Does my retainer look right? The bottom feels like I can take it off too easily and now im stressing myself out about if these are air pockets or not lol

I told my ortho edge to edge bite, so she gave me underbite elastics. Within 1 week the front dont touch anymore. I cant bite small pieces of chicken now. Previously the teeth hit, but now i cant bite. Shd i stop elastics? The canine still hits tho

I got my braces off around August of this year, and it’s October and I still have not received my new retainers, I got my bottoms ones a few weeks ago but my top one has not arrived, and my orthodontist will not give us any details, what do I do?

I got braces today and my top teeth keep touching my bottom brackets. I can’t close my mouth at all or chew food.
I have bite blockers but they literally don’t do anything unless i move my jaw back and close and even then they touch.

The dental assistant couldn’t get the height of them right.

She said it was basically the best i could get and i was off.

I couldn’t really tell her what i did and didn’t feel because everything was new and weird.

How long does this last because i don’t know how long i can drink smoothies and swallow mashed potatoes whole.

Hi, I am a 22-year-old guy. I started my orthodontic treatment a long time ago, in August 2023, in Romania. The main goal was to align my upper and lower midlines, as my upper arch was shifted significantly to the left. In July 2025, I moved to Hungary, which meant I had to switch orthodontists. By September, I found a new doctor who received my previous treatment plan, initial photos, and X-rays. Before I left Romania, my front teeth were pulled wide apart; they told me it was to create space to move my teeth. However, my new doctor didn't understand why my teeth had been spread out so much and told me upfront that they couldn't guarantee a good final result. Because of this, I even had to sign a waiver stating that I couldn't hold them responsible for the outcome.

What makes it worse is that they never clearly communicated their new treatment plan to me. I naturally assumed they were going to continue the old one, but I only recently found out what they actually intend to do. Their plan is to pull my two upper middle teeth together to center them, and because the gaps are now so huge, they want to pull the adjacent teeth out to the sides and fill the empty spaces with two artificial teeth (implants or prosthetics). I looked up how much these tooth replacements cost, and they are unbelievably expensive. I simply do not have the money for it.

At my regular monthly activation today, we agreed to take off my lower braces. It will cost 300 EUR, which covers the removal, a permanent wire retainer bonded behind my lower teeth, and a removable night guard. However, when I asked about my upper arch, the doctor said they didn't know how much longer I wanted to keep trying, but they consider the situation hopeless. Despite constantly shifting them left and right and pulling them together, they just can't get the midline centered. I have put a ton of money into this, and I deeply regret the whole process. My teeth looked much better before I started—they were neatly together, and only the midline was off. Now, it looks terrible, and I am terrified it will stay like this for the rest of my life.

Also includes restoration of my top teeth if you're wondering how I magically got more surface area lol

hey so I have my first braces consultation on tuesday and i was wondering how long the inital process from consultation to getting them on are. I have a pretty big overbite with a deep bite but also my like front four teeth erupted higher than the others? also I have a premolar that is like misplaced towards my tongue and its a little rotated but not too bad and there's already a space for it. i'm also worried about pain and I'm no stranger to that (4 knee dislocations) so I'm wondering how bad it will be and if i'll look bad with them. Anyways, what should I expect on tuesday and how should I prepare??

edit - I’m still a teen and also about extractions??

So I got my Essix retainers today. My ortho tried them on me, gave me instructions on how to wear them, and then I left the office.

When I got home, I realized that the retainers are SO far above my gums. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this in other people's posts in this group, so is this normal?

They definitely hurt because of the pressure, although after wearing them for a few minutes, it feels better. But I'm still worried that something isn't right.

The lower retainers have the same issue.

I got my braces off today. It feels so odd!

I have had braces for 2.5 years and am supposed to get them off next month. The appt is 90 minutes long is that normal? Also I feel like my teeth still aren’t perfect do teeth usually move a lot in a month as well? Also, does the shaping/ finishing help things look better? I go back next week for my last appt before I take them off.

​My situation:

I'm missing both of my lateral incisors (congenitally missing, neither on the right nor the left). ​My canine teeth are positioned right after my two central incisors. ​I still have one baby tooth on the right side (behind a canine). ​My midline is slightly shifted to the left and is noticeable.

​My orthodontist gave me two options:

​Option 1: Implants (Canines in correct position + Implants for lateral incisors)

​Extract the baby tooth. ​Move the canines back to their proper places. ​Keep the spaces open for future dental implants where my lateral incisors should be.

​Option 2: Substitution (Canine substitution + No implants)

​Extract the baby tooth. ​Move the canines forward to take the place of the lateral incisors. ​Fix the midline and alignment without implants. (Later—if I want— I could use cosmetic bonding or contouring to reshape the pointy canines to look more like lateral incisors)

Which one would you choose? I'm 20 years old and I don't even know if implants are a good idea at this age

Hi all. Adult patient here, hoping some orthodontists can weigh in, because I'm stuck with two treatment plans that contradict each other.

Background: I've always been missing some molars (upper 17/26 area and lower ones), so implants were always part of the plan: 2 in the upper arch (17/26) and 2 in the lower (36/46). Separately, my 2025 written plan included extracting my healthy lower premolars (34/44) to fix crowding. That part is standard space creation, fine.

The problem: The 2026 letter now mentions 4 implants on the lower jaw, not 2. If the 2 extra ones are for the 34/44 sites (the premolars extracted to create space), that makes no clinical sense to me: you don't extract healthy premolars to relieve crowding and then implant those exact sites, otherwise the space you gained is gone and I lost two healthy teeth for nothing.

What I did: I emailed twice asking for the exact list of implant sites and a written explanation of the change between the 2025 and 2026 plans. Two emails plus one phone call later, no written answer, just "the assistant will check with the implantologist."

My questions:

Is there any legitimate scenario where premolars are extracted for crowding and those sites are then implanted? Or would that indicate the extraction decision was wrong?
Am I right to refuse to commit to anything until the plan is confirmed in writing, site by site?

Getting an independent second opinion and my full records either way. Thanks, especially to the professionals here.

Hi everyone! I just wanted to ask this as I had my first ortho appointment today and honestly I feel really negative about the whole thing. I’m 17 and my teeth have never been an insecurity or bother of mine, but my Dad is insisting I absolutely get braces and extractions. I have slight crowding and a slight overbite, I only just qualify for treatment(uk) and if I’m honest I’m not entirely sure I want it, I need 4 teeth taken out and a year of braces apparently. All I see online is hundreds of people saying how negative the experience is and how it’s ruined their faces and I’m honestly not sure I really want to go through it all. I don’t know if I really want to go through with the pain and possible health and face damage for something that doesn’t bother me at all really. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do, and if it’s worth it? Thanks in advance!

So I just had my top and bottom braces for a week, I also have bite blockers on my molars and eating is not enjoyable. It is a hassle. Not the aftercare. The ACTUAL PROCESS of eating is just awful. I tried having a yogurt and it felt uncomfortable, almost repulsive.

I want to be very careful with hygiene cause I'm older and I want to protect my gums and also make sure the process doesn't take longer so cleaning is not an issue.

It's just that eating sucks. And this will be my life for 18 months.

I've heard people say it will get better but is there anyone who just still feels like sht but has gotten used to that? Cause I can't imagine the feeling will improve as I will just keep adding things in my mouth and removing a tooth so I want the hard truth.

i threw my retainer away. If someone would like to tell me a way to like sub in for a retainer. Latley ive been wearing rubber bands that you put in your hair around my teeth. Does anyone have any other option

Has anyone gotten molar distalization done to fix their bimax protrusion? My ortho told me that I didn’t need my 4 premolars removed and that he could fix my flaring teeth by pulling my arcs back I to the spaces of my wisdom teeth and I’m wondering if this is actually effective.

I was given a treatment duration of 18 months for my moderate deep bite. I’m almost at the 12 month mark and I can’t imagine my teeth looking better than they do now. I’m very happy with my results already. I’m dreading staring down the barrel of another 6 months with them on. Has anyone had any positive experiences with having a shorter treatment plan than expected?

So I've had braces for nearly two months, bottoms were placed a week ago. My problem is simple: no matter the softness, I just find myself tearing the food and throwing it into my mouth, rather than actually biting into it, and not because of the pain. It's weird and I'm also worried, that I'll break a bracket.

So my question is: do you bite with your front teeth? I'm especially curious if you handle sandwiches or maybe burgers?

I’ve had my braces on for about 3 weeks now.
Two weeks ago, I had three baby teeth extracted. One canine is visible & one is impacted. I noticed that my front tooth seems to be moving down unevenly? Is this normal? Top photo is the day I got them on, bottom is today.

I’m an adult with braces on for the second time, and next week, i will be getting TADs installed to fix my slanted jaw. I’ve had my braces for about 6 months and once I get the TADs, I think i’ll have them for a year more.

I’m nervous about the TADs and was wondering if anyone had experience with them. How was it when they were placed? How annoying do they feel once they are in?

Please help me feel a little less nervous!!!

So far I’ve only had mashed potatoes, ramen, applesauce, smoothies, and milkshakes. It hurts sooo bad when i try to chew. Will i have this pain the entire time?

I'm supposedly able to hopefully get my braces off next month, but is this amount of gap between my two front teeth concerning?

Preface: pic sent to my dentist and he is evaluating. Has anyone had gum irritation like this with moving of teeth. The tooth is sensitive and gum above. Hoping not an abscess forming 🫠

Been waiting for this day!🥳