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1. • CommentAuthorhulagirl
   • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2009

    
   Oops. I was brushing with my electric toothbrush which was given to to me by my Ortho. Only it popped one of the back brackets off and into my mouth. I didn't swallow it thankfully. lol I thought those suckers were cemented on? When I first had them put on I inquired about clear brackets because I wanted them to not be so noticeable. I was told that the clear ones were not as strong and would not hold up in surgery as well. Funny, a simple toothbrush wiped out a bracket rather easily.
2. • CommentAuthorChanges09
   • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2009

    
   hahaha! That's funny. Yeah my ortho also told me not to get ceramic because during surgery they pop off. And he also otld me to get an electric toothbrush....
   At least you did not swollow it! I have swolloed a rubber band and my wax.....
3. • CommentAuthorhulagirl
   • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2009

    
   I thought it was kind of funny too! I don't have any rubber bands yet but I'm sure I have swallowed enough wax in my sleep to make a dozen tea light candles! Haha
4. • CommentAuthormegaroo
   • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2009

    
   it's funny how every os and orthodontist is different. i have ceramic braces and both my oral surgeon and orthodontist said it would be just fine. my orthodontist said that pretty much all of her adult patients have ceramic braces too. I personally haven't had any trouble with them breaking off yet, but i'm also very very careful with them and if i eat something really crunchy, i break it into small pieces first. i got an electric toothbrush from them too, but haven't used it yet! i will definitely be really careful when i do! :)
5. • CommentAuthorMeryaten
   • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2009

    
   Some surgeons will not perform orthognathic surgeries with ceramic brackets present. Mine, however, had no problem with this. I don't know about it being an issue of how well they bond (I'd not heard that before) but they are certainly much more brittle, so it's easier to crack a piece of during surgery, which could be bad.
   
   I've also read that some surgeons strongly prefer the molars to be banded, rather than having directly bonded bucal tubes. The reason for this is a concern about possibly dislodging a directly bonded bucal tube during surgery - the surgical site for lower jaw procedures like the BSSO is way in the back of the mouth, up by those molars, so I can see how it might happen.
   
   For what it's worth, I had no issues with my ceramics until one finally decided to come off ... just a week before I was due to be debanded! Hahaha! Silly bracket! And I ate most everything I wanted when I had braces.
6. • CommentAuthorpushead
   • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2009

    
   I have ceramics on my front top teeth and just had surgery. Never lost a bracket either. I only went with the ceramics on the top front to keep the cost down. Its not like you can see the braces in rest of my mouth. I had a 13mm over bight so all you could see is my front teeth.
7. • CommentAuthorhulagirl
   • CommentTimeFeb 6th 2009

    
   I wish I could eat anything I want. I find I have been on a semi-soft food diet since I had the braces put on. And now that they changed my bands today after 3 weeks I'm back to soft food AGAIN because everything aches.
8. • CommentAuthorMeryaten
   • CommentTimeFeb 6th 2009

    
   hulagirl, please let me encourage you to try your best to chew chew chew. When you chew foods, that stimulates blood flow in and around the teeth and gums, and that in turn supports the biological processes that are necessary for tooth movement. The practical upshot of this is that it helps your teeth stop being so achy quite a bit faster! The best way to go about it is to allow yourself to take an over the counter pain reliever perhaps a half hour before a meal for two or three days.
   
   There are more people who have trouble for much of their time in braces when it comes to biting into foods with their front teeth (but that's often as much a sensation of them seeming unstable as it is discomfort) but most people who try to return to their normal diet find that the pain does indeed recede the more they push themselves to chew.
9. • CommentAuthorhulagirl
   • CommentTimeFeb 6th 2009

    
   Really? I thought that by forcing my teeth to chew while they hurt and felt loose that it must be good. And to be honest a little worried that i will make the teeth more loose. Just as a child wiggles a loose tooth and it eventually falls out I'm concerned I might be harming them. However, your explanation does make sense. I did take some Ibuprofen before a dinner out at my future mother in laws. Her cooking is sooo good I didn't care. I was eating no matter what! Do you think biting or tearing (lightly of course) with the front teeth should be avoided?
10. • CommentAuthorMeryaten
    • CommentTimeFeb 6th 2009

     
    My advice on the front teeth thing is to do what's comfortable for you.
    
    My teeth did not feel very wobbly at all, and I was quickly back to biting into burgers, pizza, the works. But some people virtually never get back to that until they are out of braces and have been in retainers a while.
    
    Your anecdote about your future MIL's cooking reminded me of me. When I first got my braces on (well, it was the spacers really) and after the first adjustment too, I babied my teeth a bit. Then came surgery, and a period of a few weeks where I was under instructions to build back up towards normal chewing. Well, I'd just about reached that goal and my surgeon put me back in Class II elastics, which made my teeth very sore again. But by that point I was so sick of being restricted that when we had a morale event at work I popped some ibuprofen, and darn well enjoyed the food along with everyone else! I just refused to let myself miss it. I was a littl;e startled to find how quickly my teeth adapted to the elastics with this behaviour.
11. • CommentAuthorhulagirl
    • CommentTimeFeb 7th 2009

     
    Haha. Funny how some things (food) are just worth the aftermath. What I wouldn't do for Pizza or a burger right now! The front teeth are still super sensitive after being tightened Thursday. I will give it a little bit longer and maybe just attempt the burger afterall. I feel like I'm starving myself already and I'm not even Post-op yet. I'm wondering if it's my imagination too but since the elastics were changed Thursday I feel like I have way more cuts and sores in my mouth again. I was down to only using wax at night and again I feel like I need on almost every tooth and all day long. Oh the frustrations!
12. • CommentAuthorMeryaten
    • CommentTimeFeb 7th 2009

     
    From my post-op experience, good sliders are great "training wheels" before you try regular burgers ;) And don't be shy, if your front teeth are too sore, to cut up your pizza with a knife and fork to eat it - I did early on.
    
    As to more sores with the elastics - that's entirely possible. Since wax isn't practical to deal with chafing elastics, the best advice I can offer is to drink lots of water - truly, if you stay very well hydrated those elastics will not chafe nearly so much, if they even chafe at all. I learned this the hard way - I was at a conference and just could not drink as much as normal, since the obligatory resulting bathroom breaks were not possible with back to back to back to back meetings. My mouth was a mess! Once I was back at the office, and able to resume normal water consumption, all became well once again.
13. • CommentAuthorhulagirl
    • CommentTimeFeb 9th 2009

     
    I don't mean to sound stupid, but what does chafing mean? I have never heard that term. I have been in hula workshops all weekend and I found that by the end of it my poor mouth is raw from talking/chanting etc. I was drinking a fair bit of water too because I was dancing. On a good note though, we went for dinner afterward to celebrate our weekend and I ordered pizza. Oh it was so good!!!!! I did cut it up with a fork and knife and eat it that way but my teeth didn't actually hurt from chewing. I was surprised. I think I have to stop babying them.
14. • CommentAuthorMeryaten
    • CommentTimeFeb 9th 2009

     
    chafing = rubbing and making sores.
15. • CommentAuthorShurn64
    • CommentTimeJan 6th 2010

     
    I had 3 brackets pop off (I've had braces since June 2008); causes were popcorn (big surprise, eh?), a potato chip (I think I chewed on it the wrong way), and the third time I have no clue. I've had one that popped off 3 times--so my ortho put a band on that tooth.