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sehick19

My treatment plan...

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by
sehick19
, 12-13-2011 at 09:58 AM (478 Views)
So, shortly after the new year, I will be getting braced. This is the second time in my adult life of having full braces and I am pretty excited. I feel like I know what to expect since I just had braces less than 10 years ago, but I also know that a lot has changed in orthodontics in that time frame.

I will be getting all my braces (top and bottom) on January 4th. I will not need any spacers or anything in preparation for having the braces put on. I wasn't sure if my next apt was my actual date to get my braces, or if there were more diagnostics, impressions, spacers, etc...so I emailed my treatment coordinator, who is great! She confirmed that Jan 4th is the big day, I will be getting all my braces that day!

So, this is what the next 30 months will entail for me. First, I will start with 9-12 months in Damon braces. I will have Damon clear on my cosmetic 6 teeth on the top and metal Damon on the rest. I asked why they don't have clear brackets for the bottom and the coordinator said that technology hasn't gotten there, and that it is due to a torque issue. Anyway...I guess I'll deal with some metal. ;-) Metal brackets are a first for me, last time I had braces I had full clear ceramic brackets on all my teeth.

So, after the initial time frame of just braces I will then get a permanent Herbst appliance attached, and will have that along with all the braces. I will wear the Herbst for at least 15 months. I hear that this appliance is rough, so any advice for anyone who has had it is appreciated.

After the Herbst comes off, I will have about 6 months of just the braces again, to clean everything up. When the braces finally come off I will have retainers of course. I am not sure what type of retainers yet, I'm sure I'll bring that up when we get to that point.

Finally, for the rest of my life, I will have to wear a Damon Splint at night. This will help keep my jaw in the correct position after taking the Herbst off.

So, that's it...the next 2.5 or so years of my life. I am extremely excited to get this show on the road!
Categories
Need Advice , Countdowns , Getting Started , Consultations

Comments

  1. Ellebraced's Avatar
    Welcome!

    2nd time in braces as an adult, WOW!! Did you not wear our retainers or it was not done right the first time??

    Good luck, I look forward to reading about your progress!

    Elle
  2. sehick19's Avatar
    Elle,

    I have a permanent lower retainer and I still wear my upper retainer at night regularly. My teeth are perfectly straight. Unfortunately, I still have an overbite which was not fixed correctly the first time around and I have a lot of jaw issues, so that's why this round of treatment will hopefully fix! *fingers crossed*
  3. Jude63's Avatar
    Hey 19,

    I kind of envy people who start their braces in the New Year. It's so positive, and an easy way to count down the remaining time.

    I have the Forsus spring (pretty much a cousin to Herbst) and so far so good. Here on bracesreview I mostly just blog. Over at archwired.com I have posted a fair bit as VancouverJude. There are a few discussions about Forsus (and probably some about Herbst, too) I'll write you privately.

    Hmmm, I had never heard of the Damon splint before. That's interesting. I wonder if I'll wind up w/something like that. There are so many things Orthos spring on us at the last minute...
  4. NarcoAngel's Avatar
    What's a herbst??