switch to metal brackets?

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

For those of you who know my dillema this weekend with whether to

follow the advice of the OS and switch from ceramics to metal, or to

be a stubborn fool, I think I am taking the OS' advice. I know it

seems like a small, stupid thing, and I'm sure this time next year I

will be glad it's over and laugh about my overreacting. Let me tell

you though that today the ortho's office called to schedule me for

two weeks from now to have the brackets switched. I asked her about

the so called breaking in period, and she said this is because the

ortho can never get the new brackets positioned exactly the same as

the old ones. So I have to have my surgical wires removed, and

possibly go back to regular thick wires, and after the finetuning

they could replace the surgical wires and install hooks and, VOILA!,

a few months from now I will be in the exact same shape I am in now,

only with metal brackets on. It's like the saying, one step forward

and two steps back. Now August is the new miraculous month for my

surgery. I'm trying to get through to all involved that I need a

date set for my surgery. They seem to have the attitude that if I

don't work outside the home or go to school, that I am a lady of

leisure, and have nothing planned in my day except for watching

soaps and eating bon bons, which by the way I have never even

tasted. My husband is the main person who will be taking care of

me, and he is traveling in August out of state, non-refundable plane

tickets already purchased. Oh well, I need to remember that the OS

and ortho does not live, breath and dream this surgery like me. But

I know you guys understand that. Thanks for the venting time.

Connie

[Guest guest]

Connie,

I feel your frustration about trying to get a surgery date for August.

I think the docs are trying to work out their vacation plans, or at

least I know mine is. But sometimes it really feels like they think we

don't have schedules of our own!

Good luck with the ceramic braces.

Kate

[Guest guest]

Connie,

I had an argument with my ortho on this exact subject. For those who know me,

they'll probably think : " Another argument ?? " - yep! I like the man so much...

hehe!

Ok, back to the subject. He wanted me to have all metal. But since the

anticipated

results were such that prior to my surgery, my upper teeth would start to show

up,

I wouldn't want for people to notice the metal before my teeth. My upper teeth

were

so up that when I smiled, you could only see the back teeth, and even then...

So, I settled for lower metal, upper ceramic. It was this or no braces at all.

Though

I was ready to suffer the consequences if one or more would have broken during

the

surgery. My ortho was more or less happy, but he said in a mixed environment

such as mine, it shouldn't be a problem. Only if upper were ceramic (there is

more

strenght put on the lower, in my case that was it).

I gambled and I won. This doesn't mean it's going to happen to you. So, I'd

say

go with your surgeon.

Your health and long term well being are the most important things you have. If

the

surgeon feels you'll be hurt in any way with ceramics, I'd say do as he says.

He's

the health specialist you chose, he's the person you placed your confidence in

when

you " shopped " for a surgeon.

I know it's not fun to be pushed back. I had found a surgeon, and I was

expecting

a surgery in November 2003. That guy didn't want me as a patient, but instead

of saying it at first, he kept pushing my date back, and made his receptionist

called

me to tell me the truth. How much more stupid he would have got after the

surgery,

I wonder... ? Anwyay, because of him, I lost 8 months. 8 months parked with

stalled

braces. I finally got the surgery in June 2004. But, those 8 months weren't

that bad

because the new surgeon I found really took care of me. She even explained the

surgery to my friends, in terms he would understand (not knowning anything about

ortho stuff himself, it was kind of her to explain the process to him!)

Ray