Doubling up on rubber bands

[braceface416]

Hi All,

I've heard and read up on reasons for and against doubling up on rubber bands...I am quite tempted to do this to get things moving along faster. Please do not tell me its a bad idea unless instructed by the orthodontist etc etc. I would like to hear from those that have done this or from any Orthos out there. Was it beneficial or not? If not, what was the consequence? I've been wearing rubber bands 24/7 but haven't seen any changes in my bite at all. I'm sure it's a little too early to tell (just over a month) but I'm very curious as to what I can do to speed this along other than "just follow the orthodontist's instructions" thank you!

[coconut]

More haste, less speed.

[Sunny]

You already know the answer so I'm hoping you listen to your heart.

We occasionally have a patients who come in for an adjustment and the ortho can tell almost straight away that something has gone wrong with their treatment. Sadly if this was the best option ... the ortho would recommend it, as they have no desire to have you in braces for one second longer than is needed.

Mostly when patients play at being orthodontist's, their treatment goes off track and it then takes time to get it back, which causes delays. Also this causes ortho's to question who their patients think they are.

[Denise]

I understand your annoyance at not seeing any changes. I have a tooth that hasn't moved in 3 months and I'm beginning to seriously question why that is. Next time I see my ortho I'm going to ask him what his plan is to get that sucker straightened out....

Having said that, you really do need to realize that orthodontia is a specialized medical field that requires a lot of training. Teeth can only move so fast until it begins to cause permanent damage to the roots of the teeth. There are all kinds of factors that go in to what your orthodontist does with your teeth and jaws.

If you don't trust that your ortho is doing the best job they can for you, then I'd encourage you to go talk to another one and see what their opinion is. But changing what the ortho tells you to do without professional consult could lead to your seriously messing something up. So before you go doubling anything up, be sure to educate yourself on what could happen if you do this against your docs orders, and be prepared to deal with consequences if they arise.

BTW - I don't personally know of anyone who has doubled up elastics to make their teeth move faster. And I know a LOT of people who have and have had braces in the past. I do know of people who wear stronger elastics to try and help the process along though, and that hasn't had any negative effects that anyone told me about.