the joy (NOT) of elastics

[lanabyte]

To those who have/had elastics, I have a few questions...

1. How often did you change your bands?
2. How long did you have to wear them?
3. How many days did it take for the jaw ache to go away?

I just got mine yesterday, and I've been absolutely miserable since. Where the jaws connect and into my ears aches constantly, and the bands make 2 of my teeth sit directly on top of each other which makes those teeth hurt like crazy. Also makes eating a very interesting chore, lol! I know I have to wear them 7 weeks (my next appointment), and I'm hoping and praying it won't be longer. Through 3 sets of trays, I'll deal but 6 sets of trays or more??? Let's just say I'll have the prettiest smile in the asylum.

[schwarztrader]

1. I was told to change my bands after every meal. (3x a day) (NOTE: I do not eat with the bands in)
2. I have worn them from day 1 and I am currently on tray 4/20. Not sure how long I will have to wear them.
3. I didn't really have any jaw ache that was considered noticable.

[abbaker]

Are these bands to help your bite? Rubber bands to fix my underbite are part of my treatment. It's my understanding that you should take them out when you eat, and replace them pretty much immediately after you brush. I wear mine pretty much 24/7 (except when I eat/ brush) just because why not wear them? Any time you're not wearing them is time your bite is not 'in treatment' so to speak. So keep it in treatment as much as possible! Haha. Ya they're a bitch but wearing them properly and habitually could reduce treatment time over all, and that is a good thing!!

[lanabyte]

Yeah, the bands are to correct an underbite. Which is funny cause it's so minor that I didn't even realize I had one, lol! I am wearing them 24/7, except to eat. I had forgotten to ask my ortho and have been changing them daily, but it seems the consensus is after every meal, so I'm gonna start doing that. My teeth aren't hurting so much anymore (a top and two bottom teeth are now directly on top of each other), but my entire lower jaw is just.... exhausted and terribly sore. And my inner ears are sore too. Was hoping that would go away in a day or 2 like it does when I put on a new tray, but today's day 4 and it hurts just as much now as it did when I first put them on. Started watching youtube videos of ppl who had jaw surgery done last night, and that makes me feel a little better lol! It helps to think on the positive side and how lucky I am to not have to go through all that. Ibuprofen helps too.

[Bracer215]

I got my elastaics after 8 weeks and I am still wearing them 4 months later. I wear them in a triangle from my top canine to two teeth on the bottom. I only have to wear them at night.

[robin8]

1. I changed them every time I cleaned my teeth, which is about 4 to 5 times a day. (They are very cheap.)
2. I wore them for about a year. I never wore them to eat; I think it’d cause a lot of pressure on your jaw joints if you eat with them in.
3. I started to have jaw ache and ear ache after I wore them for a couple of months. I told my ortho about it and he told me to wear them only in the evening and night. I had no more problems after that.

I suggest that you contact your ortho right away and advise him of your pain. You don’t want to cause permanent damage to your jaw joints as a result of ortho treatment. There are different types of elastics with different strengths. My ortho gave me a couple to try and I used the one that gave me less pressure on the jaw joints.