I have had these braces for a year and a half now and I have officially begun my countdown to get these awful things off. Every 6 weeks I go to have my existing wires clipped off of my self ligating brackets . This procedure is not pain free as my wires are thick and the pressure put on my teeth is GREAT. So great that I often feel like I will loose the teeth that they are trying to straighten. Today I sat back in my chair, alternating between gripping the arm rests and putting my hands together in a prayer clasp wishing with all of me that I would feel very little pain. My heart races, I sweat, and today ... I CRY Yep, I actually CRIED . Not the sobbing kind, just the endless silent tears that flow when you really don't want them to. The old wires came out, some brackets were re-positioned, and new wires were put back in. Just as I thought I was nearly done, the last bracket (on top) would not take the wire because it was thick and my tooth position was off. Remedy for this...