Worse before better?

NoQuarter

Hi all,

I am over 2 months into my 6 month smiles braces. I had relatively minor movements to do: my top left incisor needed to come out some and both bottom canines needed to be rotated.

So far my teeth look worse than when I started, two gaps have opened up between my bottom incisors and a gap between my two top front teeth has also now opened in the last week.

Is that normal? Is there an online description anywhere of how the actual process of braces works? Are the teeth supposed to come out first to make their movements and then go back in?

I was hoping for close to the 6 months because of the small movements but with my teeth getting worse first, im starting to think that's not the case.

helimachoptor

They are are work in progress, its not a case of for the full 6 months they are moving to their final position for that full period, they will be moving all over the place at first i'd imagine.

capnsparkles

The gaps you mention are common enough in my expierience.
6ms work by derotating and tipping the teeth , not by bodily movement of the teeth(this is what conventional fixed orthodontics do). Your Dentist can address them at the next appointment.

NoQuarter

capnsparkles wrote: »

The gaps you mention are common enough in my expierience.
6ms work by derotating and tipping the teeth .

Thanks. Could you expand on what this means a little out of interest?

capnsparkles

Six month smiles is what is known as "short term orthodontics". The reason that it is around six months is that there is very little if any bodily movement of the teeth. An example of bodily movement is moving the tooth along the wire from point A to point B.
Six month smiles is basically leveling and aligning the teeth. Contemporary fixed (train tracks) orthodontics is leveling and aligned and space closure(this takes time).
Your teeth have not been bodily moved they have been tipped and/or derotated. This is when those gaps open up. What your Dentist will do will be add elastics/ ligatures to your brackets to help close these spaces.

NoQuarter

Thanks for that. I am currently sporting "The London Look".