How to convince my Ortho to let me get my braces off?

[Poultrygirl]

I'm new here, but I'm not new to braces. I got my braces Feb. 2007. I had a impacted canine tooth, so I soon had to get oral surgery, have a window cut in the roof on my mouth to expose the tooth, and get a bracket on it. Then the dr. came up with a special made appliance to pull it into place. I got my tongue stuck in in it countless times--sometimes resulting in blood. Then when we had it pulled over enough, he decided there wasn't enough tooth exposed so I had to go in for a second surgery to expose enough tooth to fit a normal bracket. Finally, normal bracket and chain to pull it into perfect position. Tooth has been the same "designated spot" for 8 months now. NOW....HERE'S THE DEAL...MY TEETH, ARE PERFECT. But...I got rubber bands in Feb. I been wearing 'em, and asked the ortho last visit if he had an estimated time I would get them off....CHRISTMAS. MAYBE. WHAT THE HECK?!
I'm desperate. I want them off NOWWWW!!! I'm going to visit family (some of which are very elderly and I may never see again) and old friends the end of july, and I'd love to have my braces off finally. He said I could double up the elastics at night..Well, I'm so desperate to get em off I TRIPLE BAND at night, and double band all day. I have a class II overbite.
MY QUESTION IS...CAN ANYONE GIVE ANY ADVICE ON HOW TO CONVINCE HIM TO TAKE THEM OFF NOW?! I don't care about my bite anymore. Is there any way, if he's so concerned with it (i dont think he really cares at this point) that I could wear headgear at night after I get the braces off to fix the bite if that's the issue? HELP HELP HELP!

[Sunny]

Great your impacted canine has done so well Poultrygirl. Mine wouldn't move, so my ortho has had to revise my treatment plan a few times and he's still working on my upper arch to close the gap where it is ... frustrating for him and me!

About your wanting to get your braces off ... tell your ortho! We've had patients do this and it's the best way for the ortho to give the patient their options and then let them make the decision. Mostly the patients decide to continue with their treatment, but a few don't, and they sign the appropriate papers and their teeth are freed, along with the usual retainers and retainer followups. Remember this is about your teeth, your money, your bite etc. So it's also about your options, your choices and so on.

Remember when you tell your ortho, that you listen carefully to why your ortho hadn't planned to remove your braces for a few more months. These reasons will be good ones, and you have to weigh up whether you're prepared to forgo the end of your treatment, after having gone this far with your treatment ... but again ... this is your choice ... just make sure it's an informed one. We can only see the part of our tooth that's exposed, but our ortho is also concerned about how the roots of our teeth are lying and often it's the sorting of these that takes longer and is boring, as we can't see the process happening ... even more boring if the visible part of our teeth are already where they should be.

Elastics ... please don't wear additional elastics unless your ortho has recommended you do this! Putting too much pressure on your teeth can cause your teeth not to progress as necessary. Also if teeth are forced to move too quickly, their roots can be damaged and this may result in root reabsorption. Ortho's have to do a load of training to get their qualifications, so it's wise to follow their advise.

Good luck and here's to you having a good talk with your ortho!

[Zoso]

My take on this is that you would be doing yourself a disservice to have your braces removed whilst your bite can still be improved. I've encountered any number of people who are back in braces a second time because they regret cutting corners first time around and now realise that they would have been better off in teh long run had they gone for the best results that were reasonably possible.