In need of braces w/ many questions

[kaleidoscopeyes]

Hello, I'm 19 years old and new to the forum! I have been in need of braces for a while now and I recently saw a family friend who is a dentist (not an orthodontist) who said he would look at my teeth for a quick consultation. He said I needed to obviously see an orthodontist, but from his perspective I have a crowding issue (so Invisalign is out of the question -- I have had my regular dentist also tell me Invisalign was probably not suitable for me) and would have to get a tooth from each side removed on top.

Anyway, I am EXTREMELY self-conscious about my smile and always have been but I figured this is the year I will change that. Lingual/iBraces seem like they have my name all over it but I have a few questions first --

1. Are they pretty much the same as regular braces except that all the work is done from behind the teeth?

2. For lifestyle reasons, how often will I have to check in with the orthodontist to get them adjusted?

3. I've been reading some horror stories on here about the wires cutting the tongue, and then the orthodontist ends up trimming them? What does that mean exactly? I am not sure I understand... or why they aren't just trimmed to begin with?

4. Is anybody eligible to have these braces? I know I am ineligible for Invisalign, but was wondering if lingual/iBraces had specific cases they only tend to?

5. Is it smart to get the bottom and top teeth done at the same time or should there been some time in between?

6. I know speech is an issue the first few weeks depending on who you are, but as the teeth begin to move and change and as everything is being adjusted, does the process of getting used to speaking normally start over again?

7. If this is such a good form of correcting bites, then why is it that a lot of orthodontists do not offer this service?

I know it is a lot but I am very curious and extremely hopeful that this will be the year I change my smile! I will probably think of more questions as I do more research but thank you in advance!

[coconut]

I'll try to answer your questions as best I can:

1. Yes.
2. That will depend on your treatment plan and progress made.
3. As the teeth come into alignment, the wire levels out (for want of a better description) which may cause the end to poke into your cheek, back of the mouth, etc. All that is required is for end to be clipped so that it no longer does this.
4. Most of what can be achieved with regular braces can also be done with linguals.
5. That will depend on your particular circumstances and treatment plan.
6. The first couple of weeks tend to be the worst, thereafter it's OK for most people, even after an adjustment.
7. It requires special training and costs a lot more than regular treatment. It's not often the treatment of choice for the adolescent market, for example (and I don't necessarily include you in that, btw).

Hopefully an ortho will chime in here and add to this.

Good luck.

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome tothis forum Kaleidoscopeyes!

Your dentist friend has given you excellent advice re consulting with an orthodontist, as they've had specialist training in how teeth move. It's generally recommended that you consult with 2 or 3 ortho's, to help you make the decision of which one to choose to fix your bite.

Being extremely self-conscious may mean you are bet to go with ligual brackets and if they're not suitable find out about the ceramic brackets as they can rarely be seen, except if a person is standing close to you and looking at your teeth. We have a few clients who choose ligual for their uppers and ceramic brackets for their lowers. This works well were the lowers aren't easily seen and is often a more comfortable choice.

Your questions ...

1. Are they pretty much the same as regular braces except that all the work is done from behind the teeth? They look a little different, due to the being attached behind the teeth, but they work the same ... in that brackets don't move teeth ... but the skill of your ortho using archwires, powerchains, elastics etc ... does the work.

2. For lifestyle reasons, how often will I have to check in with the orthodontist to get them adjusted? This is usually a personal thing that ortho's choose, although most see their patients for adjustments ever 4 to 16 weeks. Where I work, the time between appointments regularly varies, due to our ortho's making appointments that allow for the changes they want to have the time to take place. On average I think our patients come in around every 10 to 12 weeks.

3. I've been reading some horror stories on here about the wires cutting the tongue, and then the orthodontist ends up trimming them? What does that mean exactly? I am not sure I understand... or why they aren't just trimmed to begin with? Coconut has described this perfectly and having the wires come out is something to make most of us excited, as it means movement and progress. If you're taking great care of your mouth, you won't need to be concered about the wires damaging your skin, as you'll have wax to take care of that. Also warm salt water rinses and mouth sore cream look after these areas if they do get a little rubbed.

If you mean the wires cutting the tongue due to lingual braces, this usually isn't so much a 'cut' as a process of adjusting for the tongue, that there's something where it usually comes into contact with the back of your teeth. It's important to keep plenty of wax on the brackets/archwire, if it's making your tongue sore, rinse often each day with warm salt water and eat a soft diet for a few days, to help your tongue adjust. There usually is a period of adjusting, and with the lingual braces it can be as long as two weeks.

4. Is anybody eligible to have these braces? I know I am ineligible for Invisalign, but was wondering if lingual/iBraces had specific cases they only tend to? We have only one orthodontist (out of three) trained to put linguals on patients and he seems to be able to work with everyone who wants them ... except surgical cases.

5. Is it smart to get the bottom and top teeth done at the same time or should there been some time in between? It definitely is smart to have the treatment of both arches done at the same time. Often one arch is started before the other, but this is due to it needing more work. Both arches need to be worked with when the bite is being sorted, so wise it is!

6. I know speech is an issue the first few weeks depending on who you are, but as the teeth begin to move and change and as everything is being adjusted, does the process of getting used to speaking normally start over again? Mostly it doesn't, although for a few people I'm sure it does. Most people find their speech improves quickly and we recommend talking out loud and singing. If your tongue is sore, this will affect your speech, so it's important to let it get better first, and this may require periods of little speech for a day or two. When a person is tired or stressed speech seems to be a little off ... although often this can only be heard by the person who's tired, but it still is frustrating.

Keeping well hydrated also assists with your speech improving, as hydration keeps your mouth moist.

7. If this is such a good form of correcting bites, then why is it that a lot of orthodontists do not offer this service? Orthodontist's who do linguals need to do additional training and it's 'fiddly' to work behind the teeth. It definitely as good a way for the teeth to change as any other system ... but it can mean that the ortho has to spend more time with her/his patients, due to the 'fiddly' bits.

We do not charge anymore for linquals, but I'm sure some places do, due to them focusing on a niche market.

Please feel free to ask questions and all the best with having some consults and hearing what is recommended!

[coconut]

We do not charge anymore for linquals, but I'm sure some places do, due to them focusing on a niche market.[/COLOR]

That's very generous of your practice. But I wonder about the returns being made on that basis?

The higher cost, as far as I can discern, is due to the high upfront cost of providing custom designed brackets and - as you identify - that it's more labour intensive dealing with lingual as opposed to regular brackets.

[Sunny]

We use ibraces and they cost only a fraction more than our ceramic brackets ... which is the type of bracket we use the most.

They are slightly more labour intensive, but we don't have a large number of patients, therefore my three employers don't see any need to charge more for them. They really are only requested by a few people and of those few, even less choose them when they get to see and 'feel' the brackets we offer on model teeth. We also have photos and if needed real people they can talk to about the different brackets.

I'm guessing some businesses choose to make more money from certain types of brackets for their own gains ... and those decisions are there's! We have a very profitable business built on a reputation of great service ... so we're happy with the work we do and how we charge for it.

[pierre]

Regarding question 5, as a user, I can say I was VERY happy NOT to get both sides at the same time but with one month in between. At the start, it's a big thing for sure and it certainly takes a while to get used to it. Other people might be able to take on more than me, no doubt, but I would take it easy... it's gonna take a while anyway.

That said, I' very happy with them. I paid 2000 more than for the regulars. For me, it's worth it, I can talk and smile without people frowning or staring .

At the start, I assumed they cost more because it takes longer, although they also told me a story about high gold prices (haha). Whatever, I did not mind, I knew what I wanted. Still, I noticed my ortho is not in favor of them, after a few months, I think it's because they are more sensitive and harder to work with (and maybe because they take longer, but that's speculation).

[kaleidoscopeyes]

Thank you for your responses, they were very helpful, I have a consultation in a couple of weeks.

Pierre, how long have you had your braces and how long did it take you to adjust after they were initially put on?

Also, another general question, how quickly do the teeth start to move and change, and does this hurt?

[pierre]

Hi K,
How long it took me. In fact, not long. I had some start-up issues, see other thread (mostly wire-ends), but I think it's fair to say I got to 95% within a couple of days. Really not bad at all. Now, it varies a bit from day to day, the main thing I have to focus on is to articulate well. In short, you have to pay more attention to speaking clearly. Other people won't notice that, just you, but at the end of the day you sometimes forget...

My teeth started moving right away. I've had them for 3 months now. It's less clear to me where they are going right now, but OK, you need some confidence occasionally. I can feel action, which is apparent from some sore feeling. It's the same as biting on something hard for 10 seconds, but then continuously (I guess similar to sore gums). It's not terribly bad 24/7, but in the background. For me, not a problem at all. In fact, I like it as it tells me something is happening there. I started to worry a few weeks back when I didn't feel a thing .

I had a training at work last week, meeting with and speaking to lots of people and it's so comfortable that they are not confronted with my braces. It's just great.

All right, have to get going, feel free to ask more info.
Pierre

[jewelsann04]

Heres the answers to your questions with the best of my knowledge. I have been in full ibraces for 9months.

1. yes you should have the same results as regular braces

2. i have full ibraces and usually the ortho asks me to come back for an appointment once a month

3.your tongue does need to get use to the braces being there, you maybe need wax for awhile but when the ortho trims your wire he is just making an adjustment and overtime when your teeth move the wire will often get longer in the back because the teeth shifted closer together and the extra wire is now no longer needed. trimming the wire is not painful.

4. i believe anyone who can have regular braces can have ibraces

5. usually your ortho will decide this. my ortho put my bottoms on first and waited two weeks for me to adjust and then put on my tops.

6. i just had a small lisp in the beginning and then i think most people overcome that fairly quickly without recurrence

7. im not sure why some orthos are correcting bites i think every patients mouth is a little different with different situations

GOOD LUCK