Bite down onto brackets?

[lyphta]

I hope I'm posting this in the right section cause I'm using a different self ligating bracket but maybe you guys can help?

Well, I notice that when I bite down, two of my upper molars (it's my 3rd to last one on both the right and left side) end up touching my bottom bracket. Is that safe? Cause I'm scared that if I end up chewing something or accidentally bite down hard for whatever reason, I could break it off.

Cause I just sneezed and when I do sneeze, I tend to bite down. And since it's only been 2 days with these on, my teeth are still sensitive and I seriously thought that I could have broken those brackets. ><

Am I worrying about nothing?
Thanks guys~

[kaylaa]

You might need to have molar buildup put in. They just put some glue on your molar so that when you bite down your teeth don't touch your brackets. I have an overbite and they put in bite turbos (which suck, I would rather have molar buildup), to prevent me from biting off my three front bottom brackets.

Call you orthos office and see if you can schedule a mini appointment to see him.
I'm sure the appointment will be quick.

How are your braces by the way? Mine are getting better. It's not so much the braces, but all of the extra stuff in my mouth (appliance and bite turbos).

[lyphta]

Thank you Kaylaa for responding

Definitely going to call my ortho's office on Monday.
I hope she can squeeze me in that day cause I'm really scared of breaking a bracket off especially after I've sneezed twice today and had major fears of it falling off cause I sneeze and bite pretty hard. haha

My braces are pretty okay.
I haven't really experienced any pain, just some sensitivity whenever I bite or sneeze or open my mouth to yawn (feels like my teeth are being stretched)
The main problem I'm having with them is that the insides of my bands are cutting my tongue and I keep bleeding. Gonna have to ask the ortho to try to snip off some of the wire or something cause it's hurting.
Definitely kind of annoyed at how my lower brackets are leaving indentations on the inside of my lower lip especially at night.

[Sunny]

lyphta I agree with kaylaa and a call to your ortho will hopefully provide you with the information you need.

The risk with biting onto brackets is that you may chip your teeth. Also the brackets may come off, but the chipping of your teeth is of higher concern.

Ask your ortho to flatten the inside of your molar bands, so that your tongue doesn't rub on them.

To help with your mouth at night, make sure you're well hydrated and put some wax on a few brackets, so that your mouth feels great when you wake after a good sleep.

Good luck with your treatment!

[josie]

Lyphta, what did your ortho say?

I just had my braces fitted yesterday afternoon and there are 2 very slight places on the right side of my mouth where my upper teeth are contacting my lower brackets. This is because my lower teeth are leaning inwards slightly, so the surface of them, where the brackets are, can make contact with the upper teeth there. Once these teeth are not leaning in, it won't be a problem!

Especially as I do often grind my teeth in my sleep, I'm a bit worried about this for the chipped tooth reason, but not sure if I should be: In conversation with my ortho just after he fitted them, he said that my bite would change slightly. I (naively!) replied that I could feel it already changing. I think he replied it was probably the brackets I could feel - not a new tooth surface. So I figure he knows about it anyway and it isn't a big deal. But, for my peace of mind, I just called his office and the receptionist said she doesn't believe it is a problem (as the lower ones are metal and not ceramic and the ceramic ones cause chipping or something?) but that she will speak to the ortho and get back to me....

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome josie!

It's true that ceramic brackets are harder than metal ones, but you can still chip your teeth on metal brackets, so please be careful when you bite down. If you think your teeth are at risk, make sure you call your ortho's office again and tell them

Good luck with your treatment.

[josie]

Thanks Sunny. The receptionist spoke to the ortho & said that 2 of my teeth were making contact with the brackets, but he said to pass on that it's perfectly fine - the receptionist then added that she too has braces and has had them for a while now and her teeth make contact with brackets and she doesn't have any chipped teeth. They said that if I was at all worried or unsure to call back, but I also feel that I'm strongly getting the message that it's ok... Confusing...

[lyphta]

Hi Josie!

Sorry for the late reply!
I went to the ortho yesterday to have it checked out (along with the band that's been cutting my tongue)
She said that my feeling of my teeth touching the brackets were actually just my bands touching each other. She assured me that that is okay and that I'm not touching the brackets.
Also since my teeth have already slightly moved, my upper teeth are actually touching my lower teeth where they've never touched before. But everything is in order.

I don't know if you're allowed to wear mouth guards with braces, but if you are, maybe you should wear one at night Josie.
I hear those help people who grind their teeth at night. Maybe that'll give you some relief at night and ease any worries.

[Sunny]

Fantastic that your news was so good lyphta!

If you need a mouth guard when you have braces, it needs to be made specially for you so that it doesn't stop your teeth from progressing or try and move them back to where they were.

There are special appliances that can be made for people who grind and you need to talk to your ortho about that. It's also important to try and work out why a person is grinding, coz often it's stress related and they need help to relax.

[josie]

Defo stress related here! But I haven't been grinding with the braces in - the sensation of something strange in my mouth appears to have halted it... If it starts again, I'll go back.

Also interesting to hear you say that your teeth are already closing in a different bite - I was sure that mine were too, but I kept telling myself it can't be true yet (day 4 of braces!) - but perhaps it is!

[lyphta]

Thanks Sunny for clearing that up!

I'm with you Josie, I has stress related issues too - had some jaw pain for a couple of months but have since stopped for about... 3 weeks. Hopefully they don't come back again!

I wouldn't be surprised if your bite has changed. I think I started seeing changes around day 4 as well.
I have also noticed how much easier it is to floss between some of the teeth now that they've been moving.
Some are still a bit tough to get in but it's not bad.
But I'm still having trouble chewing. Every time I bite down, the teeth behind the canines ache/sting/tingle. I hope that the "pain" goes away soon cause I really want to be able to start chewing normally without this feeling. But it has only been 8 days so I must be patient. I am trying to chew my food though, just with a bit of difficulty cause the sensation gets kind of overbearing sometimes.