Braces question for those who are further out...

August 16, 2004

Hello, I get the priviledge of having surgery for an open bite and cross bite.

So I've been in braces for 3 months now and I think things are going well, but

I've never

had braces so I was wondering where I was in the scheme of things. So far I've

been in

thermo flexible wires for a month and a half, and then they put me in a stronger

thermo

flexible wire. My teeth are pretty much lined up and my upper is already MUCH

wider than

it was before. I never realized how narrow my upper palate was, I do have the

crossbite on

one side, but since comparing pics from before, you now see MANY more teeth on

top. I

was at the ortho last Friday and I snatched a minute of his time while he was

checking out

my mouth after the retie.

I asked him how it was going, was I on track, ahead of the game, behind? He

took a look

into my mouth, looked at my chart, looked at me again and said, 'Yeah, things

look great.'

He kinda looked puzzled, checked out my mouth again, then my chart in depth,

then my

mouth again and said, 'It's been three months? Yeah, you look great, on

schedule. Ahead

of schedule actually, MUCH ahead. We'll change your wires next time and start

working on

your arches, some detail work, (something else I don't remember) and then get

your ready

for surgery.' Then he started highlighting things in my chart and told the

assistant to put

me in steel 19s next time.

Any one know if this is good or what that means? I know it varies for all, how

long have

others been in thermo wires before moved to steel and/or what are steel 19s and

are they

good? I was too surprised by all this to ask just HOW FAR ahead I am and what

it all

means. Of course I'll ask when I go back in mid Sept for the wire change, I

was just

wondering what you guys think. Thanks for the advice, this site rocks! And

hello to my

fellow MN ladies!

Cori

August 16, 2004