I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9 y/o)

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dunno12
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:57 am

I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9 y/o)

#1 Post by dunno12 »

First I'd like you to read my previous post http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... 13&t=45667 I very appreciate if you do.

You'd think I'd start the treatment by now but there has been a problem in communications with my ortho and we decided to shut the treatment down before starting it. He said he probably won't meet my expectations and my desired smile and he can't do much about my smile without surgical intervention and if I were his son he wouldn't do nothing since my crossbite is mild and surgery can worsen my current state.

So a friend of mine who finished ortho treatment a couple a weeks ago gave me his ortho details so I made an appointment with him today. the price he charges is almost double but he's confident he can widen my smile within A YEAR without the use of palate expander if I listen to his requests during the treatment. the first thing that popped in my mind when hearing that within a year i'll have the smile of my dreams is that my teeth would probably go back to their previous state. he said instead of using a palate expander he would use rings to push my back teeth to their desired location and it is feasible since my crossbite is mild.

Another thing that irritated me is that the retainers he uses after the treatment finale is Permanent :( I hate the sound of permanent metal in my mouth..

So now my mound is racing and I'm sitting in between - On one side, 1 year treatment is good for me since I'm almost 20 years old and I want to fix my teeth ASAP and stop being shy of my smile. In addition, not using a palate expander sounds less scary and the fear of pushing my molars out of their place is absent. However, I'm afraid this treatment sounds too good to be true although this doctor has decades of experience and my friend was very happy about his treatment although he had to uproot 2 teeth to reach his desired state (I won't need that thank god).

What do you think guys? Should I pay almost double (4000$ for 1 year treatment :O) for this more light, yet very promising treatment (the doctor was very confident that he could make me happy).

I tried making it as short as possible I would very appreciate every input you guys have on this. One of the hardest decisions of my life hehe

Thanks in advance.

dunno12
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:57 am

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#2 Post by dunno12 »

Anyone? I'd very appreciate your guys' input, very important to me to hear other opinions.

Featheryy1221
Posts: 474
Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 8:12 am

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#3 Post by Featheryy1221 »

What are the "rings" he's talking about? I know some people on here have had their crossbite fixed with braces alone. But they've said that their bite isn't going to be 'textbook perfect.' Is that what your orthodontist's plan is?

Also as far as retainers go, even if you got removable retainers, you'd still probably have to wear them a lot. I know I was told I'm going to have to wear mine every single night for the rest of my life with bite splints otherwise my teeth will relapse. I've seen a lot of people who got braces when they were younger and now their teeth have shifted because they failed to wear their retainers. At least this way you won't have to spend thousands of dollars on braces a second or third time.

Anyway, if you're not completely comfortable with his plan, is there anyway you could go to another orthodontist or have you seen every orthodontist that's close to you?
I know I went to three orthodontists and took a few months longer than I should have to decide. Now I'm kicking myself for waiting so long because I could be onto the brace stage now.
However, that being said, don't rush into a treatment plan until you completely understand everything that it involves and feel completely confident in your choice.
Unfortunately, no one can make this decision but you, and you kind of just have to go with what you feel most comfortable with. I wish you the best of luck! :D
Image

Estimated treatment time: 18 months. (6 months- expander, 1 year- braces)
Bonded Rapid Palatal Expander: 10/1/13 - 3/31/14
Upper and Lower Metal Braces: 4/22/14 - 7/14/15
Total treatment time: 21 months

chichi
Posts: 485
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2005 12:44 pm
Location: East Coast, USA

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#4 Post by chichi »

Featheryy1221 wrote:don't rush into a treatment plan until you completely understand everything that it involves and feel completely confident in your choice.
This.

I started off with a very slight crossbite, so my teeth are worn more on one side than the other. My ortho said he could fix it with braces/elastics and so far it seems to be working. When I'm finished with braces, I will have both top and bottom permanent retainers as well as removable ones for night time wear. I told my ortho I didn't like the idea of something permanent and he basically said it's my choice, but he would expect me to relapse if I don't have the permanent ones in there. He said I'm always welcome to try them for 6 months and, if I really can't deal with them, we'll discuss other retention options, but part of my treatment plan (included in treatment cost) is that I agree to try them - and I'm honestly expecting to get used to them.

I would also be weary of the 1-year treatment plan. Is he going to be able to get you close to perfection or is it just going to be "acceptable" because you want to get it over with? I personally wouldn't choose an ortho based on a shorter treatment time, as there is never a guarantee that you'll only spend a year in braces. There is someone on here - I can't remember who - that was given a 9-month timeline and was still in braces at 18 months (and plenty more who are over by a few months here and there... it seems most orthos underestimate).

Don't worry about being 20 years old and having braces... you're one of the younger ones here and I'm sure most of us wish we had done this at 20 (I know I do, and I'm only 27). In a perfect world, we would all have had braces as teenagers and no one would ever relapse...


...actually in a perfect world, we would all have perfect teeth :mrgreen:
Had Damons (ceramic upper, metal lower) from June 27, 2013 - January 20, 2015
15-18 month sentence, official time in braces was 18 months, 3 weeks, 3 days
My Story: http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=45054

dunno12
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:57 am

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#5 Post by dunno12 »

I've seen like 3 orthos till now and the last one was the 4th I saw. All of them mentioned they can't achieve textbook perfect bite because of my slight asymmetry. they made it clear that the surgical road is not good for me since the deviation is not the noticeable and going through surgeries wouldn't fix it 100% percent and might only make things worse.

The difference between the 4th ortho's plan and the others is that the others wanted to use a palate expander while taking into consideration that I might need surgical expansion, they weren't sure it would work without surgery, overall they said the treatment would last like 2 years or more. However, the ortho I saw a few days ago said he could achieve similar results without the use of expander since my crossbite is mild and it would take around 1 year maybe a little more to fix it (especially if i want transparent braces). he also sounded the most confident that he can make me happy and my friend who was treated by him is happy from his treatment. the latter orthos' plan sounds more appealing especially since I won't have to endanger my molars with the expander and the time is only 1 year and I'm pretty old for braces. I really want to get it on with already.

Well I haven't mentioned to him that I want to get it over with and I was surprised he said 1 year. Apart from the slight asymmetry that can't be fixed without surgery he believes he can widen my smile and fix my bite. my teeth aren't very much crooked so maybe that's why it would take only a year. if it would take a several months more I wouldn't care..

chichi
Posts: 485
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2005 12:44 pm
Location: East Coast, USA

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#6 Post by chichi »

It sounds like you've pretty much made up your mind then.

Do you know what these "rings" are that the ortho wants to use instead of an expander? I'm just curious because I have no idea what that could be.
Had Damons (ceramic upper, metal lower) from June 27, 2013 - January 20, 2015
15-18 month sentence, official time in braces was 18 months, 3 weeks, 3 days
My Story: http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=45054

dunno12
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:57 am

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#7 Post by dunno12 »

chichi wrote:It sounds like you've pretty much made up your mind then.

Do you know what these "rings" are that the ortho wants to use instead of an expander? I'm just curious because I have no idea what that could be.
Can't say I made my mind up yet since i'm very indicisive and anxious about things like that, that's why I want other peoples' opinions. I'm not sure how those rings called in English since it's not my mother language. I hope I'd be able to clarify this subject in the upcoming days.

Featheryy1221
Posts: 474
Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 8:12 am

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#8 Post by Featheryy1221 »

dunno12 wrote: Can't say I made my mind up yet since i'm very indicisive and anxious about things like that, that's why I want other peoples' opinions. I'm not sure how those rings called in English since it's not my mother language. I hope I'd be able to clarify this subject in the upcoming days.
I'm indecisive too, so I had a hard time choosing my treatment plan. I just set a date I wanted to get it done by and made a lot of pros and cons lists/did a ton of research until i made my decision. I agree with chichi, it really sounds like this is what you want to do. I would just go for it. It sounds like you've thought a lot about it.
Image

Estimated treatment time: 18 months. (6 months- expander, 1 year- braces)
Bonded Rapid Palatal Expander: 10/1/13 - 3/31/14
Upper and Lower Metal Braces: 4/22/14 - 7/14/15
Total treatment time: 21 months

dunno12
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:57 am

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#9 Post by dunno12 »

You're right.. maybe I even think too much about it. The most recent treatment plan without palate expander does sound less aggressive and more appealing to me even though the price is a bit expensive since it's a private ortho. But it makes me wonder how I can have the smile I've always wanted if my jaw isn't wide enough, what if there's a more experienced ortho in my area that I should have consulted and so on..

dunno12
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:57 am

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#10 Post by dunno12 »

Hן Featheryy1221, I hope you can answer my question - I understand from your signature that you're wearing a palate expander. First of all, how old are you :)? Are you using the one with the screw that you need to cork every day? How's it going so far - any expansion till now? Did you have surgery beforehand?

Featheryy1221
Posts: 474
Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 8:12 am

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#11 Post by Featheryy1221 »

dunno12 wrote:Hן Featheryy1221, I hope you can answer my question - I understand from your signature that you're wearing a palate expander. First of all, how old are you :)? Are you using the one with the screw that you need to cork every day? How's it going so far - any expansion till now? Did you have surgery beforehand?
As of a couple weeks ago, I'm 22. I currently have a bonded palatal expander in. I had to use a key (a plastic thing with a metal hook on it) to turn it every night before I went to bed. I finished with all my turns on December 10th, so they tied the key hole up with some wire, that way it wouldn't move. Now I'm at the stage where I have to wait until the bone regenerates. According to the paper my orthodontist gave me about expanders, it usually takes 4 months total for that to happen. So hopefully by April this part will be done and over with. :) I'd like to move on to the braces part and I miss being able to talk normally. :lol:

Overall though, its worked well on me. I got 15 mm of expansion. There's a big difference in the width of my smile before I started this journey and now. Besides that I can breathe SO much better through my nose. And my mouth just feels normal sized as opposed to tiny and narrow.

Another big plus for me is that I didn't have to get surgery. Medical things really freak me out, and I personally would have refused going through all that. Surgery just isn't for me.
Image

Estimated treatment time: 18 months. (6 months- expander, 1 year- braces)
Bonded Rapid Palatal Expander: 10/1/13 - 3/31/14
Upper and Lower Metal Braces: 4/22/14 - 7/14/15
Total treatment time: 21 months

dunno12
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:57 am

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#12 Post by dunno12 »

Featheryy1221 wrote:
dunno12 wrote:Hן Featheryy1221, I hope you can answer my question - I understand from your signature that you're wearing a palate expander. First of all, how old are you :)? Are you using the one with the screw that you need to cork every day? How's it going so far - any expansion till now? Did you have surgery beforehand?
As of a couple weeks ago, I'm 22. I currently have a bonded palatal expander in. I had to use a key (a plastic thing with a metal hook on it) to turn it every night before I went to bed. I finished with all my turns on December 10th, so they tied the key hole up with some wire, that way it wouldn't move. Now I'm at the stage where I have to wait until the bone regenerates. According to the paper my orthodontist gave me about expanders, it usually takes 4 months total for that to happen. So hopefully by April this part will be done and over with. :) I'd like to move on to the braces part and I miss being able to talk normally. :lol:

Overall though, its worked well on me. I got 15 mm of expansion. There's a big difference in the width of my smile before I started this journey and now. Besides that I can breathe SO much better through my nose. And my mouth just feels normal sized as opposed to tiny and narrow.

Another big plus for me is that I didn't have to get surgery. Medical things really freak me out, and I personally would have refused going through all that. Surgery just isn't for me.
I'm glad to hear that and I totally understand why you wouldn't want any surgery. Did your front teeth separated and a gap was created? I've heard that's the indicator whether the expander works or not.

Featheryy1221
Posts: 474
Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 8:12 am

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#13 Post by Featheryy1221 »

dunno12 wrote: Did your front teeth separated and a gap was created?
No I didn't get the gap, and the expander still worked. :D Another plus in my eyes because I felt like a gap would make me more self conscious.
Image

Estimated treatment time: 18 months. (6 months- expander, 1 year- braces)
Bonded Rapid Palatal Expander: 10/1/13 - 3/31/14
Upper and Lower Metal Braces: 4/22/14 - 7/14/15
Total treatment time: 21 months

dunno12
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:57 am

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#14 Post by dunno12 »

Featheryy1221 wrote:
dunno12 wrote: Did your front teeth separated and a gap was created?
No I didn't get the gap, and the expander still worked. :D Another plus in my eyes because I felt like a gap would make me more self conscious.
I'm glad to hear that :) How did the expansion manifested then if not with the front gap?

Featheryy1221
Posts: 474
Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 8:12 am

Re: I need your advice guys before starting treatment.(19/9

#15 Post by Featheryy1221 »

dunno12 wrote:How did the expansion manifested then if not with the front gap?
Um well, if you click this and scroll near the bottom of this page (it's my braces story), you'll see pictures of my teeth after like 13ish turns of the expander (about 3.25 mm of expansion), and when I was done turning (15 mm expansion): http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... 3&start=15

As you see in the photos, basically before I had one premolar that was hidden behind my canine tooth and now it isn't hidden. You can also see (sort of, it's a bit unclear because my photo's aren't terrific quality) how my front teeth don't overlap as much as they did before. They moved slightly, they just didn't create a gap.

Hope this helps to answer that. haha.
Image

Estimated treatment time: 18 months. (6 months- expander, 1 year- braces)
Bonded Rapid Palatal Expander: 10/1/13 - 3/31/14
Upper and Lower Metal Braces: 4/22/14 - 7/14/15
Total treatment time: 21 months

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