feeling down about end of treatment

[peach]

So I've been in orthodontic treatment for almost 5 yrs. I had braces for 4 yrs and invisalign for about the last yr. I had crowding on bottom arch, top teeth straight but had two gaps, and an overbite. During treatment, my upper arch became noticably more slanted. The invisalign helped straighten this out alot. I went in today thinking the ortho was going to take molds for another set of trays but she tells me that I'm done and my gaps will have to be closed with bonding. She said I will have to call my dentist to do this. Half way through my treatment, she said that my teeth are small and she wont be able to fully close the gaps. I was disappointed because that wasnt what she said at the start of treatment. However, I thought she would be able to close the gaps more than this when i started 5 yrs ago. The gaps look pretty much the way they did when i started treatment. After i took pictures, i got more depressed because my smile still looks off. Maybe it's my gums? I dont know but the ortho said my teeth are aligned the way they should be. she took molds and I'm to pick up my hawley retainers in 3 weeks. She said they will close up the gaps between my molars. Honestly, 5 yrs of tx seems like such a waste for me with these results. I'm so tired of tx and I'm unhappy with how I look. I never missed one appointment, always showed on time and followed every recommendation. I even keep up with my twice a yr dental check ups. I feel just aweful and wished i could have the beautiful results that others have gotten. Sorry for the rant :'(

[NickelNikki]

Aww, I'm sorry that you're feeling this way. You clearly can't see the dazzling smile that I can see in your photographs! You have very nicely shaped teeth. Perhaps you should look at some of your before pictures and remind yourself of how far you've come. None of us will achieve veneer perfect smiles, but I think it's much better to utilize our own natural teeth so that we keep something of our own unique smile and don't just blend in to the crowd. Your pictures are at the higher end of the results that I've seen so far. Don't let gaps get you down! See if the suggestions from your ortho works first then readdress the problem later if the initial solutions don't work. Don't forget to use that beautiful smile that you both deserve and have achieved!

[dojo]

Your smile is beautiful, end of story

Anyway, feel free to meet with another ortho in a while and discuss the results. In the end nothing can stop you for discussing this with another specialist and see if there is another opinion on this.

[peach]

Thank you for being supportive. I guess I just dont see what you do. I can deal with having to get bonding done for the gaps but the slant in my front teeth really bothers me. Honestly, it never looked slanted when I first started tx. Maybe its always been off and the new position of my teeth makes it noticable. Maybe it will look more even when i get bonding done. I just hate the way it looks now and Im worried that Ill get bonding done when I really should of had some more orthodontic tx done. I am not expecting perfection but I dont think my teeth look like theyre finished. Ive used all of my orthodontic insurance and paid all my copays. I dont know if a different ortho will give me unrealistic expectations and Ill spend out of pocket a couple thousand for something that cant be fixed. I dont see how my ortho can look at my teeth and say theyre finished. Am I crazy? Seriously, i see people complain about the smallest things they notice about their teeth and i think they look wonderful. I can honestly say that if I was told that my ortho tx would take 5 yrs and then i was shown the above pictures, I would of walked out of the office. That sounds really terrible. Maybe even dramatic. I just dont know what to do. I was thinking of taking in my pictures and pointing oit some of the concerns to ser what she'd say.

[tmroy79]

Do you have any pictures of before?

I also have lots of spacing. My ortho warned me up front that my teeth were on the narrow side and we might have some issues closing some gaps. I went through with it anyway. They way I see it, it will still look better than what I had. And at the end if I have to get some bonding done that is ok too. You will find on here that lots of people still get some bonding done after. You should talk to your dentist or get a second opinion. I bet you will feel better after you do.

[Ellebraced]

Hey Peach

OMG 5 years, you deserve a metal for your patience. I think you have a beautiful smile. I don't know how you could still have gaps but I guess every case is unique. I would get a 2nd opinion for your peace of mind to make sure you have done everything you can do. I personally don't see the slanting. I think my ortho was going to slant my teeth because of my overbite to hide it without having jaw surgery.

Good Luck

Post some before pics so we can see the difference

Elle

[Joye30]

I think I would be disappointed in still having gaps also. Maybe go see a different ortho for a 2nd opinion?

[kennyandrew85]

I would get another opinion, also I find it bizarre that you had normal braces for 4 years and then switched to invisalign with gaps still there.

Invisalign is not adequate to fix major issues, whereas archwires combined with elastics can fix pretty much most things.
Shouldn't you have stayed in brackets with a powerchain until your gaps were closed?

Elastics would fix any uneven bite, that's what they're there for, sounds like your ortho doesn't really know what tools are at her disposal and how to properly use them?

Get another opinion!!!!

[nifer237]

I agree with Kenny, although it really looks like things are progressing nicely, you're smile is great! I know we're often our own worst critics, but it wouldn't hurt having someone else take a look. I cannot imagine having been braced for that long, you are definitely a trooper. Hang in there, it's almost finished!

[kellyb]

i think your smile is beautiful
5 years is a very long time, wow. and i am here moaning that i will have to be in mine for abt 18 months.

i cannot see the slant which you are referring to. the gaps are there but as others have mentioned, if you are unhappy with them, a little bonding will sort this. i will have to do the same when i finished my braces treatment as a i have a couple gaps on my lower arch which the ortho highlighted will be difficult to close without damaging the teeth.

[margarets]

I have similar gaps in the exact same places. All three orthos I consulted said I would need some bonding to fully close the gaps because a couple of my teeth are just too narrow to fill up the space. So, it's a thing even orthodontia can't fix.

Your teeth look great though. Don't feel *too* bad about them.

[auco99]

I think your smile is pretty also, but I'll be completely honest, if I'd worn them for 5 years, I would be bothered by the gaps, and aggravated that my orthodontist didn't do a better job closing them. That said, I don't notice the slant you are talking about, and your teeth look good and I'm sure they look significantly better than before. But yeah, for toiling 5 years....I see where you are coming from, and I think you are right to feel that way.

[peach]

Thanks everyone. I bugged my husband to look at my teeth. He said I'm officially crazy because he doesn't see a slant either... that made me feel better. LOL. I think that I'm seeing a slant in my upper arch because of my gum line coming down a bit more on the one side. If none of you dee it then I guess I shouldn't worry so much. I can always ask the ortho about it at the next appt. As for the gaps, my ortho said I have small teeth and that's why she can't fully close the gaps. I wish she would of said that 5 yrs ago. That was one of the things i was looking forward to. She did braces first to take care of the bigger issues tgen invisalign to tweek the smaller details. At least that was her reasoning and she didnt charge me for it. Seems like my gaps are rather large and it would require alot of bonding but the ortho insists that my teeth are where they should be. I dont have any before pix unless i can take pix of the before pix my ortho has in my file. 'Ll have to wait until my appt in 3 weeks to get more info. Thanks again for everyone's feedback. 5 yrs has really been too long. I just want it to be over and to have a smile i can be proud og.

[whiteswan]

I see what you are talking about although I don't think it is a slant. I think you are right when you say it is because of the gums. One side of your smile shows a little more gum than the other. I would never have noticed it if you hadn't pointed it out and even then I had to look for a while to try to figure out what you were seeing.

I think your smile looks fab the way that it is. It is a pleasant and healthy looking smile that you can be proud of. Still, I completely understand why you are upset about the gaps. Particularly after 5 years! I would be too. I would think that if the ortho was going to line up the teeth and not worry about gaps then it would surely only take 2-3 years like everyone else! And if the gaps couldn't be closed, you should have been told ahead of time (or at least as soon as your ortho knew this might happen!) so as to make an informed choice about whether or not to begin/continue treatment. 5 years is too long in braces for any reason, IMO, and to be left with gaps you weren't expecting afterward is not acceptable.

[terhantinker]

Sucks, but it could be worse. Maybe a veneer over the side teeth since they are so small. That will be the outcome of mine. Veneer on one side, implant on the other.