Ugh, I feel you on the timeline thing... my "18-month" braces are creeping up on three years now. I did ask about elastics, but my ortho seemed hesitant—said something about my bite needing more time first. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if a second opinion might help. But yeah, patience is key I guess... at least that's what everyone keeps telling me, lol.
"Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if a second opinion might help."
I've been thinking the exact same thing lately. My ortho initially said around two years for my underbite, but it's already been almost two and a half, and now he's mentioning elastics "soon" without much clarity. Did yours explain why your bite needs more time before elastics? Mine just says vague stuff like "we're getting closer," which honestly doesn't help my anxiety at all... starting to wonder if another perspective might clear things up.
I totally get the anxiety you're feeling... my ortho kept saying "almost there" for months without explaining why. Finally asked directly, and turns out my teeth were shifting slower than expected. Maybe yours is similar? Definitely doesn't hurt to ask clearly what's going on.
We went through something similar with my daughter—felt like her braces were on forever. Every visit was "just a little longer," and honestly, it got pretty frustrating. Finally, I asked outright if something wasn't going as planned. Turns out her jaw growth was slower than expected, so it wasn't just the teeth shifting slowly. Sometimes orthos forget we don't speak their language... definitely worth nudging them for clearer answers. Hang in there, it'll be worth it in the end (or so I keep telling myself, haha).
"Sometimes orthos forget we don't speak their language..."
Haha, exactly this. I remember my orthodontist casually mentioning "minor adjustments," which apparently meant another six months. Hang tight though, once they're off, you'll forget all about the endless waiting... mostly.
