Braces at 22, Start of the Journey

[hayleyeh]

Hi Everyone!

I am currently 4 months in to my 1.5 to 2 year treatment. I figured since I get kicked off my parents insurance at 23, it would be a good idea to start now!

My smile has always been a huge concern and insecurity for me. I knew that something was wrong with it when it always came out lopsided in photos. I finally decided to visit an orthodontist and he told me that I have a "canted jaw".

He gave me some options for treatments and said that I was a candidate for jaw surgery - as it was the only way to 100 percent correct my uneven jaw. As Im 22 and a full time university student, I declined this option and went with full upper and lower braces with elastic wear.

I am unable to post a photo of my teeth because I am new and haven't reached the post threshold yet but I will when I get there.

Looking forward to the rest of the journey and seeing the finished product!

[Vicki04]

Congratulations on the beginning of your journey, all the best for the wonderful changes to come .

If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is a "canted jaw"?

[hayleyeh]

[quote="Vicki04"]Congratulations on the beginning of your journey, all the best for the wonderful changes to come .

If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is a "canted jaw"?[/quote]

Thank you!

A canted jaw just refers to one side of your jaw being longer than the other. It results in your teeth kind of looking slanted. My orthodontist did a better job of explaning it than I did but if you Google it, there's lots of pictures for reference!

[tillybrace]

welcome to the club

[Vicki04]

[quote="hayleyeh"][quote="Vicki04"]Congratulations on the beginning of your journey, all the best for the wonderful changes to come .

If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is a "canted jaw"?[/quote]

Thank you!

A canted jaw just refers to one side of your jaw being longer than the other. It results in your teeth kind of looking slanted. My orthodontist did a better job of explaning it than I did but if you Google it, there's lots of pictures for reference![/quote]

I did google it after asking you and no worries you did a good job at explaining it:).
How has the treatment been so far?

[hayleyeh]

It's been pretty good! I'm starting to notice tiny little differences like gaps opening and closing, teeth turning, etc.

The one thing I'm still unsure about is getting coloured ligs. So far I've just stuck to silver!

[oldfart]

You can always do color on the bottom only to see if you like it before adding it to the top. Blue/Purple were my favorites.

[NeilH]

I think many of us would advise you to experiment with coloured ligs whilst you have the chance. Finishing might seem like a long way off but it does come around quickly and I ran out of time towards the end to try all the colours I wanted to. I tended to stick with a few favourite colours throughout so give it a go, you might be pleasantly surprised!