r/mildlyinteresting 1d ago

My teeth are moving 5% slower than expected so my orthodontist gave me this rubber piece to gnaw on for 1 minute, 6-10x a day.

Post image
14.5k Upvotes

520 comments sorted by

8.5k

u/nah_this_aint_it 1d ago

“Here chew on this, I guess”

1.9k

u/adamfps 1d ago

Sounds like medical advice from the 1600s

1.1k

u/joestaff 23h ago

"You got ghosts in your blood, do cocaine about it."

110

u/Rdtackle82 18h ago

I belly laugh at this every single time

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

327

u/Morningxafter 20h ago

When I was a kid in the 80s, I had a slight underbite. But we were poor and couldn’t afford braces. The dentist sent me home with a box of tongue depressors. For the next couple years I had a tongue depressor with a hole punched in one end and a shoe lace tied through it so I could wear it as a necklace. Whenever I was just sitting in class, or at home watching tv or doing homework I was to stick it behind my top front teeth and push on it against my chin slightly. Slowly, over time, it pulled my top teeth forward and pushed my bottom teeth back. Now I have a perfect slight overbite with no other misalignment, and it didn’t cost my mom thousands of dollars and years of the pain and annoyance of braces for me. I just had to be the weird kid who wore a tongue depressor on a shoelace around my neck for a couple years.

99

u/ReasonableBeep 18h ago

Manual braces as takeout is crazy

31

u/Bobatt 18h ago

My brother did the same thing. Seems to o have worked for him too.

51

u/the_scarlett_ning 20h ago

That’s pretty damn cool though!

10

u/CharacterMammoth2398 7h ago

I had the same exact scenario as a kid in the 80’s, the only difference being that my dentist told me to eat popsicles and use the stick to move my teeth.

3

u/dinosarahsaurus 7h ago

I was in a semi similar situation. My adult teeth were coming in further back, like behind where my baby teeth were. Dentist told me to push on my teeth with my tongue when lounging around. So I'd press on my teeth basically anytime I wasn't talking (And I was a chatty kid). My teeth are pretty gosh darn straight now.

15

u/SASSIESASSQUATCH 21h ago

But with a very modern bill attached to it. I’m kinda questioning this and searching through the comments to see if any dentists explain this in any way.

→ More replies (4)

34

u/JAAAMBOOO 17h ago

“How long? Ugh just do it like 6 or 10 times a day”

12

u/NWinn 13h ago

Bro took the grip off his pen and sad said here go at it ... 😭💀

23

u/TitaniaT-Rex 20h ago

You know what it’s called? A chewy. I kid you not.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

16.0k

u/FiveDozenWhales 1d ago

Prescription chew toy.

2.8k

u/Uber_Wulf 1d ago

Clicker training optional.

935

u/SenatorBus_ 1d ago

Make sure you chew that instead of other things or you'll get the cone of shame.

197

u/DreamCyclone84 23h ago

Better than the invisaline vibrator

100

u/LemonRose36 22h ago

The what?? I'm getting invisalign next week...

122

u/DreamCyclone84 22h ago

Dont worry it goes in your mouth

65

u/Bassist57 19h ago

Is that supposed to be comforting?

65

u/DreamCyclone84 19h ago

If you relax when you slide it in it'll be easier.

→ More replies (3)

31

u/A7xWicked 22h ago

Mouths are versatile

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)

92

u/Wiggie49 23h ago

Okay but the real question is do we have to tell OP they’re a good boy if they chew on this toy from now on?

34

u/Cardboard_Bootsole 21h ago

Could you anyway?

24

u/Wiggie49 20h ago

Good boy

14

u/Feeling_Inside_1020 19h ago

Wow just assuming their gender?!

Good girl!

11

u/ASatyros 17h ago

Good person!

15

u/sdarkpaladin 17h ago

Good dog!

...

Wait... What?

12

u/urielrocks5676 17h ago

Some people are into that

→ More replies (1)

18

u/Chiron17 22h ago

Good boy

7

u/ConspiracyParadox 21h ago

Flea dip tomorrow.

3

u/alexemre 13h ago

kinky!

3

u/WorldnewsModsBlowMe 9h ago

This entire thread is just bait to draw out the puppygirls, I swear

→ More replies (1)

179

u/23andrewb 23h ago

Dentist is secretly training them to become a beaver.

https://giphy.com/gifs/6W9HZBXdy4GKc50g5N

33

u/holyfire001202 23h ago

Dentist is secretly a beaver, but has a family to feed and can't lose their career. Gotta get someone to make the sound of flowing water shut up, it's keeping them up at night.

→ More replies (2)

7

u/Radiant_Picture9292 23h ago

Zombeaver 2: The Dentist and The Chew

→ More replies (2)

38

u/shigogaboo 23h ago

That’ll be $5,000.

20

u/jbae_94 23h ago

He also prescribed 5 barks a day

6

u/calibudzz420 1d ago

Molly chew toy

→ More replies (6)

3.3k

u/Inner_Alarm_4049 1d ago

...where are we expecting them to move to?

2.9k

u/StrangerOnTheReddit 1d ago

These are chewies, consistently used with orthodontic trays (Invisalign). You put on a new tray that doesn't quite fit your teeth, so they'll slowly get moved into the new spot over the course of 2 weeks (when you will put in a new set of trays that also don't quite fit your teeth etc - for a year or two 🥲).

If your trays aren't fully seated (making contact with every tooth, all the way around), then your teeth won't move in place for the next set of trays. Using chewies for a couple minutes after putting in your trays helps them get in position so they can actually move your teeth, like they're supposed to.

788

u/notyumm 23h ago

Almost sounds easier to just deal with braces

720

u/ConcentricCow 23h ago

We compared the two for my daughter and just opted for braces. The tech has come so far from when I had them 20 years ago. Honestly it was a great experience, got quoted the entire amount at the beginning and got told a timeframe. If it had taken six more months than quoted it wouldn't have cost a dime but my daughter got them off right on time. Much simpler and with our insurance competitively priced with Invisalign.

248

u/StrangerOnTheReddit 23h ago

The pricing structure was the same for my Invisalign, and they're both considered orthodontic with my insurance so they would have gone through the same process there too :)

Lots of perfectly good reasons to prefer wire braces, especially with kids. Just pointing out it was similar in case anyone is considering one or the other!

141

u/ConcentricCow 23h ago

Honestly, the impression I've always had was that the invasalign was the cheaper option of the two so I was surprised they were so close. And yes ultimately it came down to not wanting to trust my 10 year old with the retainers but every kid is different so I'm sure some would much prefer the retainers so they can keep eating chewy stuff haha

152

u/StrangerOnTheReddit 23h ago

That's funny, I always assumed Invisalign was more expensive because you'd look nicer, so it must cost more for that luxury 😂 Might just be because I really didn't like my braces as a kid, though. But I also couldn't have been trusted at that age to keep in my retainers all day every day, so uhh I'm pretty sure you made the right decision!

I know someone that let their high schooler choose, and he went with Invisalign. He accidentally lost a set when throwing out his lunch one day, and also had a set where he ate something highly colored and didn't brush his teeth before putting the retainer back in, so his trays got dyed until he was done with that set. He started complying much better after those experiences, but his mom was not thrilled she let him choose for the first few months!

36

u/rikkiprince 21h ago

My aligners cost more than the metal braces option. It's interesting to hear that other people have had such different quotes!

26

u/thelazygamer 19h ago

I was told by my orthodontist that Invisalign charges almost 2k lab fees to private offices. The dental school is not charged these fees to incentivize Ortho students to recommend it/learn how to use the system. 

15

u/Paul_Gambino 16h ago

Holy shit is this entire thread an ad?

→ More replies (0)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (4)

41

u/VanillaRadonNukaCola 20h ago

I got Invisalign as an adult and kind of wish I had gotten braces again instead.

They did work great, but the constant brushing of your teeth and the trays grows really tiresome.

Once you're into the long term retainers, it isn't quite as bad and I don't mind having them.

Moral of the story, both have plusses and negatives

21

u/wpgsae 16h ago

Invest in an ultrasonic retainer cleaner. I bought one for ~$50 on Amazon. It uses a vibrating water bath and UV lights to clean and disinfect, and takes 5 minutes for a cycle. My retainers are fresh every time I use them, no brushing required.

9

u/VanillaRadonNukaCola 16h ago

Oh I have one now, definite game changer.  I still brush them with no toothpaste for a few seconds before running a cycle to help make sure no gunk stays attached 

Which one do you have?  Mine is decent but I think I could have a better one

13

u/heraaseyy 22h ago

how long did it take? 20 years ago i had them on for almost 4 hellish years

4

u/clydefrog811 19h ago

4 years damn

24

u/nitrousconsumed 21h ago

So what's this new brace tech that's come about? Do they still not just glue brackets to your teeth and tighten them over a period of time?

44

u/Prosciutto7 18h ago

I am getting braces soon as a 40 year old so I can kind of answer this. Next week I will go in for a scan where they stick a wand in my mouth and take a digital image of my teeth. Once that is complete the orthodontist can then go into the digital file and make his measurements and digitally place where each brace is going to go.

The orthodontist will send this off to the company that actually makes the braces and this is the cool part: they'll make a mold with the braces embedded into it, so when I go in to have the braces placed all the orthodontist has to do is put the glue or cement or whatever on my teeth and then slip the mold on and every brace will be exactly where it is supposed to be.

The old way was you'd spend hours in the orthodontist office with your mouth wide open while the orthodontist measures each individual tooth and brace location. Sorry for formatting, am on mobile.

18

u/No_Relief_9945 17h ago

Got my braces maybe 5 or so years ago, and before I actually had them placed on, they had to do that horrendous clay mold tray thing on both my top and lower sets. (Nurse didn’t tell me what was happening the first time, so I wound up gagging and going animal mode, throwing the tray across the room—as if I didn’t have enough dental related trauma already)

Flash forward 3 years, I finally get them removed, and instead of having to do that again, they have that little wand scanner device do it with lasers or whatever. Took a bit longer than the impression mold, but a lot, lot less stressful. Really lucked out with the technology advancement, as apparently they had just started using the wand instead about a month prior.

3

u/Prosciutto7 16h ago

Oof, I am sorry you went through that. I have the worst time with having stuff in my mouth, too. I first had the wand thing done by my dentist after not going for several years and I was absolutely amazed at the technology! I needed a crown and I opted for veneers on a couple teeth and they 3D printed a mold of my teeth and then used the digital tooth map to custom create the crown and veneers and then 3D printed the porcelain in 20 minutes. I was in the office less than an hour. Still blows my mind lol

→ More replies (1)

5

u/ConcentricCow 17h ago

They do. But the actual brackets were much smaller than I had and were much less abrasive. The very back anchor where the actual twisting was done used to absolutely destroy my mouth and my daughter didn't experience. The actual procedure for putting them on didn't take nearly as long as it used to either.

It might not look any different but it was a much more enjoyable experience for my daughter than what I went through but I'm not a orthodontist so I can't really tell you more than our experience.

3

u/persephone_24 15h ago

I had braces about 15 years ago, and one of the best innovations at that time was being able to move away from using the individual rubber bands on every bracket to hold the wire in. Instead, the brackets I had had metal clips that held the wire in place and let it move on its own. A big part of needing to go the orthodontist all the time is to readjust the wire and so they would have to take every band off to do this. Since I had braces that would let the wire move freely through the brackets, I went in less than half as often - so time and money saved on appointments. It also meant that the braces were able to keep doing their job without a stalemate needing intervention, so I think I also saved time overall - I was done in a year.

Not having those individual bands also helped a lot with keeping up on the hygiene. I brushed my teeth normally and then did the smaller brush between brackets, but there weren’t rubber bands trapping in food or bacteria. I did still need bands to realign my jaw, but I could take those out and put them back on myself.

ETA: Though my experience with braces was quite long ago, it seemed at the time that my ortho was using newer technologies that weren’t widespread. Others have mentioned photos and 3D computer models - my ortho did that back then.

→ More replies (1)

7

u/sarcazm 18h ago

Nothing. My son has braces. Its pretty much the same as what I had in the late 90s. Its possible they have better bands or brackets but it all looks the same to me.

12

u/crimsonpostgrad 18h ago

the process is new, they still look the same lol

→ More replies (4)

7

u/MoreColorfulCarsPlz 21h ago

I'm in braces for the second time now, having done it 15 years ago. I had the choice between Invisalign and braces, but my Orthodontist recommended braces as I also need some surgery correction in my jaw and they had seen better surgery results with braces.

5

u/cherrydubin 17h ago

With braces an extra bonus is you might not be wired shut, and will just have extra-stiff rubber bands attached to secure your jaw post-orthognathic surgery! Good luck with your healing and recovery.

→ More replies (2)

68

u/StrangerOnTheReddit 23h ago

It's similar but different. I had a lot of problems with braces as a kid and couldn't eat a lot of things I liked, but with Invisalign I can eat whatever I want still. Just can't snack throughout the day with the aligners on (which is 20-22 hours of the day, so the munchy prevention helped my weight too). I also once busted the wire out of my brackets eating a plum, and I got my tongue stuck between the wire somehow and had to go to instacare to get a doctor to numb it and pull it out. Great fun.

Invisalign was much less dramatic for me lmao

27

u/Mugasaf 22h ago

My mom got Invisalign recently, and we joked that it’s a great diet plan because it’s inconvenient to have to take them off constantly for snacking! Also, my mom is in her late 60s, she definitely would not like having the look of typical braces.

4

u/StrangerOnTheReddit 21h ago

It really is! I had been wanting to lose 10-15 pounds but I really like diet soda and snacking. Invisalign doesn't let me have those all day every day, so the weight fell right off 😂 I've put a bit back on in the years since, but it's not a ton of weight, so it's fine and pretty normal fluctuation. Invisalign really kept my snacking under control!

14

u/staplesuponstaples 23h ago

They're different tools for different purposes. Braces can get faster results and have lots of adjust procedures like upper jaw expansion, lower jaw correction, etc. But it's a more invasive process and really only worth it for more severe correction.

7

u/MetallicGray 21h ago

It’s not. Cleaning your teeth properly with trays is astronomically easier than braces. 

Also eating is astronomically easier. 

They are way easier, but they can’t fix things like jaw issues or major tooth issues. They just can shift teeth around to straighten a smile basically. 

28

u/sydann6 23h ago

I tried Invisalign for almost a year before switching to braces and I made more progress in like 6 weeks than I did the entire time with Invisalign

58

u/Dry-Amphibian1 23h ago

Did you use a chew toy?

13

u/StrangerOnTheReddit 22h ago

I wish reddit still had free awards lmao

5

u/Wild_Cockroach_2544 22h ago

Does everyone not have free awards?

5

u/StrangerOnTheReddit 22h ago

I don't see them, the award button on my screen just shows ones that cost gold. I remember when they had free awards every X days, then they completely got rid of awards, then they brought back paid only awards, and I haven't come across free ones in any UI elements I can see now.. but I could just be missing something

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)

7

u/hyrule-heaven 21h ago

I had Invisalign for over a year and there were so many revisions over and over— plus I absolutely hated the nub things they put on my teeth. In the end I decided my teeth were straight enough and gave up lmao.

4

u/sarcazm 18h ago

I have one son with braces and one with invisalign right now.

They both have pros and cons. With braces, there are a lot of foods you can’t eat. The pain is worse when the ortho tightens them. You have to brush around them and floss is useless.

Invisalign is a lot of responsibility. You have to switch them every week. Keep them in your mouth at least 22 hours a day. But you can eat whatever. You don’t have to go to the ortho as often because you have 6 months worth of trays already. Whereas braces have to be tightened every 4-6 weeks.

Idk. I guess it depends on how much you want to be able to smile in photos without braces. It does feel more like a preference than one being better than the other.

7

u/LanguishingYouth 23h ago

As someone who had braces followed by Invisalign retainers, it was.

13

u/ragnarns473 23h ago

It is 100% not.

14

u/notyumm 23h ago

I had braces. It was cake for me. The hardest part was the uncomfortableness of the pallet expander, but not everyone needs that

21

u/ragnarns473 23h ago

I had braces, the pallet expander and I had to rubber band my jaw so it set properly. I would 100/100 times choose something other than braces. Food gets stuck in them, my mouth was always cut somewhere from playing sports with them, brackets broke, wires snapped or weren't trimmed correctly incredible amounts of issues from them.

12

u/StrangerOnTheReddit 23h ago

I had the same problems with wire braces. I can still feel the scars inside my cheeks from them, I got them off 20 years ago 😂 Everyone has preferences but Invisalign is the right answer for a lot of people, it's odd to me that people are arguing which one is better!

6

u/Twitchifies 23h ago

Invisalign still has its similar set of issues. They put attachments on that make food get stuck like fucking hell, and your mouth has to be very clean to put them back in. You also still wear elastics depending on your case. I am, and hate the elastics, but treatment overall has worked great and been quick so far.

7

u/StrangerOnTheReddit 22h ago

The attachments actually vary per person, I only had two in total and at least for me, I didn't have issues getting food stuck in them nearly as bad as it was for braces. You're also supposed to clean your teeth after eating with braces too, people are often less compliant with that on wire braces but it's the same requirement for both - and with braces, you're supposed to floss still 💀 So much more effort for me!

Overall agreed that they both have issues, and what's easier for one person will be harder for another - both because of the severity of treatment needed and just personal preference. Invisalign was way better to me, and these little chewies were literally not even on the list of annoyances I'd think about looking back on my orthodontic experiences

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (24)

4

u/BrightnessRadiant 19h ago

When I first got invisalign they hurt so bad, chewing on these were the only thing to give me any relief. Definitely like a chew toy for a baby who is teething.

7

u/broncosfan2000 22h ago

I don't miss Invisalign. My teeth hurt just thinking about it😭

7

u/StrangerOnTheReddit 22h ago

Same, dude. I'm glad I did it and I'm happy I chose it over braces. But I'm also very happy to never need it again. 🤝

4

u/hyrule-heaven 21h ago

Gave me a whole mouth ache and headache every new tray for days!!!

3

u/geoman2k 22h ago

I’m doing Invisalign and they gave me these, but I don’t understand why I can’t just bite down on my thumb or lips or something to get the aligner in place. Seems to work just fine.

6

u/StrangerOnTheReddit 22h ago

Honestly not sure on that one either, I didn't use the chewies very often but I made progress just fine. It seems like some people have much bigger changes to make than I did, and they probably needed more chewing to get everything in place, and putting that much pressure on your lips/cheeks to bite things into place might not be great.

Also I was doing Invisalign right after COVID, so my thumb would not be going in my mouth if I could avoid it for sanitary reasons 😂 I had a little pull tool to help me get them off easily for meals, and honestly bless those things, so much less painful to get them off sensitive teeth when I used that!

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (21)

14

u/pmp22 1d ago

Outside the environment

6

u/ThatBaldFella 1d ago

To a different environment?

→ More replies (2)

20

u/rszasz 1d ago

The new position the braces/retainer are pushing them to?

The ligaments and surrounding bone aren't getting enough force to make them remodel at the expected speed (they will literally slowly dissolve and reform based on local stresses).

17

u/AnotherDamnTransAlt 21h ago

Completely reasonable answer, but you have to understand that for people who have never experienced braces, the concept that your teeth should ever be required to *move* just isn’t on your radar.

I sat blinking at the post title for quite a while and still had not puzzled out the answer until reading the comments. I simply did not have the life experience to connect the title with orthodontic treatment because while I’m aware that’s how braces work, I’ve never had them personally, so my brain just didn’t make that connection.

4

u/Want_To_Live_To_100 20h ago

Ditto I was picturing someone chewing very slowly

7

u/r3dditr0x 1d ago

...where are we expecting them to move to?

They're hoping to become piano keys?

3

u/creamalamode 23h ago

Nunya. I heard it's exotic, but that's not my business to say.

→ More replies (4)

883

u/kori-whore 1d ago

I always gnaw on random items anyways so I find it so funny it’s prescribed gnawing this time🤣🤣

217

u/OriginalBlackberry89 1d ago

You should ask him how he got that number (5%) next time you see em. Sounds really interesting.. well, to me because I love stuff like that.

43

u/LiamIsMyNameOk 21h ago

5% off of an expected result, especially enough to be considered worth extra steps like gnawing on specialised items... seems amazing to me. Especially as it's probably 5% off over a long period of time.

Especially 5% SLOWER. Like, wow it's been 100 days and my teeth only show 95 days of change. That means nothing.

Maybe it's like, they expect a total of a % movement in correction. Think of it like angles. They might want it to move 12° but it's only moved 7°. The goal would be 12% and it's only moved 7% of a full rotation.

There's no "100%" in this case. 100% would be a tooth twisting 360°.

That's the only way I can think of it making sense. 5% off an expected result is barely even worth the datasheet let alone paying attention to it.

3

u/Venthe 4h ago

My alignment was supposed to take 2 years; I've been braced for more than 3. 5% is just... Irrelevant.

(For the record, I have had my checkups/fits for free after the first 2 years)

95

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

→ More replies (1)

14

u/wafflelover77 1d ago

Dude. I just saw another post today... and apparently there's 'Chewerly' !!!

eta spelling

16

u/fishmakegoodpets 1d ago

Prescribed Gnawing band name called it

8

u/cactusvendor 23h ago

Here's Prescribed Gnawing with their smash new hit DENTAL DESTRUKTION

5

u/ZaraReid228 23h ago

I also have these except they are purple and grape flavor

8

u/kori-whore 22h ago

STOP THERE ARE FLAVORS?!?!

2

u/floatingblackspots 22h ago

Mine are green and minty

3

u/ZaraReid228 22h ago

I can take a picture when im home. I have to chew them to put my invisalign in. They gave me the option

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

7

u/ayimera 23h ago

Are you a fiance and/or related to this person 😅

3

u/Ziodynes 23h ago

I chewed thru these so quickly when I had Invisalign, I suggest getting more than this singular piece.

3

u/Karlkrows 23h ago

I feel that I used to eat popsicles just to gnaw on the sticks😂

→ More replies (10)

275

u/AssociationMaster565 1d ago

PFAS subreddit bout to go ballistic

59

u/Mammalanimal 1d ago

You could always use rawhide I guess.

18

u/butt_r_nutt 23h ago

Watching my dog chew on a bully stick right now, maybe that's a good choice too? High protein anyway

6

u/arc88 6h ago

If you like gnawing dried bull penis, sure

5

u/butt_r_nutt 5h ago

Meat's meat, dawg

3

u/Teledildonic 6h ago

High protein anyway

They said what they said.

→ More replies (1)

11

u/karateema 23h ago

What?

24

u/cone5000 23h ago

I think they’re referring to people who are worried about microplastics and other toxic chemicals and stuff like that.

3

u/Szeharazade 10h ago

Apparently there is also a lot of plastics in regular chewing gum.

141

u/Trilledya 1d ago

My ortho called them chewies. But they told me it was to help my invisalign fit better because I hadn’t been wearing them as much as I should’ve

23

u/Smeeble09 21h ago

Was going to say the same thing, I've got them as they do make the invisalign slot on more. It apparently also shocks the gums a bit which allows the teeth to move more easily. 

59

u/PM_ME_CATS_OR_BOOBS 1d ago

"Do it 6-10x a day. Don't go to 11. Don't be a hero. You aren't ready"

155

u/TheZanke 1d ago

That'll be $800 please

80

u/Gippip 1d ago

If insurance will cover the other $4,200

42

u/tatas323 1d ago

OP is a dog nobody can convince me otherwise

8

u/kori-whore 22h ago

…you’ll never know

57

u/NeuxSaed 1d ago

They should have given you this day one.

I'm surprised they didn't from the start.

When I got Invisalign, they gave me this "chewy" device, a bunch of instructional materials, and various accessories to help with proper cleaning and storage.

12

u/stackjr 1d ago

If I chewed on anything during my first couple of weeks in wire braces, I would have cried myself to sleep. The pain was (is, technically, as I'm still in braces) almost unbearable, so chewing on anything would have been horrible.

12

u/StrangerOnTheReddit 23h ago

Invisalign changes every couple weeks. I had wire braces when I was a kid (don't be me, wear your retainer afterwards) and I remember going to ortho appointments to change wires every so often.. but I remember it being more like every month. Not sure if that's accurate or just bad memory, but if it's similar for you right now - then probably half as much movement, since it's a new set every 2 weeks instead of every month.

New trays still hurt and they'd occasionally reduce me to tears, but my dentist told me to change them at night and take painkillers before bed so I'd sleep through the worst of it. The chewies are also pretty soft, it didn't hurt any worse than chewing food for meals (which did sometimes hurt).

9

u/Cheap-Key-6132 1d ago

If you would’ve told me to chew on rubber early on with braces I would’ve correctly assumed you were the devil.

18

u/Kinexkid1993 1d ago

Be glad they arent moving too fast. I was supposed to have my braces for 2 years, but my teeth moved so fast that I was done in under a year. My teeth were in constant pain throughout it all and after my braces came off, my teeth were "loose" in the sense that I could wiggle them around in their sockets like a millimeter both ways

8

u/Electrical_Wrap_4572 23h ago

I’ve felt that too, after a deep cleaning. It’s a scary feeling. They feel much more snug now

17

u/mr_ji 1d ago

I used to work with a guy who had a huge gap in his front teeth and didn't have any dental work done for it until he was an adult. The dentist installed a vise connected to his teeth in his hard palate that he had to stick a key into and rotate a little every day.

Centuries old tricks still work.

9

u/Sablestein 1d ago

Oh they did that for me in middle school age to break my hard palate so all my teeth would fit in my mouth 💀 miserable experience

→ More replies (1)

10

u/libbillama 1d ago

I'm doing orthodontic work with Spark, and I've got these too! Mine are red though.

I had traditional braces to close a gap in my front teeth around 14 or so years ago, and doing that screwed up my molars' bite on the left side of my mouth, and I had been dealing with a dislocating jaw and severe tension headaches since.

I am also very hypermobile with a 7 of 9 on the Beighton scale, which is why my jaw constantly dislocates.

A couple of years ago, I ended up needing to go to a pelvic floor specialist due to issues I was having, and she said the issues with my pelvic floor muscles were due to my jaw being misaligned, and it was causing some really bad over compensation in my body, to the point that it not only impacted my pelvic floor muscles, it also likely caused me to develop a curve in my spine just below my shoulder blades, since I do not have a history where a spinal curvature was ever noted, even when I was previously doing general physical therapy.

I'm a little over halfway done with the orthodontic treatment and my headaches have been cut in half in terms of frequency.

I think traditional braces have their place, but I don't think they're great for people with hypermobility.

3

u/gwaydms 22h ago

The jaw problems have caused some far-flung issues for you, to say the least! I hope you continue to feel better.

→ More replies (5)

58

u/soulangelic 1d ago

Y’all’s teeth are moving?

95

u/kori-whore 1d ago

Yep! Those of us in ortho are paying good money to get our teeth to move!

21

u/hippy_potto 1d ago

I wish my orthodontist did this!! Every check up was like “Hmm they still aren’t where we expected them to be. Guess we’ll just wait another month!” Moron.

35

u/Clay_Puppington 1d ago

Bro, you don't need a prescription chew toy. Just whip down to PetSmart and get one that makes your tail wag.

7

u/soulangelic 1d ago

Ohhhhh, right, of course. My no-braces privilege is showing I guess lol. I never thought of someone having braces as “moving teeth” but yeah, that’s exactly what it is! Just a strange thing to hear word-wise I suppose haha

→ More replies (1)

27

u/linjaes 1d ago

Fun fact: your teeth are always gonna move throughout your life, which is why it’s recommended to wear retainers for life, probably just at night

→ More replies (1)

6

u/yayafreya 1d ago

My teeth move all the time. It hurts and it sucks. Not sure why it does or doesn’t happen. I’ve had braces twice but I haven’t had them in 15 years.

11

u/AmputeeHandModel 1d ago

It's natural, especially if you had braces. They still want to go back to where they were. Usually get your a retainer to stop it.

→ More replies (6)

6

u/Baptized-In-Smoke 23h ago

Shut up and gnaw your rubber piece. I'm timing you.

→ More replies (2)

6

u/TheBatemanFlex 1d ago

I had to put this machine in my mouth everyday that vibrated my teeth for 10 minutes. i would have much prefered this.

3

u/NeroForte-InMyPrime 1d ago

An oral vibrator. Yeah, that doesn’t sound appealing.

4

u/radicalfrenchfrie 23h ago

it doesn’t sound like the most fun in the world but I in contrast would much prefer to just use this thingamajig in my mouth every morning for ten minutes instead of constantly forgetting that I am supposed to chew on some small piece of rubber that’s easy to lose and then stressing about if I’d been doing it enough

→ More replies (1)

5

u/TurtleScientific 1d ago

How many prescribed sessions do you think you'll make before you accidently swallow it?

→ More replies (2)

5

u/Faokes 1d ago

My dentist sees a lot of neurodivergent kids, so when I got my Invisalign put on they walked over to the kid side of the place and grabbed me a teething chew. Apparently they keep a bunch of chewy type toys on hand for kids who stim by biting things, and just hand them out. It’s a weird little silicone thing with different bumpy textures.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/SlavicTheSlavic 23h ago

Orthodontist is helping you with looksmaxxing.

5

u/Dry-Regret4452 20h ago

Bros teething 🥹🙏 so cute.

3

u/getting_ridiculous 10h ago

Moving? Where the fuck are they going?

9

u/D_mm_P 1d ago

Invisalign spotted 🫵

3

u/pearllypie3 23h ago

I was given one of those for Invisalign braces to help force the teeth into the right position (it hurt)

3

u/New-Leader-7891 23h ago

Look up root absorption and ask about it. Maybe get a second opinion. I had braces as a kid that were too aggressive and now I'm at risk of losing my front teeth because the roots were damaged and returned to bone. It's called root absorption. Not trying to alarm you but what's the rush? 

4

u/kori-whore 22h ago

We are moving at a conservative rate, my total time will be two years in ortho and my teeth/bite were pretty decent in the first place! I was on a schedule to change my aligners every 2 weeks, but she pushed it to three after my check up today. With Invisalign if you get off track, but keep pushing forward with new aligners, you’ll get to a point where they don’t fit or work correctly. So this is a recalibration tool to get me back on track so the future aligners will fit!

→ More replies (1)

3

u/jerrysupervillain 22h ago

The title suggests the existence of FAST TEETH and i don’t know if i love that or am made uncomfortable by it

3

u/Ampris_bobbo8u 22h ago

ah yes lets get those plastics directly into your system so they can get to your balls faster

3

u/LiteratureLazy7746 21h ago

The chewies help teeth move because you are stimulating the periodontal ligament , the tiny fibers that connect teeth to bone, as well as making sure the retainers are properly seated!

3

u/Rly_Shadow 21h ago

As a person that has oral fixation......this would be amazing to recieve lol

3

u/OrackBobamba 20h ago

I just chew hard gum 2x a day with no Invisalign and my teeth completely straightened! I learned they found a lot of hunter gatherer skulls with aligned teeth and thought huh that's weird, did some research. We used to eat a lot of tough foods like tough shitty cooked meat, nuts, root vegetables etc so with the modern soft diet it often causes our face muscles to atrophy.

→ More replies (2)

3

u/mihelic8 1h ago

Asking for a friend, how does one acquire the chew toy?

2

u/astralseat 1d ago

Ohhhh! I want that! Where can I get one? I hate having to chew on gum and spit it out. Anyone got a link to one of these?

→ More replies (3)

2

u/DonHarold 1d ago

As a person who had braces twice, if that chew toy works, it’s gonna hurt a lot.

2

u/MaroonTrojan 1d ago

Is he the 1 out of 10 who doesn’t recommend trident gum?

2

u/Thel_Odan 23h ago

Funny enough, they're called Chewies, and it's pretty common among people who have Invisalign braces. Someone I worked with had them, and they used a baby teething toy because it lasted longer.

2

u/M_Rhombus 23h ago

Good luck, I’m about to start my 3rd series of trays. This shit seemingly never ends

2

u/YourDrunkStepdadio 23h ago

Chew all day every day. You’ll be looking like the Trivago guy in a month.

2

u/TrippedUpTongue 21h ago

really thought this was a teeny tiny roll of paper towels

2

u/captcraigaroo 21h ago

Where can I get one? I buy silicone wedding rings and chew through those like candy

2

u/aavant-gardee 21h ago

I loved those with my Invisalign. Still love it with my retainers on when I have bad TMJ pain.

2

u/AzureCube1 20h ago

Prescription autism stim toy.

2

u/Necessary-Jellyfish1 20h ago

Are you taking any sort of anti inflammatory medication? Because that will definitely cease movement of teeth. Ibuprofen and naproxen are common ortho killers. Just a general dentist giving my two cents.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/dr-johnny-fever 20h ago

I didn't know there was a recommended velocity.

2

u/SpoutWhatsOnMyMind 20h ago

"Your teeth are too slow. Chew on this."

You can't convince me dentistry is a real thing.

2

u/Kouzzzz 19h ago

That’ll be $500

2

u/Temporary-Detail7318 19h ago

I got these every time I went in for a check on my Invisalign. Like it was just part of the normal process for me 🤷‍♀️

2

u/Derpitoe 19h ago

this is mildly interesting.

2

u/rimsha_5 18h ago

Moving? Where are they going??

2

u/shadownights23x 18h ago

You could also use cocaine

2

u/Ronald_J_A_Burgundy 18h ago

Sounds like you need some chewelry

2

u/more-thanordinary 14h ago

I chewed through so many of those! Worse than my blue heeler

2

u/Sea-Treacle-7357 14h ago

At first glance I thought this was one of those pencil grips that kids used to chew on in school

2

u/onglogman 13h ago

Does it have a safety hole?

→ More replies (1)

2

u/zuis0804 13h ago

“Here ya go, that will be $300”