what is the best tip/advice/info that you have picked up from archwired?

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30yearoldbraceface
Posts: 99
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:39 am

what is the best tip/advice/info that you have picked up from archwired?

#1 Post by 30yearoldbraceface »

I have come across many interesting posts and have recieved lots of information regarding braces/teeth etc from this forum, I love it, and I think I am addicted to checking the forum for new posts! :crazy: :tingrin: But there is one tip that I read about that has changed my braces life that I read on a post that djspeece (Dan) wrote about dipping interdental brushes in listerine and using that instead of flossing! It really does work wonders and my teeth and gums feel and look cleaner than they did with trying to floss them! Share your best piece of advice/tip/info that you found on this forum!

ljms
Posts: 127
Joined: Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:19 am
Location: Manitoba

Re: what is the best tip/advice/info that you have picked up from archwired?

#2 Post by ljms »

The best advice I've received on this forum is to tie the floss to the floss threader. It makes flossing so much faster and a lot less frustrating.

I wish I could give credit to whoever posted it but I really don't remember. I've seen the advice twice. The first time was back in 2013, shortly before I got braces. The second was just a couple of months ago.

ItsFreyja
Posts: 386
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2015 7:27 pm
Location: USA

Re: what is the best tip/advice/info that you have picked up from archwired?

#3 Post by ItsFreyja »

Not exactly a "handy tip" sort of thing, but the #1 thing I have learned here is to ask the orthodontist. I do understand why so many people come and post questions here that really should have been asked in the chair -- the chair experience can be painful and bewildering, not super conducive to our best thinking and communicating. Because of Archwired I now write down questions for the ortho ahead of time, I really look in the mirror before getting out of the chair, I don't leave the office kicking myself for not being brave enough to ask a silly question. In life I have often preferred to smile and go with the flow, sometimes to my detriment; fixing my smile is helping me become a more assertive and self-assured person.

metalliKa
Posts: 486
Joined: Tue May 05, 2015 7:25 pm

Re: what is the best tip/advice/info that you have picked up from archwired?

#4 Post by metalliKa »

ItsFreyja wrote: #1 thing I have learned here is to ask the orthodontist.
I TOTALLY AGREE 100%!!! I often see archwired users post questions that should really be addressed to their ortho. If you have a question or concern, your ortho is your go-to person.
Offenses: Skeletal and Dental Class 2 malocclusion
Sentence: 12-15 months
Jailed: 3/24/15
Released: 5/24/16
Life behind brackets: http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=48554

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

Re: what is the best tip/advice/info that you have picked up from archwired?

#5 Post by djspeece »

30yearoldbraceface wrote:... But there is one tip that I read about that has changed my braces life that I read on a post that djspeece (Dan) wrote about dipping interdental brushes in listerine and using that instead of flossing! It really does work wonders and my teeth and gums feel and look cleaner than they did with trying to floss them! Share your best piece of advice/tip/info that you found on this forum!
I'm glad that was helpful for you!

Several members had recommended the use of Mack's Ear Plugs for swimmers (made of silicone) rather than dental wax, which I thought was very creative even though it really didn't work in my situation. I tend to go overboard so when I read this early in my orthodontic adventure (i.e., cheeks being cut to pieces by braces) I raced to a local pharmacy and bought 3 boxes of them -- one for home, one for the office, one for my computer bag.

Sirwired commented that popcorn is dangerous not because of any particular force required to chew it, but rather that pieces of the kernel can get lodged in the gum line. I hadn't considered that possibility. I didn't stop eating popcorn of course, but I was very meticulous with oral hygiene after eating it.

In the beginning, it was reassuring to read about the similar experiences of others, and in some cases the horrific experiences, to help gain perspective. I have always enjoyed reading humor amongst the pathos as well.
Dan

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

nowiseethemoon
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:09 am

Re: what is the best tip/advice/info that you have picked up from archwired?

#6 Post by nowiseethemoon »

Oh I know this is a terribly old thread, but I thought it was a great question. I'm reading past posts and finding that a lot of the same information/experiences are repeated over and over, so what better thing than to try synthesize the best bits?

For me, the best information is:
1) the concept of teeth "unravelling" was really useful for me. I couldn't figure out how my crowded teeth were going to move past each other, but unravelling told me that it would work out and that things might move in unexpected ways before moving to a final position.
2) take pictures weekly to see slow changes over time; I still have not mastered the "same lighting, same angle" advice, though.
3) teeth move on average 1mm per month (or is it 0.5 mm)? In any case, it tells me that it's a slow and steady thing, for the most part.
4) I'm not the only one who worries that my teeth will not move and braces won't work for me (I'm in week 7 and I can see there's stuff happening, so even though I'm still worried I have real proof).
5) when you first get braces the crooked wire will accentuate the crookedness of your teeth; it was good to know this ahead of time. It was still shocking (still is) but at least I was forewarned.
6) there's a post somewhere with people rating their comfort level on a scale of 1-10. Being about a 7 myself, I found it really interesting to know that some people are really and truly 1s or 2s. Here I thought they were just trying to be positive but some people just don't care. It gives me something to work toward--something like "fake it until you make it."
7) things might get worse before they get better--my ortho told me this and I read it on this board and it's definitely going to be true for me. I will get an increasing overjet until I have surgery and will probably keep my new front-teeth gaps until I get my lateral incisors bonded at the end of my treatment--2 years henceforth.


My own advice/information to add:
-the changes you want to see or expect to see are not necessarily the first that you will see! My crowding is still largely there (boo!) but there are other changes.
-even if your teeth are incredibly crowded and you think your jaw is too small to handle all those teeth, gaps can appear. I currently look like a gap-toothed 5 year old (gaps and crowded teeth, yay braces)
-The most significant issue I found with bite turbos was being able to speak properly: I have bite turbos on the back of my top incisors and it took me about a month to speak without a huge lisp. Not days, and not a week, which seems to be common for many, but several weeks. I still have a lisp but I think it's much better. My mom swears she can't hear anything but my husband hears it very clearly. Before embarking on this I would have wanted to know the significance of this impediment, at least to be informed.

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djspeece
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Location: North Canton, Ohio USA

Re: what is the best tip/advice/info that you have picked up from archwired?

#7 Post by djspeece »

I also suspect that orthodontists take a blood oath to never attempt to precisely answer the questions (1) "How long until this gap closes?" and (2) "How much longer will I be in these braces?". I say this in jest, of course, because you know as well as I that at some point in their career they confidently (and naively) answered this question for a patient and gave an actual end-date, and then due to factors beyond the ortho's control (or perhaps because the patient decided to stop wearing the elastics) the treatment went on for another decade. And the patient became crazed, refusing to participate in normal hygiene practices and camped out in the ortho's office, finally having to be forcefully evicted by the police, screaming "But you promised they would be off by now!" and so forth. Oh, and it was captured on the nightly news as well. Film at 11.
Dan

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

nowiseethemoon
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:09 am

Re: what is the best tip/advice/info that you have picked up from archwired?

#8 Post by nowiseethemoon »

treatment went on for another decade...LOL (I laugh now...)

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