Guest guest Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 It gets better, I think. I had lots of different configurations of elastics, and different sizes and shapes, especially toward the very end, when the ortho was tightening the bite. I think at one point I had either five or six of the things. I didn't like them, but I was way ready to be done with all this stuff. To put them on and take them out, either ask the ortho whether he has a little plastic hook you can take home and use, or see if you can buy or borrow an inespensive hemostat. I found that a finger actually worked best for me, but the hook and the hemostat have each had their partisans. You can get the latter at a nurse's supply place for under $10. Hang in there. You're probably getting to the end. Cammie > after my appointment w/surgeons, they said i only needed to wear > bands at night, " thank god " . Today i see my orthodontist and tells > me, " you need to wear 2 bands for 6 more weeks and you have to wear > them ALL day!! " And he strectched the band out from my back molar to > 3 teeth over!! I'm nearly shot my eye out putting them on. Does your > teeth get use to the pressure of the bands?? it just hurts real bad > and i don't want to touch the tylenol w/codeine. > > Lia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 It gets better, I think. I had lots of different configurations of elastics, and different sizes and shapes, especially toward the very end, when the ortho was tightening the bite. I think at one point I had either five or six of the things. I didn't like them, but I was way ready to be done with all this stuff. To put them on and take them out, either ask the ortho whether he has a little plastic hook you can take home and use, or see if you can buy or borrow an inespensive hemostat. I found that a finger actually worked best for me, but the hook and the hemostat have each had their partisans. You can get the latter at a nurse's supply place for under $10. Hang in there. You're probably getting to the end. Cammie > after my appointment w/surgeons, they said i only needed to wear > bands at night, " thank god " . Today i see my orthodontist and tells > me, " you need to wear 2 bands for 6 more weeks and you have to wear > them ALL day!! " And he strectched the band out from my back molar to > 3 teeth over!! I'm nearly shot my eye out putting them on. Does your > teeth get use to the pressure of the bands?? it just hurts real bad > and i don't want to touch the tylenol w/codeine. > > Lia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 A thin plastic crochet needle work well for me. Marsha > > after my appointment w/surgeons, they said i only needed to wear > > bands at night, " thank god " . Today i see my orthodontist and tells > > me, " you need to wear 2 bands for 6 more weeks and you have to wear > > them ALL day!! " And he strectched the band out from my back molar > to > > 3 teeth over!! I'm nearly shot my eye out putting them on. Does > your > > teeth get use to the pressure of the bands?? it just hurts real bad > > and i don't want to touch the tylenol w/codeine. > > > > Lia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 The EXACT same thing happened to me. I now wear two bands in the same places on my back molars like you do - and two more when I sleep. I am sooo annoyed at not being able to breathe the way I want at night. (I am a mouth breather, and I sleep like Homer Simpson - drool and all right now.) In fact - if you look at my pics - I think I'm wearing the back two. And if I wear them a few days - and open my mouth wide enough - one usually pops! And yes - the pain is excruciating. I re-filled my painkillers - saying what the heck - I get a refill! After a few days - the pain subsides. (My OS was tickled when i complained of rubber band pain. He had some comment about how the Ortho hurts more than he does.) I use tweezers to get the bands on and off. I see my surgeon tomorrow and I hope for two things: 1. He says I can sleep with only the two back bands on, and 2. I can try to eat solid food again. Wish me luck! Corinne > after my appointment w/surgeons, they said i only needed to wear > bands at night, " thank god " . Today i see my orthodontist and tells > me, " you need to wear 2 bands for 6 more weeks and you have to wear > them ALL day!! " And he strectched the band out from my back molar to > 3 teeth over!! I'm nearly shot my eye out putting them on. Does your > teeth get use to the pressure of the bands?? it just hurts real bad > and i don't want to touch the tylenol w/codeine. > > Lia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 Hello Lia. This is Lee. I had lower jaw advancement 10 weeks ago. I'm curious, why did your ortho put you in the bands? Was it to help prevent relapse, or some other reason? What kind of bands are they? How long ago did you have your surgery? I only wore one band each side at night while sleeping and I was never sore at all. Lee > after my appointment w/surgeons, they said i only needed to wear > bands at night, " thank god " . Today i see my orthodontist and tells > me, " you need to wear 2 bands for 6 more weeks and you have to wear > them ALL day!! " And he strectched the band out from my back molar to > 3 teeth over!! I'm nearly shot my eye out putting them on. Does your > teeth get use to the pressure of the bands?? it just hurts real bad > and i don't want to touch the tylenol w/codeine. > > Lia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 i'm 22 days post-op from upper jaw surgery. My ortho put me in bands to bring my lower jaw slightly forward to perfect my bite. The bands are 4mm. He took my surgical hooks off so now i have to stretch the bands to this porcelein bracket that barely has a hook and snaps off easily so i don't dare wear them at night. Instead of bands, i'm going to ask my ortho about wearing a mouth guard. I stumbled upon this idea on the internet and hey it seems to work, when you wear the mouth guard, both jaws come together and that's the whole point of wearing bands. I get so frusterated w/the bands, i want to cry. Lia > > after my appointment w/surgeons, they said i only needed to wear > > bands at night, " thank god " . Today i see my orthodontist and > tells > > me, " you need to wear 2 bands for 6 more weeks and you have to > wear > > them ALL day!! " And he strectched the band out from my back molar > to > > 3 teeth over!! I'm nearly shot my eye out putting them on. Does > your > > teeth get use to the pressure of the bands?? it just hurts real > bad > > and i don't want to touch the tylenol w/codeine. > > > > Lia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2004 Report Share Posted March 27, 2004 call your doc and tell him/her or the office person what you've told us, and give full vent to your frustration. There are some pretty easy wire hooks they can install if the porcelain lump isn't working for you. (I had ceramic uppers, and actually liked nothing about them, including those lumps, which cut my mouth but didn't help a lot with the bands.) They can put something called a Kobayashi (or Kobe, or something similar) wire in to hold the bands. My surgeon just used a big old twisty set of wires, which I hated, to apply the elastics, which I loved, just because they relieved my pain within 15 minutes. Elastics are not necessarily bad things, and I would not start out by insisting that you want to ditch them, if you get my drift. You just want a way to be able to use them, or whatever other devices your ortho and/or surgeon may have in mind. This " mouth guard " notion sounds to me like a post-braces positioner. I'm not saying it won't work. I'm just saying it may not be the piece of cake you think it would, and let your docs decide what will help you best. My suggestion, anyhow. C. > i'm 22 days post-op from upper jaw surgery. My ortho put me in bands > to bring my lower jaw slightly forward to perfect my bite. The bands > are 4mm. He took my surgical hooks off so now i have to stretch the > bands to this porcelein bracket that barely has a hook and snaps off > easily so i don't dare wear them at night. Instead of bands, i'm > going to ask my ortho about wearing a mouth guard. I stumbled upon > this idea on the internet and hey it seems to work, when you wear the > mouth guard, both jaws come together and that's the whole point of > wearing bands. I get so frusterated w/the bands, i want to cry. > > Lia > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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