Metal Mouth Message Board

I was suppose to get braces last Thursday, but I decided that I needed to slow down a bit and evaluate everything. I have another consultation coming up this Thursday. Getting a second consultation will ease my mind.

I also went to see my dentist last Wednesday because I have a crown that has been giving me some trouble and I want to make sure that it was ok. About a couple months ago I had extreme pain and lately its been feeling kind of weird. I was so nervous because I'm afraid that I would loose the tooth. He gave me an Rx for antibiotics and a referral to a specialist. He said that I might just need to get another treatment (root canal) because it might be infected.

So I'm going to get this situated before I get braces.

Sounds like a good plan, especially with a possible root canal in your future. Best of luck to you!

I think you are making right the choices!

Thanks djspeece and SunshineRay! I really appreciate your comments

It took me a lot of steps and the green light from my dentist before I could go ahead. Worth the wait...

Thanks skaterpdx! I want to take my time with this. I still have not gotten braces yet because I want to make sure I make the right decision.

Ok,so it has been a long time since I have been on this forum. I thought I would have braces by now. On April 1, 2014, I had an appointment to get my braces put on. When I sat in the chair the lady who was about to put on my braces looked at my teeth and told me that she would need to speak with the Dr. before she put them on.

I didn't think it was going to be a big deal, but it resulted in me not getting braces. So the lady told me about my under bite which I was already aware of because I had a consultation and x-rays. Plus I called the office and asked questions before I scheduled my appointment to get the braces. So when I got there that day it was as if I had not talk to them (i.e. the doctor and his wife) before...as if the Dr. had not previously seen my x-rays, pictures, etc. The Dr. could not give me any guarantee that I would have favor results. I understand that I would not have a perfect smile unless I have surgery to correct the under bite (according to him), however, he stated that my under bite could be worst at the end of treatment.

That is absolutely absurd to me!!!!! No one wants braces that will leave them worse off. I took that to mean that either he could not provide me with favorable results or that he did not want the challenge. I was in total disbelief and so disappointed. I thought I was on the road to get rid of my gap once and for all. Needless to say, I will not be getting braces at that office!

I did get another consultation from another ortho (a couple months ago). He recommended removing two teeth to correct the under bite. However, he has not seen my x-rays yet. So one option is that I can get my x-rays transferred to the other ortho and see if his opinion/recommendation changes (and ask questions about it). There are other options that I don't even want to go into now (regarding getting other opinions).

I didn't know that getting braces would be this difficult. I'm so annoyed! I will plan to get braces some day but for now it is definitely on hold. Maybe I will wait until next year....I don't know what to do : (

Did any of you have an under bite? If so, how was your treatment handled?

c2steph wrote:I didn't know that getting braces would be this difficult. I'm so annoyed! I will plan to get braces some day but for now it is definitely on hold. Maybe I will wait until next year....I don't know what to do : (

Did any of you have an under bite? If so, how was your treatment handled?

Hey there! You commented in my thread (thank you!) but I just saw this so I'll respond here. Unfortunately it seems to me that in adults underbites/class III's are (a) less common and (b) more complicated to fix than overbites/jets. Meaning they seem to be caused by skeletal issues at a higher rate than class II's. I have scoured google for adult non-surgical class III's and they are few and far between.

It seems weird that you would have a consult with an orthodontist where they didn't take x-rays! I'm at a loss as to how they could even speculate on a treatment plan without them. I would see another ortho, or maybe even a few more, and have a full consult with x-rays and pictures, so that you can get a clear treatment plan.

Many people I've seen on archwired who were told by one ortho that they needed surgery were able to get non-surgical treatment from another ortho. A lot of times, those people were told up front they would probably get a less than ideal result, and that was okay with them, so they picked the non-surgical route. For me, I've seen three doctors and was recommended for surgery by all of them. My options (as you know from reading my thread hehe ) are to choose braces knowing I will need surgery as a part of treatment, or not to choose braces at all and keep my teeth as they are. Those might be your options too. It's a really, really hard decision and one that has given me a lot of anxiety.

If you can wait until you're sure, it's probably a good idea to do so. It's thousands of dollars, years of your life, and going through surgery and recovery. Not a decision to make lightly! BUT, if it will be worth it to you, whether medically, emotionally, cosmetically, whatever, then from what I have seen and researched the results will be great. Over the weeks that I've been processing my decision it has become much easier to look forward to the results. In fact, as long as I don't think about the possibility of the surgery being declined by insurance (INSTANT ANXIETY-INDUCED STOMACH KNOTS), I am pretty darn excited about greatly improving my oral health through the surgical treatment plan

Yes, you can absolutely get your x-rays from the 1st ortho; you paid for those films, so they belong to you. The transfer should be free as long as it's directly dr. to dr. If they provide you a copy, they are technically allowed to charge a small fee. In practice, just about any office will copy them onto a USB stick for you since everything is digital now.

I saw 6 ortho's before finally deciding. This is important to you or you wouldnt have been in the chair ready to do it. Keep scheduling appointments until you find someone you like. I sooo wish I hadnt waited so long to get my braces....thats my only regret in the whole process.

[quote="c2steph"]Ok,so it has been a long time since I have been on this forum. I thought I would have braces by now. On April 1, 2014, I had an appointment to get my braces put on. When I sat in the chair the lady who was about to put on my braces looked at my teeth and told me that she would need to speak with the Dr. before she put them on.

I didn't think it was going to be a big deal, but it resulted in me not getting braces. So the lady told me about my under bite which I was already aware of because I had a consultation and x-rays. Plus I called the office and asked questions before I scheduled my appointment to get the braces. So when I got there that day it was as if I had not talk to them (i.e. the doctor and his wife) before...as if the Dr. had not previously seen my x-rays, pictures, etc. The Dr. could not give me any guarantee that I would have favor results. I understand that I would not have a perfect smile unless I have surgery to correct the under bite (according to him), however, he stated that my under bite could be worst at the end of treatment.

That is absolutely absurd to me!!!!! No one wants braces that will leave them worse off. I took that to mean that either he could not provide me with favorable results or that he did not want the challenge. I was in total disbelief and so disappointed. I thought I was on the road to get rid of my gap once and for all. Needless to say, I will not be getting braces at that office!

I did get another consultation from another ortho (a couple months ago). He recommended removing two teeth to correct the under bite. However, he has not seen my x-rays yet. So one option is that I can get my x-rays transferred to the other ortho and see if his opinion/recommendation changes (and ask questions about it). There are other options that I don't even want to go into now (regarding getting other opinions).

I didn't know that getting braces would be this difficult. I'm so annoyed! I will plan to get braces some day but for now it is definitely on hold. Maybe I will wait until next year....I don't know what to do : (

Did any of you have an under bite? If so, how was your treatment handled?[/quote]

Hey! I have an underbite as well. I have a mixture of things: class 1 malocclusion with crowding, midline shift and underbite. I was given the option of jaw surgery as well although my underbite isn't as severe as some others. I went to a few orthodontists. One said I needed upper and lower jaw surgery and 2 upper and one lower tooth extracted for braces. The orthodontist that I am going to get my braces with told me that I need two upper premolars and 2 lower 2nd premolars out. He said that due to my age headgear at night obviously is not an option to correct the gap. This is why he wants to extract the two lower teeth to try and close the gap. This orthodontist said that I could consider jaw surgery however my parents aren't keen on the jaw surgery as I'm at uni and it would take time to recover etc. The orthodontist understood where I was coming from and said he'll try close the gap with the two extractions of my bottom teeth to move the lower jaw back. It really depends how severe your openbite is and how it affects your profile. With my open bite, you cant really tell much, apart from the fact that my face shape is a tad concave..otherwise looks normal. Hope everything works out with you :)