Metal Mouth Message Board

It's been just about a month since I got my braces on so I figured I'd post a short update on my progress so far.

I've been wearing my elastics as diligently as possible and it has certainly payed off in the positive as I my front teeth are beginning to slightly overlap my bottoms already ! However, it's shifted my bite so that my back teeth no longer touch on the left so eating has become a slightly slower process but I've adjusted . I've also noticed a slight gap between my top teeth has gotten wider (it was there before but not nearly as noticeable) over the course of the month which I think might be because of trying to widen/broaden my narrow smile; I'll have to check with my ortho at my first adjustment next month about that.

Here's a side-by-side comparison between Day 1 and now:




Also, these are the elastics I've been wearing:

LOL on the Giant Panda elastics! Mine are Sea Otters.

Did you ask your ortho about your bracket placement? I remember we discussed how close they were placed to your gums.

Your teeth are still gorgeous!

EmilyTravels wrote:LOL on the Giant Panda elastics! Mine are Sea Otters.

Did you ask your ortho about your bracket placement? I remember we discussed how close they were placed to your gums.

Your teeth are still gorgeous!

The whole animal terminology was new to me lol, the previous time I had braces it was just color-coded packets.

I haven't been able to discuss it with him as I my first adjustment since getting them on isn't until March 5th. I'll have to remember to ask him then.

And thanks again! Most of my friends were shocked I had to get braces because they thought my teeth were perfect before!

Jester321 wrote: I haven't been able to discuss it with him as I my first adjustment since getting them on isn't until March 5th. I'll have to remember to ask him then.

And thanks again! Most of my friends were shocked I had to get braces because they thought my teeth were perfect before!

I agree with your friends!

My next adjustment is March 5 as well.

EmilyTravels wrote:
My next adjustment is March 5 as well.

Small world!

I got my Damon braces, all metal kind, on there 5 of Feb. I have an anterior open bite and a tongue thrust, meaning my time in will be about 24 months. The weird thing that I noticed is that he told me I would have to wear elastics but there is no hooks on the top set. I wonder if that means that I’m going to have to have brackets repositioned to add hooks. Also my bracket placement is really close to my gums as well, so maybe it’s because of the type of braces. My adjustment is on March 26

Damon metal brackets have small holes in the back that are hard to see. The ortho can add “drop-in” hooks to these holes. Been there, done that....initially I had no hooks, now I am sporting four of them. It takes all of 30 seconds to add a hook.

Just a little update I thought I'd share on my bite's progression! My upper front teeth have moved even further and now overlap my bottoms much more than in my previous update! It's been forever that those teeth don't sit on top of one another so I'm pretty excited

2 weeks until my first adjustment!

I had my first adjustment this morning!

It was relatively painless except for a little pressure when putting the new, thicker wires in. I think they're .018 on both top and bottom. He also said next time I'll be getting new wires again (I think he said .021x.019 or something similar to that to the assistant).

My orthodontist was really excited with my bite's progress and he said things were really improving! He kept me on the same elastic configuration but changed the type of elastics from medium to heavy (ouch!).

It also slipped my mind to ask why the brackets are placed so close my gumlines, I'll have to try and remember for next time.

My next appointment is April 17th.

Here's a progress pic from Day 1 to 2 Months, I'm still amazed at how fast things have moved!

I had my second adjustment this morning and I'm definitely feeling these thicker wires lol.

I'm in rectangular wires in both top (.021) and bottom (.019) now as well as continuing to wear Class III elastics full-time (Sea Lion | Heavy).

My ortho has been amazed at how fast my smile has improved in such a short time so hopefully my fast progress continues and I can shave a few months off my "sentence"

I'm not due back until June, so roughly 8 weeks from now. Nothing too major, just some space closing, my bite inching its way forward, and maybe a slight gap developing between my lower center teeth

Progress from last month to today:

Looking good! Your midline is better as well.

I just got changed to heavy elastics at my last appointment as well. Owie, but only for a few days, then you get used to them. They sure do show, though; mine are in a triangle configuration on each side and look like vampire fangs!

I got upgraded to heavy at my last appointment so I’m used to that but combined with these bigger wires it’s defintely a sore time lol

Jester321 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 17, 2018 11:51 am I had my second adjustment this morning and I'm definitely feeling these thicker wires lol.

I'm in rectangular wires in both top (.021) and bottom (.019) now as well as continuing to wear Class III elastics full-time (Sea Lion | Heavy).

My ortho has been amazed at how fast my smile has improved in such a short time so hopefully my fast progress continues and I can shave a few months off my "sentence"

I'm not due back until June, so roughly 8 weeks from now. Nothing too major, just some space closing, my bite inching its way forward, and maybe a slight gap developing between my lower center teeth

Progress from last month to today:

Your teeth are not even done, and I have teeth envy already.
They are going to look beautiful.

tillybrace wrote: ↑Wed Apr 18, 2018 10:51 am
Your teeth are not even done, and I have teeth envy already.
They are going to look beautiful.

Thanks!!

Also, the slight gap between my lower teeth is now definitely noticeable. I think they were somewhat slanted at the start and now that they are uprighted by the new wire a gap formed. I haven’t had gaps since I first had braces over 10 years ago so it’s a little wierd

Officially 6 months in braces! I still can't get over it being only 6 months with how much my smile has changed!

I had my most recent adjustment two weeks ago. I got new wires on both top and bottom (I think I overheard them being the last of the Ni-Ti wires) and my ortho said we might move into the stainless steel ones at my next appointment which is August 14th. I'm still wearing class III elastics 24/7 (Sea Lion) for now though I think that might finally change at my next appointment as well since my ortho mentioned fitting "Kaplan" (I think that's how they're spelled) hooks on the inside of my molars to fix my cross-bite if it doesn't fix between now and my next appointment. Oh, when the assistant was clipping my top wire at the ends, the force she applied somehow knocked off the bracket on my last molar Thankfully was an easy and quick fix. Who knew my first broken bracket would be totally not my fault

Since the last adjustment, the stubborn gap that seems to come and go lately has appeared again between my two lower centrals. There seems to be another one forming nearby too (to the right of the center gap in the below pic) and when I'm flossing it also feels like my other lower front teeth are more spacious than before as well. Here's to hoping they close on their own and I can avoid powerchains