archwire poking

[JSET]

hey all,

so i've read that all you have to do is bend the back of an archwire with a spoon or an eraser. but it just springs back. i put wax on it but i have to use a lot to keep it in position. so i was wondering what ya'll do about things like this.

[josie]

I'm not sure which bit of the archwire you're talking about, but assuming it's the ends of it, at the back of your mouth:

Your ortho should cut the archwire so it doesn't stick out far beyond the end. Otherwise it will jab into your cheek and gums as things are tight back there. You might find that it gets better as your mouth toughens up, but if you think your ortho hasn't cut the wire close enough, then go back and get him/her to cut it shorter.

[ports]

Lol the wire has a really high restitution. "It bounces back"

Call your ortho and get the wire trimmed.

Right now your teeth are probably all over the place. When they put in the wire, it has to bend through weird shapes and take the long way around all of your teeth. The wire will pull them back into a perfect U, and less wire is needed to go around all your teeth. Hence it sticking out at the back.