating my beloved gummy bears now until the braces are on.
I have been sentenced to 3 months in bite turbos. That's the entire fall season, just about!
Last edited by karencoutts on Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Small word of advise [ban me or not). You reached the stage of f*cking around. And are wasting people's time. Sh*t or get off the pot and get your braces. You've been provided with ample information, but you've turned it into a chat about you, the 'singer' with the attention whatever ortho gives you, is better,
VERY SIMPLE "like in the other post - f*cking ingrate -" flip a coin and choose the ortho, or if what you are really after is a chat session, join AOL.
VERY SIMPLE "like in the other post - f*cking ingrate -" flip a coin and choose the ortho, or if what you are really after is a chat session, join AOL.
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karencoutts
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- Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:38 pm
[quote="purpleteeth"]The only experience I can comment on is with the bite turbos and elastics.
Thanks for letting me know that elastics aren't all that bad. I may just forget the distalizers...
Your bite turbos don't sound exactly the same as the metallic medieval torture devices as pictured in ArchAngle's post that I will be getting.
Your comments were much appreciated.
Thanks for letting me know that elastics aren't all that bad. I may just forget the distalizers...
Your bite turbos don't sound exactly the same as the metallic medieval torture devices as pictured in ArchAngle's post that I will be getting.
Your comments were much appreciated.
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karencoutts
- Posts: 183
- Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:38 pm
[quote="ArchAngle"]Small word of advise [ban me or not). You reached the stage of f*cking around. And are wasting people's time. Sh*t or get off the pot and get your braces. You've been provided with ample information, but you've turned it into a chat about you, the 'singer' with the attention whatever ortho gives you, is better,
VERY SIMPLE "like in the other post - f*cking ingrate -" flip a coin and choose the ortho, or if what you are really after is a chat session, join AOL.
Gee, I was just about to write and thank you for all the research you posted above... I had written to the others and was making my way down the list to respond-- because I thought that is the polite thing to do, to acknowledge the replies and work that others have done to help me. A Chat?!!! I don't think I've ever seen anything like what you've written to me in any of the other posts. I am getting my braces. I have appointments coming up but I have nowhere to turn to for discussing more technical aspects of my questions. The internet is a fine source for some advertising and anecdotal information of strangers, but this is the only real place where people can tell you what the treatment is really like. In fact, I thought that was the purpose of this message board: to discuss treatment and questions. If you think I'm some sort of attention seeking freak, you are wrong. I am confused and don't know where to turn for assistance. I am also not very good at making decisions, which is why I thought I had already chosen someone (and made appointments for September 2 and 18 for actual bracing), but then the post by dooles recommending one of the orthos I had already consulted with made me rethink my decision.
This is a nearly TWO YEAR commitment with pain involved. I don't want to make the wrong decision. The suggested treatment plans are indeed different.
This board is full of very intelligent and helpful people who have effectively become experts and have done research. These are not your every day, run of the mill people. This is a very good resource to discuss questions. There is very little written on the subject of distalizers and first hand experience with them on the internet. The quote you posted above I already found in my own search. I was hoping for someone here to tell me something about them from their own experience.
If my posts anger you so much, then don't respond to them. I don't see how my posts are any less important than others discussing their body parts hurting, or insecurities about their appearance.
If you are faulting me for trying to reply to everyone who writes in to help, then that is your opinion. Ignore any thread that I start, because I like to try to acknowledge others who have helped me.
VERY SIMPLE "like in the other post - f*cking ingrate -" flip a coin and choose the ortho, or if what you are really after is a chat session, join AOL.
Gee, I was just about to write and thank you for all the research you posted above... I had written to the others and was making my way down the list to respond-- because I thought that is the polite thing to do, to acknowledge the replies and work that others have done to help me. A Chat?!!! I don't think I've ever seen anything like what you've written to me in any of the other posts. I am getting my braces. I have appointments coming up but I have nowhere to turn to for discussing more technical aspects of my questions. The internet is a fine source for some advertising and anecdotal information of strangers, but this is the only real place where people can tell you what the treatment is really like. In fact, I thought that was the purpose of this message board: to discuss treatment and questions. If you think I'm some sort of attention seeking freak, you are wrong. I am confused and don't know where to turn for assistance. I am also not very good at making decisions, which is why I thought I had already chosen someone (and made appointments for September 2 and 18 for actual bracing), but then the post by dooles recommending one of the orthos I had already consulted with made me rethink my decision.
This is a nearly TWO YEAR commitment with pain involved. I don't want to make the wrong decision. The suggested treatment plans are indeed different.
This board is full of very intelligent and helpful people who have effectively become experts and have done research. These are not your every day, run of the mill people. This is a very good resource to discuss questions. There is very little written on the subject of distalizers and first hand experience with them on the internet. The quote you posted above I already found in my own search. I was hoping for someone here to tell me something about them from their own experience.
If my posts anger you so much, then don't respond to them. I don't see how my posts are any less important than others discussing their body parts hurting, or insecurities about their appearance.
If you are faulting me for trying to reply to everyone who writes in to help, then that is your opinion. Ignore any thread that I start, because I like to try to acknowledge others who have helped me.
ArchAngle, what's with the insults?
Karen had a lot of very valid questions and looking into the various options available, rather than accepting what any old ortho says and going blindly uninformed into treatment, is definitely not a waste of time. If it means she ends up better informed than the majority of people going into treatment, what's the problem? There's no such things as being over-informed. If you're bored with doing Google searches on her behalf, then stop.
Karen, I would have replied to your thread with reference to my own distalizing experience but Meryaten beat me to it.
Karen had a lot of very valid questions and looking into the various options available, rather than accepting what any old ortho says and going blindly uninformed into treatment, is definitely not a waste of time. If it means she ends up better informed than the majority of people going into treatment, what's the problem? There's no such things as being over-informed. If you're bored with doing Google searches on her behalf, then stop.
Karen, I would have replied to your thread with reference to my own distalizing experience but Meryaten beat me to it.
That comment is totally out of line. Please refrain from making disrespectful unhelpful outbursts like this on the message board in the future.ArchAngle wrote:Small word of advise [ban me or not). You reached the stage of f*cking around. And are wasting people's time. Sh*t or get off the pot and get your braces. You've been provided with ample information, but you've turned it into a chat about you, the 'singer' with the attention whatever ortho gives you, is better,
VERY SIMPLE "like in the other post - f*cking ingrate -" flip a coin and choose the ortho, or if what you are really after is a chat session, join AOL.
-Lynn the site owner and admin
I'm the owner/admin of this site. Had ceramic uppers, metal lowers ~3 years in my early 40's. Now in Hawley retainers at night!
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purpleteeth
- Posts: 448
- Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 4:45 pm
- Location: Texas
- Contact:
Mine are clear, not metal. They look like plastic white fangs sticking out of the teeth in back or like two little sticks of clear glue. My hygenist commented on how they were not metal and how "lucky" I was. She calls the metal ones "cleats".karencoutts wrote:purpleteeth wrote:The only experience I can comment on is with the bite turbos and elastics.
Thanks for letting me know that elastics aren't all that bad. I may just forget the distalizers...
Your bite turbos don't sound exactly the same as the metallic medieval torture devices as pictured in ArchAngle's post that I will be getting.
Your comments were much appreciated.
<img>
Go with the doctor that you trust the most. If you don't trust either doctor, keep looking because you will always be doubting them and questioning their judgement. Both treatment plans will mostly likely get you a great result. Go with the doc you feel comfortable with. Definately don't let the treatment time estimates be the deciding factor...