Junior Member
I'm getting braces in 2 weeks but only on the top row. I asked the ortho why i'm not getting the bottoms and she told me for two reasons...
1. i have to get a small cavity filled on one of my bottom molars
2. since i'm getting ceramic brackets and i have a deep overbite, she doesn't want my top teeth to chip/cause damage
she said i'll get the bottom row in about 2 months because she wants to allow enough time for my overbite to get fixed 1st...can that even happen without elastics on the sides of my teeth?
*I asked this question on Yahoo Answers but, sometimes it not helpful at all
Last edited by 20WITHBRACES; 03-11-2010 at 01:22 AM.
Senior Member
Usually elastics are used, but if your ortho says this can be done, then they must know a way of doing it.
If we have a patient with an overbite and they want ceramic brackets on their lowers, we work to 'open' their bite first, then put the lowers on, as this prevents the uppers from contacting with them. If they need their lowers sooner, we may use molar buildup, which prevents the person from biting down fully.
Good luck with your treatment!
After 5 years, 11 months and two days of stainless steel brackets ... my teeth now have upper and lower bonded, gold wire, retainers and removable clear retainers!
Junior Member
What?? I chose ceramic and paid alot of money extra for it but my ortho put metal brackets to my bottom... he said i have overbite and i can't have ceramic at the bottom...
Junior Member
what is molar buildup?...and also how do you "open the bite"?Originally Posted by Sunny
Usually elastics are used, but if your ortho says this can be done, then they must know a way of doing it.
If we have a patient with an overbite and they want ceramic brackets on their lowers, we work to 'open' their bite first, then put the lowers on, as this prevents the uppers from contacting with them. If they need their lowers sooner, we may use molar buildup, which prevents the person from biting down fully.
Good luck with your treatment!
Junior Member
hmmmmmm...next time i'll ask if they're going to put metal at the bottom...i've seen that many times before actually...is that specifically for those with an overbite, because i've also seen ceramics at the top AND bottom
Senior Member
Musclestarts some ortho will use ceramic brackets as long as they're convinced that the bite will not allow any teeth to bang on them. Ceramic is very hard and will chip your teeth, so many ortho's will not take this risk, as it can cost the patient a lot of money if they have to get their teeth continually restored due to chipping.
If your ortho wouldn't allow ceramic on the lowers, then trust their decision.
20 molar buildup is bonding that is placed on a lower molar on each side of your mouth and it prevents you from biting down fully. Sometimes this is needed even with metal brackets, as if your bite is so deep that you're going to be banging your brackets, there's a risk you could damage your teeth.
'Opening the bite' is work done by the archwire as it rounds your arches while it's aligning your teeth.
You can have metal on both, ceramic on both, or a mix of both. The most common is ceramic on upper 6 to 8 teeth, with metal on all lowers and the upper pre molars and molars. The next is ceramic on upper and lower. Ortho's make this decision on what they consider the risks of your bite and what they prefer to use.
After 5 years, 11 months and two days of stainless steel brackets ... my teeth now have upper and lower bonded, gold wire, retainers and removable clear retainers!
Senior Member
When I first got my braces I had a pretty good overbite - and they gave me what they called a "speed bump". It was essentially the molar buildup stuff, but glued to the back of my front tooth. Think of something like a popcorn kernel glued to the back of the front of your tooth. That prevented me from biting down and hitting the bracket. I'd just hit the bump instead. And trust me, I learned REALLY fast how to adjust my eating so I didn't hit that thing. It hurt so bad it would literally bring tears to my eyes. Right now I have the buildup stuff on my back molars to prevent my front teeth from hitting the brackets and it's no big deal at all. I can't even tell they are there except for the fact that the stuff they used is bright blue ... it's very noticeable and some of my friends even notice it when I talk. Why they wouldn't use something that's closer to the color of a tooth I have no idea.
Senior Member
Hi Denise. I agree.......my molar build ups are bright blue too! WHY? Do you know how they take them off? They seem as tight as a filling so i'm worried that removal will be uncomfortable and may damage my teeth.I can't even tell they are there except for the fact that the stuff they used is bright blue ... it's very noticeable and some of my friends even notice it when I talk. Why they wouldn't use something that's closer to the color of a tooth I have no idea.
Senior Member
It doesn't hurt when they remove them. They use the little machine that drills or saws them off (kind of like a dremel tool). It won't damage your teeth. They will build them up or remove them as necessary depending on your bite. The idea is to not have them at all, so as your bite improves, they'll reduce them. I've had problems with them leaving them too short, and have a tooth hitting a bracket. Let me tell you about pain!! I've had it happen in two top teeth where they were hitting just enough to where I began to develop sensitivity and it turned into a pain much like someone shoving a knife into my gums every time ANYTHING came into contact with the tooth. Each time it happened I went to the ortho and they would build it back up, and the pain would go away in about a week.
Senior Member
Blimey that sounds hideous. It's all part of our apparently 'character building' journey with braces! Thanks for the advice and good luck with yours.
Junior Member
I have an apparatus called a bite plate that is being used to correct my deep overbite. The biteplate is perm. and is located at the top of my mouth just behind my two front teeth. My ortho told me my bite needs to be corrected before my bottom braces will be put on. (Currently, my top teeth would knock off my bottom brackets if attached at this time.)
MY QUESTION IS THIS: How does the biteplate correct my bite? I have only found conflicting information on the internet. I've learned that it causes the molars to erupt? What does that mean, will my teeth actually be growing. If someone could explain the correction of an overbite process, I would GREATLY appreciate it. Thank you
3 months with braces
2 months with biteplate
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