Top teeth now straight...but I am left with a 5 mm overjet

[francis29]

I have been in ceramic uppers/metal lower for 5 months, the lower teeth need a few more months to close a few gaps but my overcrowding/left canine fang on the top is all gone and the top teeth are straight. But, because myself, my ortho, dentist and periodontist were against pulling 2 teeth prior to treatment which would have made the overbite perfect. We made a beautiful arch with the top teeth for a nice smile, but the over jet is sort of big at 5 mm. I had a 2 mm start of treatment.

So, today rather than take my top braces off we added a new power chain and elastics to try to get a mm or so of the overjet to go away. Will this work and if it works how many mm's can I get without extractions?

The reason we didn't extract is because I am 42 and have had extensive dental issues needing root canals and I have a few crowns and we didn't want to pull healthy teeth with everything else I have been thru when I really just want a nice smile and straight teeth which I now have but .. this over jet its pretty big and I don't like it.

TIA

Frances

[catgyrl]

I'm very curious to see how they tackle this, too. I started out with a 6mm overjet, had one extraction, and thus far have managed to get the overjet down to about 3mm. However, it's still very noticeable and I have no idea how they'll get that fixed. I've already been in elastics for 7 months and powerchains for almost as long. I sure hope I don't have to pull another tooth, because I think that would make my profile TOO flat.

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread, and hope someone is able to answer your question!

-Cathy

[francis29]

Thank you for your response, I look at your progress all the time. You are looking wonderful!!!

My sister had two premolars pulled at 25 when she got her braces and her face is very flat and her cheekbones are now non existent, that in addition to my dental work is more reason I did not want to pull teeth.

I have to say the little overjet is sort of cute and girly but 5 mm's is a little big for me, and I started with a 2 mm. But, we had to pull out my front teeth that were tipped in and that caused the overjet.

I have been in elastics for 3 hours ... I cannot imagine being in them for 7 more months considering my teeth are straight now!!!!!! ARRG!

[catgyrl]

Thank you, frances!

I know what you mean about the overjet looking "cute". My best friend tells me I reminded her of the actress Gene Tierney. Funny, though, there are very few pictures of her smiling with her mouth open. Maybe she didn't like her overjet, either? LOL! I take it as a compliment, because she was very cute.

You get used to the elastics fairly quickly. I hated them the first day, but now I'm so used to them, that it feels funny without them. What configuration do you have? Upper canine to lower-back molar? That's the classic "Class II" configuration that is used to minimize the overjet. It surely does work; however, in my case, it also pulls my teeth upwards which "undoes" all the leveling he's trying to achieve. The we do the triangles (like I have now) and it levels things back out... but causes the overjet to come back. I think I'm a difficult case...

-Cathy

[francis29]

I am trying to take pictures to show you, lol! I have elastics upper canine to lower back molar. I had a head gear and the same type of elastics as a kid for braces round #1 but the overbite came back (not too deep/covered half my lower teeth and still remains).

I have never had an over jet before until now because by pulling my upper teeth to form a nice U shape from the more rectangle shape they were (and tipped in with two upper teeth hitting two bottom teeth), now I have the total opposite problem! I think with adults the teeth might never be perfect perfect. My 15 y.o's teeth are perfect perfect, bite, alignment, and he had the palate expander, head gear elastics and braces for 18 months. It's too late for me to have perfect but pretty good will work.

I hope I can reduce this overjet a bit tho without messing up my teeth and I am not extracting any teeth.

[believer1964]

Hello,

My top front teeth were tipped in bad. I had a deep overbite which turned into an overjet in the early stages in treatment. My ortho advised me he had to move my top teeth out to start correcting things and I would have an overjet. I looked like like Howdy Doody for awhile. This happened in my first 6 months of treatment. However after I started in elastics and powerchains my front teeth have lost the overjet.

I had a crowded top teeth and no teeth were extracted.

I think your overjet is temporary and is necessary for your treatment. Just takes time and patience.

I hope this helps.

Check out my before and after pics after one year in braces!!!!

[francis29]

Thank you believer, how can I see your pictures? I am posting mine or trying to now.

My ortho said I was pretty much done with braces today maybe a month in the power chain then de-band the top (not the bottoms, they have a few gaps left) and ortho asked if I had any concerns or did I like my teeth and I said no I don't think the tops were straight enough (maybe they are, I am not the ortho maybe this is as good as it gets) and I said I don't like the overjet. Ortho said I can try elastics to try to close the overjet which is about 5 mm. I would have done the elastics for the past 5 months rather than start that up now. Unless, elastics is something you start out with once the teeth are straight? I don't know why I am dictating the treatment. The ortho worked magic on my son's teeth and they are perfect and here I am pointing out gaps on the bottom and overjets for my treatment.

I asked how long would I be in elastics and ortho said he "doesn't know but if you don't want them you can not wear your retainer and the teeth will naturally go back to where they were." Why would I spend 5 thousand dollars and be in traditional braces for the teeth to end up where they were (after I had braces as a kid AND failed Invisalign treatment with a different ortho 6 years ago). I'm sort of p*ssed and think my ortho wants me out of there bc they got their money and 5 mos later my teeth are moderately better and that is good enough for them.

Now, maybe this is as good as it gets for me and I am not sure I will ever have the teeth I want; but I am trying braces AGAIN before rushing into veneers which I don't really want to do.

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... 3188-1.jpg Day before braces went on

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... C02030.jpg (today after power chain went on)

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... C02034.jpg (my new overjet)

TIA!

[yoginbraces]

Honestly, looking at all your pics I find your last pic the most attractive. I think women with a slight overbite / overjet to be attractive and more feminine looking than a totally flat smile.

I have an overjet perhaps even more prominent than yours and my teeth are even larger but I don't mind it at all.

I chose not to have my premolars removed bcuz of my age (46) and the fact that I didn't want to look that different, I just wanted more symmetry to my smile.

I probably have about 6 more months of treatment left and I couldn't be happier.

P.S. I think once your braces are removed your smile will be perfect.....braces have a way of making our protrusion/overjet appear more prominent than what it really is. Once your braces are removed and you have them power washed and (maybe) even whitened (which is what I plan to do) you are going to be more than pleased.

[ambraced]

I had very mild overcrowding on my upper jaw and I had thought that all the orthodontist would have to do would be to turn two of my incisors a few mm. I have a class 1 malocclusion and I was quite surprised when the ortho said he wouldn't do a brace on my upper teeth unless I had a premolar on either side extracted. He said that my teeth would jut out more. I decided to proceed as he suggested.

So if in your case extractions were best avoided probably the increase in overbite isn't the orthodontist fault.

I think I agree with you....better have a bit of an overbite than crooked teeth!

Enjoy your fabulous new smile!:D

[francis29]

Thank you yogi and ambraced, I agree it is not my ortho's fault my teeth cannot be perfect. I wish I was a palate expander/or head gear candidate but that ship has sailed and extractions just isn't going to happen. I am ok with a few imperfections as long as my teeth aren't tipped in and the left canine fang is gone on top and the gaps closed on the bottom. I do like that because I have always had a little overbite that my upper lip sort of pouts out and that has not been lost during my the straightening process, its still there bc of the over jet, I didn't want to lose that to extractions like my sister did. Also, to my eyes my sisters bottom jaw looks like it juts out to meet her top teeth and even tho I know that is NOT THE CASE, because I am so used to my overbite/now over jet, to my eyes it is more pleasing to see the overjet.

Yogi - I also think an overbite/slight overjet is cute on a girl, I just hope it can come in a bit tho so I can eat a sandwich better, lol. I am planning on bleaching my teeth and veneering the two front bottom teeth that had root canals in them and are worn from the two top teeth being tipped in for 30+ years and gum recontouring on my upper teeth as that gum line became uneven when we straightened the teeth. Ahhh teeth....its hard when you are an adult in braces and want to walk out of there with That Farrah Fawcett or Jessica Simpson smile and even knowing that is impossible bc I don't have those teeth to begin with its hard to want what you want. But, I will be happy with them straight.

Ambraced, I am happy with them being straighter and the overjet is sort of cute, I am hoping the elastics for a couple months can get that down just a mm or two.

Frances