Do I really need molar bands?

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Grutty
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Do I really need molar bands?

#1 Post by Grutty »

I have had my braces on for about 2 weeks now, I am braced top and bottom, but my back molars are still "naked". I saw my Ortho on Monday, and the office assistant had me make an appointment to have spacers put in, so I guess they plan to put molar bands on those back teeth. :?

I dont want molar bands, they seem really uncomfortable, and I REALLY dont want those spacers! I am considering asking my ortho if I can have brackets back there instead. I dont have any fillings or caps, so I dont think there would be a problem getting brackets to stick. Is there any other reason that bands would work better than brackets for back molars??

All of my back molars are crooked, the bottom ones lean in, the top ones lean out. :roll: Do bands do a better job of moving molars??
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Lela
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#2 Post by Lela »

I can't answer your question at all but have another question about the molar bands.

Are they something that is more common with the ceramic brackets? I've been doing lots of reading here on the board and noticed that most of the folks that mention the spacers and molar bands are in/getting ceramics.
Fully braced 9-02-08
Braces off 9-21-09

Red Raider Fan
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#3 Post by Red Raider Fan »

I got my molar bands a week ago today, 4 on the bottom and two up top. I thought he put the molar bands on because of the length of my treatment (2 years). I am getting metal braces, my wife got clear braces on top, the ice brand, and they did not put molar bands on her, she only has to wear hers for a year. I have not had any discomfort from the molar bands, although I have a pendulum in place and the inside of the upper molar bands where the springs attach rubbed my tongue pretty bad, but i have gotten use to it. All of my molar bands have elastic hooks on them.

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Grutty
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#4 Post by Grutty »

ah, that makes sense, my ortho mentioned that I would have to wear a rubber band that went from the outside of an upper top tooth to the inside of a bottom tooth. So I will probably be getting molar bands with hooks on the inside, ugh.

Oh well, good to hear that they arent that bad. I will just try to enjoy my last few weeks of molar freedom. :-}

Thanks Meryaten, you are so knowledgeable!
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iamtheotherme
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#5 Post by iamtheotherme »

I have ceramics top and bottom and molar bands are not in my treatment plan--I have direct bonded tubes, even on my temporary crown. My case is non-surgical, non-extraction (well, no additional extractions, I had already lost one tooth to bruxing). When I asked why no molar bands, the answer he gave was more generic to his philosophy rather than specific to my case. He said that he doesn't use them because they create spaces between the molars that he then has to close up later and he finds that less-than-efficient. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent, um, orthos. :D
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platinum
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#6 Post by platinum »

I have had both molar bands and tubes. In the beginning I had molar bands on my lower molars, but they were later on replaced by molar tubes. Molar bands are much more difficult to clean, and I got sometimes gum infections because of them. If I were to start my treatment again, I would insist on getting molar tubes!!!! My lower molars are still leaning on wrong directions and the molar bands did not fix them.

By the way, interestingly enough I got spacers on my top teeth too, even though they just put molar bands...

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Grutty
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#7 Post by Grutty »

Hi Platinum,

How is your nickel allergy? Did removing the molar bands help?

I guess I will check with my ortho to see if bands are really necessary. He may insist on them, since as meryaten pointed out, I will need to have a hook placed somewhere on the back of my teeth. :(
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platinum
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#8 Post by platinum »

It was a good desicion to get rid of those molar bands.
I am feeling healthy again and my face looks normal.

Now the only thing that has nickel is my archwires, but they have been changed in every visit. At the moment I just want to get rid of my braces as soon as possible.

I was told I need an implant after braces, but that is not going to happen. I am not having any foreign stuff inside me. Implants are made of titanium, but they have small amount of other metals as well. And they do corrode, too.

purpleteeth
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#9 Post by purpleteeth »

I never had spacers or molar bands, just regular brackets placed on my back teeth --- no problems whatsoever. I have Damon's... and when I asked about spacers and bands, I was told that my ortho usually didn't give them to adults.
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Maggie
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#10 Post by Maggie »

purpleteeth wrote:I never had spacers or molar bands, just regular brackets placed on my back teeth --- no problems whatsoever. I have Damon's... and when I asked about spacers and bands, I was told that my ortho usually didn't give them to adults.
Is there a reason why they don't usually give them to adults? I also had all my molars banded, but I just assumed it was standard.

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