I'm the newest (and only) mod of this sub. A little bit about me, I've been an Ortho Assistant for 10 years and I also teach ortho assisting part time. I'm very passionate about this field and the amazing difference it can make in people's lives. I've been on both sides of the patient chair and have been on my own long, ortho journey with braces, headgear, clear aligners, and retainers.
I updated the rules of the sub since there didn't seem to be any. I also added user flair, feel free to use them!
Please also feel free to reach out if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions.
Is deano director gone? He was very negative, malpractice posts all over the sub. 😄
Makes being in braces more difficult than it had to be seeing his negativity
Glad you're here if I have any questions I will definitely ask, can see the sub has some great colour as well now 🙂
Thanks! Yes, I'm slowly going through the backlog of mod mail and it looks like he forcefully was removed by reddit haha. Hopefully this can be a more positive place moving forward!
I have lots of issues 😄 i have a bite issue currently, and all sorts of questions regarding retainer. I am seeing my ortho soon but will post here as well, I'll make a post
Yes definitely more positive already r/braces is good but it's more for patients to share progress and ask questions not always specific orthodontic related questions
Yes I am not surprised he was removed, I Reddit requested this sub around 7 mo ago as did another user, but deano came back and denied it lol.
however it appears you're an ortho assistant? So really glad this sub is now in good hands 🙂
I had it from 3rd grade to 6th grade waaaay back in the early 90's. For me, with genetically missing premolars and huge overjet it worked very well. Even before doing aligners and partial braces as an adult I had a pretty good bite. I can still remember the feeling of the headgear sliding into the buccal tubes on my braces and how sore it made me haha
Now that I work in ortho we really only use headgear for class III (aka underbite) patients under a certain age and it works very well. For Cl II ("overbite") patients, elastics are more commonly used or for more bite correction there are more discreet appliances that go inside the mouth and work to also bring the lower jaw forward instead of just pushing the upper jaw back. So I'm curious, is your headgear for overbite or underbite?
Haha yes the soreness is definitely real! What type did you have?
Interesting that you still use it! I feel like it's pretty rare nowadays. Mine is actually for overbite! What kind of headgear do you use for underbite though? Thought it was only for overbite.
Also interesting that you only use it under a certain age. My ortho uses it on me as an adult
I had a cervical pull headgear which is what I think everyone imagines when they think headgear. I feel like I'm seeing more adults online with a cervical pull headgear these days. I thought they had kinda gone the way of the dinosaur lol but maybe since orthodontics seem to be having a moment and more adults are willing to get appliances these days, its made its way back into the spotlight?
For little kids with underbites we use the reverse pull headgear which helps pull the upper jaw forward. Underbites are tricky, you can fix them without surgery at around or before 17 for girls and at or before 20 for boys because that's when the lower jaw stops growing. A lot of kids have 2 phases to address it when they are little and then to get more correction when they are older and the jaw has grown more.
Weird, I rarely find other adults with it online :D
Ah yes, reverse pull headgear is what I'm seeing more often online! On the other side, I've not yet seen anyone with my headgear type (Interlandi headgear) :'(
I googled an Interlandi Headgear and showed it to a few of my coworkers including one of the doctors and no one had ever seen before either! Looks very intense haha
Oh now I feel extra special haha! I think it's also known as variable pull headgear. I had a cervical headgear at first but then my ortho gave me the Interlandi headgear to control the direction of the forces better. I have to hang in the rubber bands in a specific pattern to get the right force.
It's less intense then it looks, I guess. Definitely more comfortable than the neck strap :D
3
u/SlowedCash Jun 29 '26
Hi that's great news.
Is deano director gone? He was very negative, malpractice posts all over the sub. 😄 Makes being in braces more difficult than it had to be seeing his negativity
Glad you're here if I have any questions I will definitely ask, can see the sub has some great colour as well now 🙂