Severe malocclusion

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LDApat
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:07 pm

Severe malocclusion

#1 Post by LDApat »

Hi,

I am 29 years old and have been wearing braces now for just over 1 1/2 years. The reason I started wearing braces was because my dentist told me that my eye-teeth on my upper right and upper left were not my permanent teeth, but still my baby teeth. My permanent teeth started growing in, and without any place to go, grew forward and pushed my front teeth out. I decided to take out my baby teeth and start orthodontic treatment to pull the permanent teeth into their correct position. I am now at the point where my permanent teeth are very close to where they should be. But, in the process of correcting these teeth, I developed a severe overbite. (I was not made aware that I could develop an overbite by using braces, as this was not discussed when I had a consultation with my orthodontist and made the decision to start this treatment.) My orthodontist measured my overbite to be 6 (mm, I assume). He is telling me that I do not have very many options to correct my overbite other than jaw surgery, but I would prefer not to go that route because of fear of further complications. I have read some information on the Herbst appliance. Is this one option? What other options are available?

Thank you for reading this.

LDApat
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:07 pm

#2 Post by LDApat »

Thanks, Meryaten. That article was very helpful.

Another thing that I failed to mention in my first post is that I seem to have very sensitive teeth. When I first got my braces on, my face got swollen, and I was in pain for almost a week. My orthodontist told me the braces I have are the Damon and these are supposed to be the least painful and he didn't understand why I was in so much pain. He came to the conclusion that my teeth were just very sensitive. So, I am also concerned that if I go through with the surgery, I may have an extended recovery time. And, if the Herbst takes a bit longer, that would not make much of a difference.

One more question. I have been trying to get a second opinion from another orthodontist, but every time I mention that I am already wearing braces, no one seems to want to give me an appointment. Any suggestions on how I could go about doing this?

Thanks!

rsprouse
Posts: 524
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2006 8:46 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA

#3 Post by rsprouse »

Allergies to any materials would manifest in a much different way. You would have some sort of acute reaction and the symptoms would not go away while the irritant was present. If you had/have a latex allergy then it would have started very quickly after coming into contact with the gloves.

Sensitivity happens, and can be worse when going through orthodontic treatment. Do you have any large areas of recession (receding gums)? I would start brushing with a sensitivity toothpaste (Sensodyne, Crest, etc, anything with Potassium Nitrate) and see if it helps. It takes a good week to see the benefits, but it is worth it.

Good Luck in your Treatment,
Rory

Clo
Posts: 969
Joined: Thu Sep 02, 2004 5:05 am
Location: Belgium
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#4 Post by Clo »

Hi,

thanks to Meryaten, I saw your post about Herbst vs. jaw surgery.
Maybe you can learn a bit about my case if you look under the general
"Metal Mouth forum" and find there some posts I made during the last months.
Anyway, now I have reached a point where reducing my overjet, initially also
about 6 mm, using elastics and a headgear have failed. So, these very days
I need to choose too. I see an oral surgeon and my orthodontist next monday,
so then I will be able to tell more. I did some research on the use of Herbsts
on adults and know now this :

They can indeed use it for adults too. In cases that are not too bad, probably
like ours, they have very good results. I know they do not only move the
teeth, but the whole 'ridge' where the lower teeth are. Only the hard bone of
the jaw is not moved, that can only be done by surgery.

It is not a simple procedure. I have an ortho who is specialised in using this
appliance. Your ortho should indeed have experience using the Herbst, as
it is indeed possible to do this for adults, but it hasn't been done much yet.
So, your ortho need to know very well all about Herbsts.

It seems to be a tough treatment for your teeth. Not only having the Herbst,
but also the corrections that are needed afterwards. So you somehow need
to know before if "your teeth can handle this Herbst".

The main disadvantage of Herbst is that it takes quite some time. I wouldn't
be surprised if I would need to wear mine for a whole year if I go that route.

Anyway, that makes 2 of us making this decision Herbst vs. surgery. I am
really interested to know how everything turns out for you. I certainly will
continue posting in the general forum. Like next week after my appointment.

Later !

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