Debonded, really unhappy with results,PICS. Advice please :(

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#1 Post by **xayia89** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 12:21 pm

Hi guys! I'm new to this forum but after reading so many stories I felt like I needed to post mine. I would really appreciate any advice/comments/input on what you think I should do about this. Here goes...!

I am 21 years old and I've been in and out of the orthodontists since i was 15. I was referred to the NHS orthodontics department in York hospital because of overcrowding and an impacted canine. I had extractions and surgery to uncover my canine and I finally got my brace on in July 2008. I have just had it removed yesterday and I'm really unhappy with the results. Here is a little bit about my relationship with my ortho. He was a new starter at the time and I think I was his first proper case, he was very nervous with me in my first few visits but I trusted him anyway. After my adjustments I would always notice something wrong and think, for example, 'that bracket is positioned wrongly'. After each visit I would dash straight to the ladies to check what he had done, and once I noticed he had left a module (elastic) off one of my brackets! So I went back to ask if he had done this intentionally and he hadn't. He had simply not noticed! Then a couple visits after that, he did it AGAIN! On the same tooth! This time you could tell he was really embarrassed for making the same mistake. It was after this that I lost all faith in him. He never explained what was happening, and when I had concerns he always tried to make me think they were going fine. But I have eyes, and I could see they just weren't! I have terrible OCD and my job requires me to be a perfectionist, so I always spot things that are imperfect. He also seemed to rush me out after every visit, which really annoyed me aswell. The thing is because my treatment started before I was 18 I got it free on the NHS. But after I turned 18 I always got the impression they wanted to 'get me out of there as quick as possible'. It's not just me who thought this - my boyfriend came with me for a few visits and he noticed this aswell. Well on my 3rd to last visit before debonding, my ortho tells me he is leaving to go to a practice in Leeds, and that Mrs Jenkins would be finishing my treatment. HURRAY I thought! ''I'm getting a new orthodontist! Maybe someone who knows what they're doing!'' Well I was wrong! Mrs Jenkins is the head of orthodontics, and she rushes as much as he does! And doesnt listen to anything you say! On my last visit before I had them off she said everything was perfect and it's time to take them off, but I could clearly see they just looked a mess! One night I even cried myself to sleep about it because I was so upset. One thing that really irks me about my teeth is me upper left 2 (incisor). It is very noticeably stuck out, and about 6 months ago I asked my ortho if anything could be done about it. He said it would be fine and align up in the next few weeks. Well it didn't and after 3 months I finally asked again and he put a torque on it. That didnt work either. And that was the last visit to him because he left. The problem is, no tweaks were made to bring the teeth into alignment, all that was ever done was changing the elastics. Well the day I went for my debonding I was determined not to let them take it off just yet, I told the dental nurse (who was debonding me!!) that I wasnt happy with how they looked and so she inspected and then told me to wait a minute, she went and whispered something to Mrs Jenkins who came and had a quick look, and she said, 'Yes it is stuck out but only by an eighth of a millimietre, which is splitting hairs a bit don't you think?' I couldn't believe what she had said!! I'm not the most assertive person and when someone tries to make me believe something I always fall into the trap of believing them

So anyway I had them off, and here are the results: Please bare in mind that my upper right 1 and 2 are chipped, and my canine is very ground down due to being excavated, so one side of my teeth look lower than the other, which I would happily fix with bonding. The things that most concern me is that my centreline is WAY off (just compare it with the centre of my nose and the centreline of my lowers), the upper left 2 incisor being stuck out, and my upper left canine looks very inverted. (Also notice my molars are totally a-symmetrical, one side is way higher up than the other)

Thanks everyone, and sorry for the essay! I feel better just writing it all out though

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#2 Post by **RedDress** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 12:31 pm

it is hard to read your story. Try to post another tread and resize the picture. sorry about your bad experience with your orthos.

#3 Post by **VA5** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 2:53 pm

Yeah, I was going to say, it's way too long, sorry.

A hint for you, and others... try to keep posts a little shorter or people lose interest.

I can see you have a midline issue. Is this what your concern is?

#4 Post by **BraceFace2o1o** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 3:15 pm

I read it fine. The picture being extra large made it a little difficult so I had to keep scrolling side ways, but still I read it

. I can understand you wanting to give people a good picture of your story/experience with your ortho/s. I often find if you keep things too short, you don't tend to get the right answers as people just don't quite get the question you are asking because you've missed bits out... after all, no one is a mind reader

I can't offer any advice as I am only beginning this journey. But I am sorry to hear you haven't had a good time of it

#5 Post by **Dilema** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 3:16 pm

paragraaaaphssss

my eyes hurt

#6 Post by **classII** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 3:32 pm

Here:

Actually to me they look very nice. How did it look before?

The thing is, and it was a massive surprise to me, is that technically its the inside of the row of the teeth that count. The backside of your teeth when complete should be "flush" the other side, the front or what you are looking at isn't what is being treated. It's luck of the draw if your teeth look nice and flush owing to size shape thickness etc. That's where you get it shaped bonded thickened or thinned etc. It may look like discrepancies from the outside but provided the inside is smooth or flush all the way around, it would be a matter of cosmetic denstry on the outside.

Canines should follow the lowers, I can see that left lateral does look like it is sticking out a bit. Is it flush on the inside? Not sure how it could be remedied. midline is the last concern, totally hit or miss depending on your jaws, most people are asymmetrical and after treatment simply can't match up.

Maybe Dr Derrick can weigh in as he does (I think) cosmetic) touches as well.

Otherwise if the bite is fixed and that is how the teeth themselves are, I wouldn't fret it, but worst case, check into cosmetics to "clean" it up to your liking.

#7 Post by **classII** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 3:41 pm

I should add, looks a lot more natural and better IMO 'as is'.You got awesome big white teeth, if they were flawless after completion I'd wonder if you did indeed do some cosmetics to achieve that. I expect to have some similar malfunctions after my treatment and refuse to have any fake stuff applied to achieve 100% prefection. At first I too was a little upset that what I thought it should look like simply cannot be achieved as its the teeth themselves that are shaped they way they are. This as I am in my final stages.. Having weighed applying veneers or bonding versus small discrepancies, that actually only we see, I decided not to. T hose are your teeth. I think I would be more self conscious knowing I got fake stuff stuck on after braces.

There is of course the need if the teeth or a tooth is naturally too small, or shaving one tooth because it's too big etc. Call it technically required comestics vs. aesthetics.

#8 Post by **RedDress** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 5:17 pm

It actually looks like the teeth are well centered. The reason they do not look centered is the shape of the teeth. so I would not be too upset. Besides, the OP is soo young!

#9 Post by **felicia** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 6:28 pm

I like your teeth.
I believe your lateral incisors are just shaped differently.
If I were you, I would not do a thing to change them.
It's the little imperfections that make us different and special.
If teeth are matching perfectly...they look like dentures.
Enjoy your new smile, I think it's beautiful.

#10 Post by **Lynette** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 7:04 pm

I think they look really good!

People are only going to notice that tooth if you point it out

And even then, it's only the tiniest of tiny flaw

#11 Post by **sadpanda** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 7:10 pm

I think your teeth look great!

I see how your midline isn't perfect, but sometimes they can't be corrected by braces or other times midlines get altered because of other corrections being made on your teeth. My midline is horrible right now, but I don't actually know what it will look like in the end. Anyway, I'm sorry your ortho wasn't so great and I completely understand your wanting to write everything out. Your post wasn't too long, it just didn't fit on the screen right. Also, I've read a lot that people get nitpicky when their braces come off if everything isn't completely perfect. You might just have to get used to your new smile.

#12 Post by **psych braces** » Thu Nov 04, 2010 7:39 pm

I agree with most of the posts that your teeth look very nice. I also think that you should get the results that you want if those results are possible. Seems that a little more time might get that tooth in the correct position, but then maybe I've greatly understated the process and the reality is that getting that tooth correctly positioned would involve moving many more teeth. The time involved could be much greater. It annoys me that an ortho would say "that's splitting hairs", thereby stating that your concern is not legitimate. I am not a perfectionist (nor do I have OCD) but I am agreeing with you. Perhaps you could ask the ortho about retainers that could assist with this last part of movement.

#13 Post by **revontuli** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 9:06 pm

Your teeth look beautiful!

#14 Post by **fosterp** » Sun Nov 07, 2010 12:35 pm

Well I think a lot of advertisement of people with picture perfect smiles is causing unrealistic expectations among braces patients. Keep in mind that braces can only move teeth, it can't change the way they are shaped.

That said, the things you are pointing out I do see, however I think you may be putting blame on your orthodontist something that was outside of his control. Its pretty common for the shape of incisors to not match. Additionally, I think the chipping on your right side may be adding to the perception of problems on the other side because of the unbalancing aspect of it.

Also, its hard to see with a closed bite, but it appears that you might have a slight cant in your lower jaw. It might just be from the way the chipping appears, but a slight cant will make it very difficult for the midlines to correspond exactly. Its the result of jaw asymmetry, and your teeth can only mask it so much but outright perfection just isn't possible without surgery, and in your case that would appear to be way more than necessary.

If you really are still bothered by this, your best bet is to just get another consultation with an orthodontist, they can reassure you better than any of us can, and if there is any possibility of fixing your concerns they will be able to tell you.