Were you nervous to be debanded?

If you have finished with your orthodontic treatment and are wearing retainers (or will be soon), this is a special place to connect with others in your (enviable) situation. Ask a question or make a comment about life post-braces.

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Woobster
Posts: 109
Joined: Sun Aug 25, 2013 11:09 am
Location: Columbus, OH

Were you nervous to be debanded?

#1 Post by Woobster »

My Damons come off in a couple of weeks and I admit, I'm a tad nervous. I'm not sure what to expect during the process, and I'm not sure what I expect my teeth to look like without all of this "stuff" on them.

Anyone care to share their experience? Were you nervous?

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mapleleafman888
Posts: 545
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:59 am

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#2 Post by mapleleafman888 »

Hey Woobster, I'm in the same boat right now...damons are coming off in 4 weeks, (that'll be 18 months total) and I am not the slight bit nervous...Looking forward to it actually. It'll be over before you know it.
My story:http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=45354
Image
Upper and Lower Damon Braces for 18 months!
I met 46 braceface adults when I had braces myself!

Woobster
Posts: 109
Joined: Sun Aug 25, 2013 11:09 am
Location: Columbus, OH

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#3 Post by Woobster »

Mapleleaf... That's funny. You and I started within a couple of weeks of each other and now we're getting them off at about the same time as well.

I'm sure my nerves will calm once they come off... I hope everything goes well for you!

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mapleleafman888
Posts: 545
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:59 am

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#4 Post by mapleleafman888 »

We did, I remember! 3 more days!!!!! Are you happy with where your teeth got to?
My story:http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=45354
Image
Upper and Lower Damon Braces for 18 months!
I met 46 braceface adults when I had braces myself!

cs2thecox
Posts: 178
Joined: Fri Nov 08, 2013 2:39 am
Location: London, UK

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#5 Post by cs2thecox »

I'll be honest - the debond process isn't fun.
(I checked - my ortho confirmed it's deBOND i.e. getting the bonding (glue) removed rather than deBAND which doesn't really make any sense unless you had conventional braces with molar bands! Apparently all the Brits call it deBONDing, but it got corrupted by the Americans along the way somewhere :lol: )

It's not scary or anything, but having the brackets off can be a bit brutal.
Take a couple of pain killers first, and think about taking an iPod if you're stressy with dental work.
Oh, and remember to breathe through your nose! (I always forget...) It'll be over soon, and just think about the end result.

You should get the cement filed off your teeth after the brackets are all off. That can make your head a bit buzzy, but it doesn't hurt.
Then it's standard impressions for retainers, but we've all been through that at the beginning of treatment, so that's no different.

Good luck!!

bliss4me
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Apr 13, 2015 1:09 pm

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#6 Post by bliss4me »

My debanding was completely pain less.

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mysticgirl916
Posts: 99
Joined: Mon Aug 05, 2013 10:20 pm
Location: Mississauga, Canada

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#7 Post by mysticgirl916 »

When I got my top braces off, I was actually excited. And it didn't hurt at all
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Stellargirl
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2015 2:52 pm

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#8 Post by Stellargirl »

I'm terrified. The appointment is Wed. Thank you for posting that it was ok, I'm probably getting myself worked up for no reason.

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djspeece
Posts: 2095
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 9:36 am
Location: North Canton, Ohio USA

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#9 Post by djspeece »

I also have Damons and it was completely painless to have them removed. I had heard horror stories of how difficult it was to get them off, but there are two tools your ortho should be using to remove them -- one for the metal Damons and one for the clear ones. They pop right off. If there is pounding or whatnot, they do not have the correct tool for the clears.
I tend to be a worst case scenario person. So I am imagining after 3 years the ortho is going to say something like, "Hmm, I guess maybe we should keep them on, I forgot to do (x) last time" and so forth. I had been hoping to hear the magic words "Well it's time to make impressions" for several months prior and my teeth weren't quite ready. I was very excited otherwise.
I was a bit nervous, but steeled myself for any discomfort, thinking " If I have to hang by my toes while his tech beats me in order for him to get them off, these braces are coming off." Yes, I can be a little overly dramatic.

Getting impressions two weeks earlier was an adventure. The tech came over and asked me to open, and then muttered "Oh, there's a new gap in front, not sure if we can make impressions" and I about lost it (inside). "Oh great, here we go, I'll go to my grave with these &^!$! things on." The ortho finally came over to my chair, after a small eternity in which he was chit-chatting with some adolescent about her new phone or something equally annoying, and peered into my mouth. He said his patented "Hmmm" and started gently moving my two front upper teeth. He thought the gap was due to my upper teeth hitting the bottom brackets after the last adjustment. In any event, he turned to the tech and said "Get me a wire ligature" and he basically wired them closer, and impressions were made. Again, not without drama. It took them about 8 attempts to get it right. Something about the base of my tongue was getting in the way. "Touch your tongue to the top of your mouth" and "lift it higher," and on and on. A more experience tech had to come in, and between the two of us got it accomplished. I ended up holding the trays while she did something with my tongue. It was a bit of an ordeal; I'm thinking God is an orthodontist with a sense of humor for reprobates like me.

So on that magic day I seated myself in the chair; all the front office staff were excited and wishing me luck and so forth. My heart was pounding. I was texting Kipepeo about my progress (exciting stuff like "Arrived at Ortho parking lot, I'm goin' in" and so forth. She had previously advised me to bite down on a cotton roll to stabilize the teeth, since in her case there was a lot of pounding when the clear brackets were removed. But removing them took only a few minutes and it was absolutely painless and hassle-free since he had the proper tools. He had this little scraper device to remove the larger hunks of glue, looked like a mini-pliers. No sweat. Then he polished them, and I was good to go. I kept thinking I must be dreaming and that I would wake up at any minute.

Very long story short -- being a little nervous is OK, because you are going to be positively euphoric in about 15 minutes. Best of luck to you, let us know how it goes!
Dan

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. -- Buddist saying

teeebeee
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Norfolk, UK

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#10 Post by teeebeee »

I was and I'd only been in braces for 7 months! It was painless...just a bit of pulling and prodding and I'm really glad they are off but I'm obsessing a bit about retaining and a small gap at the front that I know is there, temporarily, for a reason but it's not 'perfect'. But, it's all good and I'm thrilled...honest! :)

T xx

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newbite
Posts: 378
Joined: Sun Jul 13, 2014 11:53 am

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#11 Post by newbite »

Yes, and it friggin hurt! I have gum recession and sensitive teeth. Grinding off the glue was so much worse than bracket removal (which hurt a few teeth but was over quickly).

If you have sensitive teeth you'll understand-- cold air, grinding along gum line, cold water-- not good! I had them taken off one arch at a time with a week in between. Thank god. I had just had a crown placed and it was killing me especially with the cold water, so I asked the tech to not use any water at all on the bottom and that helped. She missed some glue probably because she couldn't see it without the water, but I don't even care. My dentist can get it off next cleaning.

If you have sensitive teeth I highly recommend having one arch taken off at a time. I do not regret at all that "extra" week in bottom braces, totally worth it!
•Braces placed August 14, 2014
•Deband November 11, 2015
•Permanent retainer top and bottom
•Essix retainers top and bottom 16 hr/day for a year and then nightly afterwards.

My story: http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... 51#p455351

Stellargirl
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2015 2:52 pm

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#12 Post by Stellargirl »

They're off! It wasn't bad. I'm very happy I had an rx for halcion. The dosage wasn't huge but it made me feel like I wouldn't freak out. I told the dr I was terrified (they had trouble opening the door on some brackets and that freaked me out which surprised both of us). I think normally the assistants do the removal but the main ortho did it. I listened to music, it wasn't bad! He took off most of the glue with a drill that I was able to tolerate. The assistant came do finish the details and used a different tool that I didn't like so I raised my hand and main ortho finished with the original tool.

I am a jaw clencher and I'd been wear rubber bands the last 2 months and my teeth felt a bit sore going into the appointment, but removal did not hurt. I thought I'd be the first person to accidentally have a tooth break or be pulled out during a deband. I'm good at worrying.

I didn't know if I'd be super out of it from my pill so I wrote a note explaining I have an exposed nerve and asking them to try to cover the gum- and with my husband's #. They didn't laugh at me and asked if I wanted to keep the note afterwards. No, I am not saving it for a scrapbook, but thank you.

Putting in the bonded retainer on the lower and getting an impression made on the top wasn't an issue. The one tooth I thought was a bit crooked... is a bit crooked. I don't care, I'm happy to be done. I think I'm the only one who notices.

I told the staff how I'd read all the stories on this site about debanding and they told me technology is better now and it's not that bad. I guess the old ceramics used to shatter but I didn't have to bite down on anything.

I got my picture taken, got a bag of sticky (and stale!?) candy, and was able to go to work. I almost cried with happiness when they told me the retainer was only to wear at night. I was prepared to have a speech impediment at work.

My teeth are still a bit sensitive, but I ate an apple and it was great. The retainer is very similar to a mouthguard I used to have for my jaw, so I like wearing it at night.

I am so relieved! I posted a pic of myself on instagram with the cheek retractor, it makes me so happy!
:D

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djspeece
Posts: 2095
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 9:36 am
Location: North Canton, Ohio USA

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#13 Post by djspeece »

Congratulations! Glad you made it through.
Dan

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. -- Buddist saying

mrscetrone
Posts: 43
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2015 9:00 am

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#14 Post by mrscetrone »

I was a little nervous. Taking the brackets off didnt hurt at all, but getting the glue sanded off and the polishing was a little painful as my teeth are sensitive.

Beckett
Posts: 408
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2016 6:28 am

Re: Were you nervous to be debanded?

#15 Post by Beckett »

I am terribly nervous even though I have watched three of my children go through debonding, the last one with ceramic brackets like mine. I'm getting closer to a removal date, and while we have one scheduled for next week I fear I won't make it as I have a back molars that is flaring out of alignment and still an odd place where my lowers hit the back of my uppers when my jaw is relaxed and kind of dropping forward, like when my head is down over my iPad. And the tiniest of slivers of a midline alignment.

They also said I'll walk out of my debond appointment with an Essix retainer while I wait for the Hawleys but the thought of encasing my teeth with that thing freaks me out. I'd rather hang on to my brackets while I wait for the retainers.
Braces for 18 months/4 days.

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