47 and getting rebraced

[iBorg]

Ahhhh......positioners.

The devil's own device (can't say what I really feel). I wonder if they (it?) was the start of my tmj problems. Seriously getting the molars to come together will be a great help.

[Kipepeo]

Advanced both arches to 18x25 wires, or whatever. Got yet another hook placed (17 total now). Ramped up to zebra elastics. Moved the left side box elastics configuration up to 3-4 to 3-4. Kept short classic configuration on right side (4U-6L).

Next appt in 4 weeks where i change to the finishing wire. Ortho doesn't think i need any bracket repositioning. I'm getting closer, and so happy to be, finally!

[TMJJill]

Sounds like we are on a similar track. I'm only missing hooks on my very front teeth-20 now after I got more 2 months ago. I'm in trapazoid boxes on both sides and wear a second set from my lower back molars to my upper canines. I'm also in Zebras.

The difference I have from you is that I'm in my finishing wire on top (expect to be for about a year) and I'm still in my starter wire on bottom.

I'm excited for you that you are so close to finishing!!!

[Kipepeo]

Let me just say that I think my teeth are the most sore they've ever been, all of them. I rarely take ibuprofen, but i just devoured 4 of them hoping to curb some of this pain.

[staceyraver]

i'm no where near as close as you are, but i feel your pain....literally. My teeth are soooo sore, i might end up shouting a lot a people today. Think i might have to hit the co-codomol.

Hope your teeth are feeling better soon!!!!

[Kipepeo]

Here are a few update photos. These were actually taken about a week ago. They look good, but my bite is still off because the crowns of my molars and premolars are tipped in some and hitting high. It shouldn't take long to straighten this out, I wouldn't think. (Sorry for the odd photo sizes. Still learning how to edit in photo bucket.)





Notice that right upper incisor (left in photo) has been tipped. Used to be straight. Also, lower right incisor is slightly higher than it should be, and the right side is angled downward, hence the box elastics.


You can really see that tipped incisor here.

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

Yo that's rough man. On debracing day you get more braces :/ they all lie it's true, except maybe mine my ortho thought i was going to have braces for 2 years but turns out she said recently the last 4 months of ull get them off for June. But that's mean of your ortho like if u really don't know don't tell em one thing then trick em.

[Kipepeo]

It wasn't his fault. I never wanted braces. Then I didn't want both uppers and lowers. At my consult visit, he recommended to have the top teeth pulled down, but I was only concerned with straightening the lower front arch. Well, that didn't work, which led to lower braces. Yeah, got the lowers in good shape, bending wires to meet the uppers, but it affected my bite more than I could handle. I was not pleased, and I asked if I could have uppers fitted. That's when I pretty much started over. It's because of my experience that I would always encourage someone to get both upper and lower braces, and not just one arch, if they are at all concerned about their bite. I'm very picky about how my teeth feel, and I should have had enough foresight to know that when I went with lowers only.

Oh well...not blaming anyone, it is what it is.

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

Awh it's jsut a bummer though. :/ but hey at leas you'll have SUPER PERFECT teeth

[Kipepeo]

Now you know why I'm so done and ready to get them off.

[Kipepeo]

Had my appt yesterday. Got new wires - Finishing wires - YEA!!

Got a super mini power chain across 2 teeth on the lower left. My ortho office uses clear and gray power chains, but they had some colored ones left over from when they used conventional brackets. She had to go get them. Nobody uses them, nobody asks, apparently. I said I would get some bright color if I had to have a power chain across the front. They were a bit surprised by this.

On the remaining teeth on the bottom, I got that wire lacing again. This is the criss cross wire put in place to hold the rest of teeth where they are and avoid new gaps forming.

Got a couple special bends placed; one to pull the lower incisor back down in line with the rest (it's already there now), and another to rotate that pesky upper incisor back in line.

Lower wires do not go all the way back anymore. The last molar is not wired now.

While snipping the wires in the back upper she popped off a bracket, but the ortho was not concerned and we just left it off.

I wear MOOSE elastics now in class 2 configuration (upper canine to lower molar) on both sides, no more box pattern. Yea, that box elastic made me drool out of the corners of my mouth when speaking.

Teeth are pretty sore! I'll get some pics soon.

[Kipepeo]

Red arrow indicates a molar cusp that it sticking way out of line and interferes with my bite.

Bite is still out of whack even though alignment looks good on each arch.

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

I wanted to mention http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=43719 is my story

[Mylovedtheeth]

The thing is teeth don't have to be perfect staright at one line like you described. Most important is position of upper and lower canines and how they align each other. In my opinion your upper canines is to much at front (should be a little more back) so that's why your lower incisors were crowding (they want to go front and rich right position with upper canines).
And thats why you get upper braced. Average ortodontist would tell we are done, get you debraced and send home, and next month lower incisors would be crowded as before. your orto want to get things right. Good luck!

[BraceFace2o1o]

Fab teeth Kipepeo!

I can see what you mean about your upper right central incisor. I have the same thing going on but with both centrals. I have brought it up with my ortho but he disagrees though and it's SO frustrating. Oh actually I did manage to get him to rotate one of the centrals ever so slightly and he agreed to rotate the other central at my next appointment. When I mentioned it at the next appointment he just refused that the tooth needed rotating which is odd seeing as he didn't think that at the previous appointment. Because one has been slightly corrected it makes the other one look even more tilted that it did before.
I do not like them how they are currently and I want them rotated straight but it doesn't seem like I'm going to get it done.

When I first got braces I totally thought I would finish feeling a lot more satisfied that I do right now

It is good that your ortho is working to try and bring this tooth back into position!