twin block for an adult

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mel2012
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:28 am

twin block for an adult

#1 Post by mel2012 »

have any adults on here been treated with a twin block? i have severe overjet/bite because my lower jaw is too far back but i refused surgery.My top arch seems narrow and i have a small mouth,my ortho recommended extractions followed by braces but that isn't going to help my jaw at all and i really don't want any more teeth removing.There is no way i could go through with surgery,i know the results wont be as good but i was wondering if it was possible to have a twin block to straighten my teeth a little and help bring my jaw forward,then straighten them up properly with lingual braces? if anyone as had this treatment please share your experience with me. thanks :-)

cabreramvp
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2012 7:43 am

Re: twin block for an adult

#2 Post by cabreramvp »

with surgery, you would need your jaw wired shut. I have a twin block, and its not that bad. There's wires on the front of your teeth, so they just look like retainers. Thats the only thing people will notice. You cant close your mouth all the way. You do have a lisp for about 3 days to a week. You'll need an expander on the top. For me it hurt for the first three days. Also, you might not be able to get lingual braces, because you might need a bite plate to keep your teeth back.

ellieb
Posts: 54
Joined: Tue May 08, 2012 6:03 am

Re: twin block for an adult

#3 Post by ellieb »

Yes, I had it. I moved so I wasn't able to finish the job, but it helped a lot. I felt a little goofy with it because I had a hard time keeping my lips together and I never got rid of the lisp,and had some problems with other sounds the whole time. It's not as effective or fast-working as it would be for a kid, because for example I couldn't turn my expander screw every day, I had to do it every 4 days. Even though I couldn't finish, I wore it as a retainer when I moved at night and at home in general, and ate with it when I ate at home, until it started to get disgusting and I suspected it might be warping and not good for me to keep wearing. So when I went in for treatment recently, I only needed 11 weeks of expansion with an ALF and my lower jaw had remained forward, and I'll only need brackets on my back teeth for elastics to close my posterior open bite, though, I don't know. My alignment will be finished with just IPR and a removable appliance on top. This all would've been a bigger job now if I hadn't worn the twin block.

starfish88
Posts: 398
Joined: Tue May 22, 2012 8:57 pm

Re: twin block for an adult

#4 Post by starfish88 »

I also have a narrow upper jaw and overjet (12mm!) and refused surgery. My ortho decided to treat with only damon braces and elastics and no appliances or extractions. Obviously these are a bit more obvious than linguals would be but having had a failed attempt at orthodontics as a teen I can say its far more comfortable than whatever appliance I had then (although this might not be the case for everyone, my ortho then was really bad). Also having gone for damon clears they are hard to see in photos especially now my teeth have straightened a bit. I'm really happy with the results so far. after 4 weeks of elastics i was down to 10mm of overjet and when I measured last (about 8 weeks of elastics) I think i'm at 8 or 9mm now (although this was done myself so i'll know for sure at my next appointment). The braces have also helped with arch development although I still have a way to go there. (I still have a year or more to go so I'm still hopefull I'll see dramatic improvement there too) Basically what i'm saying is that there are lots of options for you and it is possible. I was really scared refusing surgery would give me a sub-par result but I'm really happy with the progress so far!
Image

Image

16 months 1 week and 2 days in braces
12mm overjet and narrow jaws all fixed with braces and elastics.
http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=42441

ellieb
Posts: 54
Joined: Tue May 08, 2012 6:03 am

Re: twin block for an adult

#5 Post by ellieb »

For me, I think the reason I feel happy with how my treatment is going is that I chose an orthodontist who is skilled in several treatment modalities. She CAN do Invisalign, she CAN do iBraces, she CAN use the Damon system, she CAN use the ALF, she uses various bite repositioning techniques. So, we were able to look at a lot of different options for my plan.

The drawbacks to the twin block, I would say, are that for probably 6-9 months, your speech is likely to be affected, and your eating will be affected, and it will definitely be noticeable. And even though it's removable, you really have to wear it all the time. However, with surgery, you're completely out of commission for awhile, and it seems like people still often have to wear various expanders and splints and things for a while. So I'm not sure that surgery saves anyone from the inconveniences that you get from a twin block. Plus with an appliance, if you realize you don't like the changes it's making you can stop, and there's no risk of nerve damage or any other surgical complications.

It also depends on the severity. I was used to having my lower jaw postured too far back, so my muscles were kind of kinked up and my soft tissues were conformed to that position. The twin block didn't make my lower jaw grow, that was done, but it did free up (after a lot of initial soreness) the muscles and stuff for my jaw to find it's natural position. If my jaw needed to be actually longer I might've needed surgery.

mel2012
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:28 am

Re: twin block for an adult

#6 Post by mel2012 »

Hi ladies.thanks for the reply, i didnt realise anyone had left a comment. Where are you ellie? Im in the uk andit is near enough impossible to get anyone to use a functional appliance on me :-(

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Ellabelle
Posts: 258
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2012 8:21 pm

Re: twin block for an adult

#7 Post by Ellabelle »

The use of functional appliances for adults seems to be very orthodontist-specific, at least in my experience. At one consult I had I was told an appliance would have limited effectiveness on my "mature jaw" (I'm 25). He recommended extraction and surgery. A second orthodontist just wanted to do extractions.

The orthodontist I ended up choosing is giving me the choice between twin blocks and a herbst. Extractions (2) were optional if I wanted to speed up the process (I'm opting not to, I'd rather have it take longer and keep all my teeth personally).

The only consistency between the orthodontists was their predicted treatment time, 2 years. I feel really good about my choice. So if you want to move to the US my ortho will give you twin blocks! :-)

Good luck going forward, keep us posted!

mel2012
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:28 am

Re: twin block for an adult

#8 Post by mel2012 »

Lol unfortunately i'd never be able to afford to move to the u.s although i wish i could as the dental care seems more advanced than ours in the uk.i had a consultations with an orthodontist who said he would extraxct teeth then use fixed braces although he didnt seem very confident,he said im the worst patient he has ever seen. The ortho at the hospital said i had no other option than jaw surgery.would you mind sending me a pic of your bite so i can compare it with mine please? I will keep you updated :-) goodluck!

User avatar
Ellabelle
Posts: 258
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2012 8:21 pm

Re: twin block for an adult

#9 Post by Ellabelle »

Yes I'll message you pictures. I tried to post on here but they came out mortifyingly huge. I better get over my self consciousness soon, eh? My mouth is about to become a lot more noticeable! :)

mel2012
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:28 am

Re: twin block for an adult

#10 Post by mel2012 »

Thanks.i got your pictures and trust me there is no need to be conscious because my teeth/jaw are much worse.i have been told i was the worst person that he has ever seen!

talkbabble
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:23 am

Re: twin block for an adult

#11 Post by talkbabble »

Ellabelle wrote:
> The use of functional appliances for adults seems to be very
> orthodontist-specific, at least in my experience. At one consult I had I
> was told an appliance would have limited effectiveness on my "mature
> jaw" (I'm 25). He recommended extraction and surgery. A second
> orthodontist just wanted to do extractions.
>
> The orthodontist I ended up choosing is giving me the choice between twin
> blocks and a herbst. Extractions (2) were optional if I wanted to speed up
> the process (I'm opting not to, I'd rather have it take longer and keep all
> my teeth personally).
>
> The only consistency between the orthodontists was their predicted
> treatment time, 2 years. I feel really good about my choice. So if you want
> to move to the US my ortho will give you twin blocks! :-)
>
> Good luck going forward, keep us posted!



so i was wondering which ortho it is so i can check them out. fingers crossed that they are in the bay area

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