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General health

Twin Block Braces - Any Advice?

440 replies

Shar0769 · 25/01/2012 14:28

Hi
First post to Mumsnet, so please bear with me Confused

Just arrived back from Orthodontist with ds (10) who has had twin block braces fitted to correct his overbite and adjust his jaw. I can honestly say I feel sick/upset, he looks like he's shoved a sock in his mouth; can't speak, can't smile. Im dreading to think how he's going to cope at school. Shock

If anyone has any advice/experience on these braces it would be great. Anything to ease my worries.

Thanks.

OP posts:
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minimuu · 25/01/2012 14:58

My daughter had them and managed remarkably well. (she now has fantastic teeth so hang on in there)

The DC seem to tolerate it better than us and she had no negative comments at school at all - it almost seem like a rite of passage.

The first few days are the worst but my experience was that my DC got used to wearing them quite quickly. She couldn't smile or eat or speak without a terrible lisp. She found the more she tried to do these things it seem to become easier, so lots of joking about at home seemed to help her. She also seemed to dribble a lot to start with but again this settled down really quickly.

She started work on her teeth in year 6 and finally finished in year 11, after twin block braces, head braces at night, train tracks etc but as I said above has fantastic beautiful teeth.

You will both get used to itSmile (but I can remember feeling pretty shocked to start with)

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Fairenuff · 29/01/2012 12:54

My dd had them in year 9 & 10 and has just moved on to train tracks. They soon get used to them and can talk almost normally. The dribbling stops quite quickly! There will be lots of others at school with blocks.

The most important thing is to wear them as much as he has been told to do. Make sure he knows that the orthodontist will know if he's taken them out too much when he goes for a check up. The more you wear them, the quicker the treatment goes. It is so worth it.

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ThePonderer · 27/09/2012 09:36

My 14 yo DD just got block braces yesterday. I've never seen her more unhappy. She was quite hysterical in the middle of the night, when she couldn't sleep because she felt so uncomfortable. Today she has gone off to school like someone facing an execution (though I think her close friends will be sympathetic and supportive. I hope... )

She doesn't know anyone else who has this type of brace, though several of her friends have train tracks. Are there any good online sources of support or information? It would be so good if she could make contact with someone else her own age who has been through this, and who could reassure her that it really will get better? And that it will be worth it?

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Jai1 · 06/03/2013 20:00

I'm so glad I found this network my daughter has just had her twin blocks today and they are so bulky I'm struggling to see her wearing them at school! I too am looking for support for my daughter bcos her friends don't have anything like this appliance they all have the fixed braces which my son also had - Any help of support needed as I'm really worrying

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OhYouBadBadKitten · 06/03/2013 20:12

It honestly is amazing how quickly they get used to them. I was so upset at dds. She was utterly determined and by the next day was eating with them and a few days later he speech did get much better.
They were well worth it.

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haggisaggis · 25/03/2013 10:45

I'm going to join the club. Ds had his fitted at 0800 this morning - was planning to go to school but his jaw became quite painful so is at home. Maybe for the best anyway as he can spend the day talking to the cats to get his speech better - and practise not dribbling! He is finding eating very difficult but hopefully he will persevere. I can't believe how different he looks - yesterday he looked about 11 - today he looks his age! (13)

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Lancelottie · 25/03/2013 10:58

Sadly DS couldn't cope with them.

The orthodontist reluctantly compromised on a top brace with an inclined bite plane for the bottom teeth to slot into -- still bulky and painful but easier to speak and eat with. The effect has been pretty good, though not perfect.

DS is 16 though and has Asperger's. I think a 10 yr old will both adapt faster and see the effects quickly.

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haggisaggis · 26/03/2013 14:16

With ds they are talking about jaw surgery once his jaw is fully grown - they don't expect miracles with the block braces. He is still finding eating really hard - says the braces are stopping his back teeth from touching so cannot chew - anyone come across this before? I think he will need to take them out to eat as he can't exist on soup for over a year!

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OhYouBadBadKitten · 26/03/2013 14:46

although the teeth dont meet, the blocks should be meeting nicely? dd used those as her biting surface.

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Lancelottie · 26/03/2013 21:51

DS1 has never mastered eating with the brace in (doesn't help that he hates soft food). He just takes it out for meals. Still seems to work though I understand the effect is better and quicker if it's left in.

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RandomMess · 26/03/2013 21:54

haggisaggis I'd take your ds to a cranial osteopath to maximise the effect of the brace. I was told the same but fortunately it was ok in the end.

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WynkenBlynkenandNod · 26/03/2013 22:00

DD never got the hang of eating with hers in. She had them for a year and has now gone onto fixed. We were surprised at how quickly the Twin Blocks did their job. She was very reluctant at first and refused them once but is now really pleased she has done it.

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MrsMorton · 27/03/2013 12:17

The whole point is that the back teeth don't touch. They need to be worn most of the time to work and (I'm a dentist but not an orthodontist) the results can be staggering. It's so worthwhile to persevere even if taking them out for eating reduces the time, as long as they go straight back in!
The muscles in your face and tongue take time to adapt but they are very very good at it and if they stick with it then it will get better more quickly.

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haggisaggis · 27/03/2013 16:05

ds has clarified that the blocks do touch but I think what he means is they meet at an angle so don't provide a chewing surface? He is persevering but it is so hard - he tried taking them out to eat but his jaw stayed in the position when the blocks are fitted so still didn't have the ability to chew. He is being very, very good about having them and hopefully the pain will wear off soon (today it is his teeth that hurt more than his jaw). Also he is finding that he cannot close his mouth properly so his lips are all dried out and sore. The good thing is he is managing to sleep with them.

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Luckye · 17/04/2013 16:05

Hi haggisaggis, quite reassured to read your post as the My dd got twin blocks two days ago and like your ds already her jaw has moved so that even when she takes the brace out her teeth don't meet so she can't chew with or without it. What I'm wondering about is will the situation improve soon?

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Luckye · 18/04/2013 00:07

Help I am really worried that my dd is going through hell with twin blocks and that it's maybe not necessary. Are twin blocks used purely as a cosmetic treatment to improve profile? My dentist referred us to nhs as she has overbite of 10mm but her profile looked ok before the twin blocks were in place. I'm just worried that we've put her through an ordeal purely for a minor cosmetic improvement. My main concern is that she will loose confidence as her speech is so impaired - it is only day 3 so I am hoping it gets better. Is there a medical reason for jaw to be aligned. Her overbite up til now has not caused her any problems. Any advice please. Also how long will she need to wear the twin block? Dentist has been very vague on this point. My dd is coping with her brace quite well considering she can't eat, sleep or talk well but I don't think either of us will cope if it goes on for too long!

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karen1105 · 27/07/2013 21:16

hi all, my daughter has a connective tissue disease that has caused her a lot of problems including scoliosis, she has just had full spinal fusion, she has been told that is has now affected her jaw, she has an 18mm overbite, incompetent lips, a short face and so much more. The orthodontist says that the twin blocks are unlikley to work as her top and bottom jaw is affected but they need to give them a try but she is 99% sure and the exrays say that she will need surgery........thoughts?

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magso · 27/07/2013 22:20

Luckye I thought the whole point was to improve function (chewing and eating) rather than cosmesis. DH has a large overbite and did not have effective treatment as a child/teenager. As he got into his twenties and thirties the problem got worse and his bottom teeth bite into his upper palette, making it sore. His front teeth are very vunerable and have been chipped. He is limited on what he can eat and --kissing is tricky!! Treatment as an adult takes longer, and DH decided against it. The dentist put some material on the back of his bottom teeth to push the lower teeth out enough to reduce the difficulties.
Our son (13 ) has a similar difficulty and is due to be fitted in a couple of months.

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Mrsmorton · 28/07/2013 18:36

10mm is a pretty big overjet. She is at a very high risk of trauma to those teeth. It will be dramatically better luckye after a week so please persevere, this treatment will be very very expensive when she is an adult and if she stops now, it will be very hard to start again. Many posters on here regret stopping their orthodontic treatment as teens and say they never smile so even a "minor" cosmetic improvement will firstly help to prevent problems such as fracturing her teeth and damage to her palate as she gets older but will also give her a stinking great smile that she will love and will give her oodles of confidence as a young lady.

The other questions, you really need to pin your orthodontist down about.

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Lanie00 · 12/08/2013 14:42

My 12 year old son has just had twin blocks fitted and like many on here I was very shocked at how he looked with them in. He has a 7mm overbite and I wondered if the larger the overbite, the more discomfort they suffer???? He is also complaining that he can't swallow and is dribbling something shocking. How quickly should he adjust to this and be able to swallow? I'm absolutely dreading tonight, I can see we are not going to get much sleep. Any advise would be much appreciated.

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Lanie00 · 13/08/2013 08:39

My son managed to keep the blocks in overnight without a fuss but he said he didn't get much sleep. The biggest problem now is he can't eat with them in and he can't eat with them out. His back teeth are not meeting properly anymore. My biggest concern now is will he have problems at the end of this treatment or will he definitely be able to chew again? He has got a lot of pain in his front teeth this morning so a dose of Calprofen is needed. I don't think the Orthodontics or my dentist prepared us for this. I'm just thankful it is the middle of the summer holidays and he doesn't have to face school like this.

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lilylollypop · 13/08/2013 23:22

My dd has had these for 1.5 months. First couple of nights were difficult but after a few days was coping brilliantly with them.Only had one lot of pain relief the first night. She quickly stopped dribbling and speech improved over the first week or so. Although her speech is near normalish it still sounds as if she has something in her mouth..... which of course she does! Only problem is she finds it too difficult to eat in them so takes them out for meals. Have to see what the orthodontist says about this at her next visit.
Anyone know if it is a problem not to eat with them in? Will treatment still work?
Lanie your ds should feel better very very soon.

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EllieFredrickson · 14/08/2013 15:57

Lanie my daughter had twin blocks for six months and we were told to take them out for eating (and sport) so as long as he puts them straight back in after shouldn't be an issue.

It does get better really quickly as they adjust but boy can I remember the tears in the first few days - especially when she couldn't get them in and out easily.

It's a bit of a pain at at mealtimes (he/you have to remember to take the box everywhere) but it passes. Make sure you sterilse the box well too - I can still remember the smell of a not too clean one!

The twin blocks made a huge difference to my daughter and we've now got the seemingly compulsory teenage fixed brace (train tracks) complete with coloured bands!

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Lanie00 · 14/08/2013 17:35

lilylollypop and EllieFredrickson, thank you so much for the replies and support. My son has now had them in 48 hours and already things are starting to improve a little. His front teeth are sensitive but the good thing is he is coping much better now. He is already getting used to putting them in and out but still needs a bit of help here and there. Still dribbling but not as bad as he was at the start. I think it was a shock to the system at first for both of us when they were first fitted as we were not prepared mentally for what to expect. But I have my strong head on now and am giving him lots of encouragement to get through it! I keep telling himto practise his alphabet. lol

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TheCrackFox · 14/08/2013 17:52

DS1 had them fitted on Saturday - it was a shock to the system (maybe more so than me) but he is very committed to his treatment as his teeth are that bad.

His speaking is nearly normal now and he is persevering with the eating. Lots of soups, pasta and scrambled eggs.

Poor thing started high school today too. Braces etc are seen as pretty cool nowadays and all his classmates didn't even blink.

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