Spring and Stripping

Link to YouTube Video: Spring and Stripping

I went to the orth this morning and he has placed a spring on my lower set and has stripped down the sides of my big front incisors!! (Stripping is where your teeth are filed or ground down.)

The spring will create enough space around my canine for it to turn and be attached to the lower wire. At the moment it can't be connected due to the angle it's at, so the spring will create enough space for it to turn and be connected.

The orthodontist chose this visit to strip down my teeth as there was already some space between the teeth so it seemed ideal. The actual stripping was not painful, but I was tired and this always makes me more of a wimp! The spacers [which were put in place around my mouth to keep my lips away from my teeth] dug into my gums. The spacers are essential because the stripping equipment is extremely dangerous - if it can strip enamel down, just think what it could do to your flesh! My teeth did bleed a little but did not hurt. All I could feel was vibration and the spacer digging into my gum. The orthodontist has a special measuring device that allows him to check that the teeth are stripped exactly as suggested by Incognito so he used this to measure the gaps.

Oh how I wish they could be stripped down even more! *Sigh* (Obviously the can't because the enamel layer would be gone and the dentine exposed which would be very unhealthy indeed!) It certainly feels lovely to know that they are now smaller than before. I asked when he'd strip across the bottom and he said that this would happen right at the end when all the teeth are lined up and in place. I can't wait for that!!

Finally, after stripping down the teeth at the front, elastic bands were placed behind my front top six teeth to bring them together in a lovely neat block.

For more information about stripping see some of the links below:

Private Healthcare UK - Orthodontics Guide: Enamel Stripping - FAQs - really good.

DB Orthodontic Supplies - See what tools are used for this!