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Original poster

Urgent help regarding functional double block brace

56 replies

CosyLulu · 04/06/2016 13:45

dd had one fitted last Tuesday and has coped (apart from eating which she finds totally impossible) since then but now school looms on Monday and she is so self conscious about how weird it makes her face look - her bottom jaw pushed right forwards. She wants to take it out. I want her to persist with it.

Everyone says it gets easier after 1-2 weeks but does that also mean it stops looking so odd?

Any advice to help her keep going?

OP posts:
LIZS · 05/06/2016 18:22

Glad she's coming round. Didn't like to mention that the fit may continue to be tight and awkward if she didn't wear them in . When us the next appointment , have they asked you to expand it yet ?

PrincessHairyMclary · 05/06/2016 18:33

Let her take a sandwich bag, she can nip to the loos take it out, eat and put it back in again if she wants.

I had them, they were worth all the pain etc and she will get used to them but at least she has the option to eat without them. Or you could get someone to pick her up for lunch the first week until she's used to them.

Original poster
CosyLulu · 05/06/2016 18:36

LIZS the next appointment is in 6 weeks time. They are not particularly uncomfortable except for eating and speaking. It's the look of them that she absolutely hates.

Princess, she has a little 'denture' box that she can pop them into at lunchtime. Unfortunately she's at secondary school in the centre of London so no hope at all of taking her out for lunch ... Sad

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PrincessHairyMclary · 05/06/2016 18:40

DameDiazepan after my braces my teeth shifted very slightly and I was offered a permanent retainer, this is a wire glued to the back of my bottom teeth which is brilliant. I just wished I'd had one put on the top too, they didn't move much but after all the pain it's annoying they moved at all. So if his teeth do move I'd definetly ask for one to be fitted.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 05/06/2016 18:43

We did discuss a permenant wire( we'd pay privately) but ds was put off as apparently they can only be for the bottom teeth and so he'd need one for the top anyway.

He did say he's getting more used to them so hopefully he'll carry on wearing them.

PlectrumElectrum · 05/06/2016 19:40

My DD was 10 when she got the same type of brace fitted last October- it hasn't worked out as she wouldn't keep it in when at school. She's having a break & goes back in November to try again. The impression I got from my DD's orthodontist was that only total use works & all the in-out DD did just didn't work. DD actually broke the wires in 3 places because she kept taking it out.

I hope your DD gets on better OP. I'd been hoping my DD could get most of the treatment under her belt before she got to the same age as your DD but she was I think just too young to follow the 'rules' to get the best outcome.

Wafflenose · 05/06/2016 23:30

Lots of positivity to your DD, and good luck for tomorrow. It really does get better - part time for a few weeks, as long as she can build up to full time over the summer, might be an OK compromise. She'll get used to them quicker if she wears them all the time though. Have any of her friends had the same? My 10 year old DD (in Year 5) got these braces three months ago and has been a complete trooper, wearing them all the time apart from eating, but being at primary school has had to cope with a LOT of questions, everyone wanting a look, and people asking what they are. She's not keen on the attention, but is trying to be patient. I have told her that it might feel strange now, but that in a few years lots of her friends will be getting them too. I think the plan is to move on to train tracks around Christmas.

Original poster
CosyLulu · 06/06/2016 13:40

Well, dd was going to wear them today but she complained that they'd been rubbing on the inside of her lower gum. I had a look and she has a huge ulcer there, I can't believe she kept that so quiet. I called the orthodontist and she's got an emergency appointment today and so has ended up going to school without the braces even though she was actually prepared to wear them!

OP posts:
DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 06/06/2016 14:22

They might need adjusting. There's wax you can buy which is great, also Iglu is good for ulcers.

vjg13 · 07/06/2016 10:12

My daughter, 13, has had her twin blocks for slightly over 3 months, she does remove to eat and for sport but wears the rest of the time. The improvement within the first few weeks was massive and sometimes I think she isn't wearing them when she is! The rubbing and compressions on her lower gum line settled within the first few weeks too.

I can see a dramatic improvement in her teeth and so can she, how long was your daughter told she would need them for? They are meant to work best during a growth spurt.

Original poster
CosyLulu · 07/06/2016 11:56

Well we took her yesterday evening and she has a huge ulcer along the bottom inner jaw so the orthodontist shaved the braces and also tightened up the bottom ones as dd said they kept springing up. She says they are fine now. She talks very weirdly and looks a bit odd but she's gone to school with them in today. How the other girls react will undoubtedly have an impact so I'm hoping that's all alright!

vjg as we were at the orthodontist yesterday I took the opportunity to ask all the questions I didn't know I needed to ask when she had them fitted. She has an overjet of 9mm so not enormous. It should be between 2-4mm and the orthodontist said that would take 6-9 months to fix depending how diligent she is about wearing the braces.

OP posts:
DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 07/06/2016 12:42

Good news OP!

Ds had braces on for 9 months- can't believe how quickly it's zipped by. Hope her ulcer heals very soonSmile

Original poster
CosyLulu · 07/06/2016 14:59

Thanks DDTDQ! Just waiting to hear how she's got on today, she usually phones me around 3.30pm.

Did you find that your Ds's speech improved over the first few weeks? Dd still sounds pretty strange. I imagine that will be what schoolfriends might pick up on. She won't like it but hopefully she'll hang in.

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DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 07/06/2016 16:31

Ds only had train track braces, but the first 2 weeks were all about adjusting and getting used to them. After that is was plain sailing and tbh it's amazing how quickly he got used to them.

Original poster
CosyLulu · 07/06/2016 16:56

Ah, I think the train tracks are much easier than the block ones. Dd has train tracks to come and we're looking forward to those!

As she can't eat with them in and she's a terrible snacker, I'm worried that she's taking them in and out too often to eat. I reckon it will end up being about 5 times a day - morning to brush, lunch to eat and brush, after school to eat and brush, dinner time to eat and brush and brush at bedtime. I hope they don't break ...

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DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 07/06/2016 16:59

They are easier definitely!

Just see how it goes , you'll have regular appointments and they'll soon tell you if what she's doing isn't working.

Gileswithachainsaw · 07/06/2016 17:04

Oh god your poor dd. I had these as a kid.

they were excruciating. I couldn't stand the feeling and sound of taking them.out and I couldn't eat or talk with them in.

afraid to say I just stopped wearing them. I just couldn't cope. they hurt so bad and I was given a key to tighten them at regular intervals which made them feel even worse.

I'd have rather had train tracks.

your dd is so brave... I wish her luck

PlectrumElectrum · 07/06/2016 17:29

OP your DD's teeth sound very like my DD's. Her overjet is 10mm & it was the constant in & out whenever she ate/snacked/drank that meant they were left out too long at times (I think intentionally by DD as she really didn't like wearing them, I was constantly reminding her to put them back in). The wires snapped in 3 places with the constant in/out use.

We have been given a reprieve til November when I'm hoping we can start again & DD can get on better/keep them in/stop slurping (she couldn't get to grips with the build up of saliva & then it was a habit she couldn't stop & that in turn meant I think it annoyed her& everyone else around her too).

Hope your DD gets on better than mine did.Smile

Original poster
CosyLulu · 08/06/2016 08:48

Giles, she'd rather have train tracks any day but the orthodontist won't let her have those until she's fixed the overjet.

PlectrumElectrum, she's keeping them in most of the time and actually she's pretty keen to keep going with them although she HATES how they look and also finds it hard to talk. The main problem is that she just CAN'T eat with them in and she's a big eater! So that means they go in and out about 5 times a day but they're not out for more than an hour in total over 24 hours so it's just about all right I think although not perfect at all.

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Original poster
CosyLulu · 13/06/2016 10:21

Giving an update here in case anybody accesses this thread in the future! Dd has continued with the braces. She takes them out to eat in the morning, at lunchtime and in the evening. Occasionally she sneaks them out to eat a snack, not sure what i can do about that!

She still looks a bit weird and she's mentioned a few girls taking the piss out of her voice at school but she took that in her stride.

I'm so glad we have the summer holidays ahead - by the end she will be over 3 months through the treatment and so, all being well, onto the train tracks for the new year.

Being now almost 2 weeks in I would say it does get easier but it is still annoying and frustrating not being able to eat what you fancy when you fancy it but I'm reminding her that that's a small price to pay for a lifetime of teeth she is happy about.

OP posts:
vjg13 · 13/06/2016 11:36

Her voice and appearance will continue to improve further, my daughter mostly removes them to eat and they were pleased with her progress at her 8 week check up.

We were told 9 months for treatment and she got them in Feb, so hopefully she'll move to fixed type by the end of the year.

Original poster
CosyLulu · 13/06/2016 12:03

We were told 6-9 months and I'm holding out hoping for the 6-month side of things! She has a 9mm overjet so it's not huge (dentist said it has to be between 2-4mm to be considered 'fixed').

OP posts:
Original poster
CosyLulu · 09/09/2016 17:44

I thought I'd update on this for anyone else in the future. Well, we had loads of problems over the first month with dd developing ulcers where the braces were rubbing her gums. We were back at the orthodontist so many times it was ridiculous and they shaved them down. So that's one bit of advice - if they are REALLY hurting, they probably need adjusting.

After that dd never was able to eat with them in; she showed me, it just wasn't possible to fit food in and chew it and not have the braces constantly filled with food under the plates. So we left that. Subsequently school meals have been very problematic and it's a good job we had the summer holidays in the middle. Advice two: get them fitted at the start of a long holiday!

Dd's speaking etc. got a lot better over time but has never been anything like it used to be and as a result she's been very self-conscious at school and psychologically it's been pretty tough.

BUT - the great news is that she's worn them so diligently that at the last orthodontist appointment we were told she only has 6 more weeks with the darned things and then onto the train track fixed braces. Although I know these can be uncomfortable, compared to the double blocks they will be a walk in the park.

So I'm glad dd stuck with it but to be honest if they'd said she had another six months of them I think she'd have ditched them. It does get easier and I'm sure it will be worth it in the end but it's been horrible really all the way.

OP posts:
Olivo · 09/09/2016 18:21

Thank you for updating, really helpful to those of us who have all this to come Sad

The six weeks will fly, then good luck with the train tracks!

Original poster
CosyLulu · 10/09/2016 12:57

I would like to be able to be more positive about the block braces but in all honesty I can't. They are horrible - even the orthodontist told me that only about 30% of kids stick with them. I think the only positive is that it will be doing her teeth / jaw good for the rest of her life.

OP posts: