So I am in my 13th month of braces and almost a year ago they extracted one tooth from the right side to create a bit more room, but didn't want to pull one from each side to avoid too much space and black triangles. But now that everything has settled nicely and all my teeth are aligned, I am seeing that my midline is off to the right by a few cm. It's noticeable to me and in photos, my one tooth lines up under my nose.

On my last visit, I asked my ortho about this and he just said, "That's the way it will have to be" but I don't accept that. There is no reason for $6000 that they can't make an effort to line my mindline up properly, has anyone else had this experience? What can they do, I'm in the home stretch of my treatment and I don't want to extend it, but had I known this would be a side affect of getting my teeth straightened, I may not have done it at all.

Any suggestions or positive stories of this happening? Thanks, I'm trying to be hopeful...

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did he ever mention using elastics at all? he should have been doing this to try to move your midline a bit. that's what mine is doing- i had one tooth extracted in my teens. you can find videos on youtube that show the elastics config.

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Wore Top & Bottom traditional metal brackets, wore elastics both sides 24/7
Brace day: Oct 4 2011 / Sentence: 18 months - DONE in 16 months
My story + progress pix

I think this should have been discussed with you from the start. I have a canine missing, and have been told I can simply close the gaps and have an off midline, or i can have an implant in the gap, a corrected midline, and a big overbite! Both options feel wrong to me so I'm going to talk to my ortho again. I think you should too.

i had braces when i was 14, and my midline shifted significantly. i told my ortho, but he said there was nothing he could do about it. make sure you demand that he fix the issue. 12 years later, and I have to get braces again to fix this problem.

They did discuss it from the beginning. I go to an office with 2 orthos and the one on a previous visit told me there is nothing they could do and that it would have to be like that, but the last time I went in, I talked to the other one and virtually demanded they fix it and I now have to wear stronger box elastics (Tortoises) as well as one going across my front teeth. It's not ideal, but I know it's fixing the problem, so we'll see. He did say the midline is the last part of the treatment and I am on my last months so I'm hoping it works out and moves at least a little bit.

Thanks everyone for your input!

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Hi everyone,

I am interested in this discussion as I have a midline that is way off. I've always had it because one tooth on left side never came in and another on same side was extracted years ago. This made an insisor rotate to fill in the space. Also one front tooth has always been pushed back and slightly behind the other. (should figure out how to post photos!)

I really went to the ortho to correct severe crowding on bottom teeth and two were extracted to make room. So now I have two less teeth on left side, both top and bottom. From the first appointment my orthodontist had said he couldn't correct the midline and most people won't notice it. But now that the front tooth (that was pushed back), has been aligned my midline is really noticably off center. One front tooth is really in the middle!

During my last adjustment he mentioned that the midline shows up more now that the teeth are straight and he could correct it by extracting one tooth on the right side, rotate the insisor back into position and have an implant in the space.

I am only 3 months into my treatment of 24 months and would like some feedback from everyone if you think this is worth it. I haven't measured the midline, but when I first went to my ortho he said "Oh you have a Tom Cruise ...something" I didn't know what he meant, but now I've been reading up on this off center midline subject.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!! I can't stop looking in the mirror at this midline and am going crazy. Thanks alot.

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I was the exact same way^^. Everytime I looked in the mirror I would notice it...And no offense to your ortho, but it shouldn't matter if "people can notice" it or not, if it bothers you and it's fixable, they should fix it. Mine tried to tell me that was just how it was going to have to be, but I pressed and asked about it like 3 visits in a row until they decided to try moving about 10 teeth the opposite way to help shift it. I can see a slight difference. I think the midline is a guide for a reason. Try talking to them again. Good luck.

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I have the exact prolem my midline is off almost an entire tooth to the left. He pulled number 5 on the left and I was already missing a tooth (thanks Army). I asked on many occasions before they pulled the tooth on left are you sure it shouldn't be one on the right and he said he was sure it needed to be the left. So now 19 months into a 24 month sentence and he was finalizing my bite for debracing. I had a great tech that was with me in not liking the mideline shifted and she was pretty firm saying to him my midline needs to be fixed. So last month my heavy wire went from far back right to only 2nd tooth on left side. Didn't do a thing for my midline... So today she was again firm with him and he put me back in class II elastics Debbie's only on my right side from canine to 1st banded tooth in back along with a lighter wire. He said that should shift the teeth.

If anyone has had this problem and got it fixed please let us know what they did and if this works for me I'll let you know.

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Sentenced to 24 months
Upper & lower Metals
Braced on 8/23/2010
Debraced 7/23/12

So I went to the orthodontist today and revisited the topic of how far off my midline is. I asked how close he is going to get it to center and he said it wouldn't be much btter than it is right now. I about hit the floor with that one. He said he could fix it better if I had a tooth on the top and bottom on the right side pulled....WTH I had a tooth on the left pulled to fix this problem is what I thought. So I etiher have to take the set back of starting over or deal with my midline being almost an entire tooth off. I don't really want to be in braces another 2 years because of this. He did put me in a stronger elastic on my right side it's extra heavy "Gloria" 1/8" 8oz.

So what would you do if you were in my situation? My midline will be just about the same as it was when I started my journey - but my bite will be fixed and both arches will be widened. HELP

Thanks in advance.

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Sentenced to 24 months
Upper & lower Metals
Braced on 8/23/2010
Debraced 7/23/12

I'd suggest you don't pull a tooth just to shift the midline since nobody notices it.
Pulling a tooth will narrow the arch.

Thanks Maxhammar!

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Sentenced to 24 months
Upper & lower Metals
Braced on 8/23/2010
Debraced 7/23/12

[quote="maxhammer"]I'd suggest you don't pull a tooth just to shift the midline since nobody notices it.
Pulling a tooth will narrow the arch.[/quote]

Ahh well too late for me :(
I've a mid-line problem BEFORE the start of braces. My mid-line is off to the right by approximately 3mm (I measured!), so my dentist pulled out my number 5 on the left :( I'm praying hard now that it wouldn't cause any asymmetry problem because I really dig symmetry (kind of OCD when it comes to symmetry issues)