Hello everyone. Let me tell you a bit of my story.
When I was 17 I had 2 of my lower back teeth pulled (One on each side). No one mentioned to me that after doing this procedure my teeth would start to shift. But they have. My bottom teeth have spaced out and are not straight anymore, they are shifting apart, and look crooked. This is ruining my confidence to smile. Also, they are reeeally hard to clean and seem to pick up a lot more of the food I eat than my top teeth. I'm starting to lisp and I do not like my smile now at all.
Because I was not happy with my dentist keeping information from me and not properly warning me that my teeth would shift, I stopped going there, and I found a new dentist. My new dentist said my teeth will most likely not shift anymore, but I hate my lower teeth. They used to be so straight and I have the kind of mouth that when I talk, you see my lower teeth. So ...
I just saw an ad online for 6month smiles. They are pretty costly, but at this point I would love to get my old smile back. What's kept me from getting braces until now is that I wasn't sure I wanted metal ones, and these ones are practically invisible! I don't know, should I get them? If you have/had them, how long did you wear them for? Are they worth it or just any other information you can give me, I would appreciate.
Oh and can someone explain to me how wearing a retainer at night is? Is it better to get the retainer screwed in your mouth or wear one at night? THAT'S my biggest worry, because can't you choke or something? Thanks.
Six month Smiles, do I need them?
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bride123105
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Re: Six month Smiles, do I need them?
If you are unhappy with your smile, why not get braces? It will only be a short time out of your total life if you live to old age.
Re: Six month Smiles, do I need them?
6 month smiles is nothing more than a trade-name for a cosmetic-only orthodontic program sold by general dentists. (As in, any dentist with a license, a few $k, and a long weekend to attend a seminar in a hotel ballroom can offer them.)
I wouldn't recommend them for a few reasons:
- There's a reason board-certified orthodontists undergo years of additional training: It's because there are things about orthodontics that can't be learned during a long weekend.
- 6-month smiles cannot correct a bite, as that takes a bit longer than six months, and a deeper understanding of orthodontics than a general dentist has. (It's not really that different from simply stopping treatment in conventional braces after six months...)
- A general dentist usually will not have the equipment to take cephalograms, which are pretty important for orthodontic diagnosis. (Nor will the office have the hundreds of different brackets, several dozen archwires, and the large pile of specialty pliers, pullers, scrapers, etc. that every ortho equips the office with.)
- They often aren't any cheaper than comprehensive orthodontics by an actual orthodontist.
Make an appt. for a consult with one or more actual orthodontists, and see what they come up with. Maybe whatever problem you have can indeed be fixed in just six months; and if it can't, well, in the end you'll end up with a much more stable and healthy long-term bite. (A bite that is cosmetically perfect can have issues with tooth angles that can lead to all sorts of problems like TMJ, gum recession, or simply relapse.)
I wouldn't recommend them for a few reasons:
- There's a reason board-certified orthodontists undergo years of additional training: It's because there are things about orthodontics that can't be learned during a long weekend.
- 6-month smiles cannot correct a bite, as that takes a bit longer than six months, and a deeper understanding of orthodontics than a general dentist has. (It's not really that different from simply stopping treatment in conventional braces after six months...)
- A general dentist usually will not have the equipment to take cephalograms, which are pretty important for orthodontic diagnosis. (Nor will the office have the hundreds of different brackets, several dozen archwires, and the large pile of specialty pliers, pullers, scrapers, etc. that every ortho equips the office with.)
- They often aren't any cheaper than comprehensive orthodontics by an actual orthodontist.
Make an appt. for a consult with one or more actual orthodontists, and see what they come up with. Maybe whatever problem you have can indeed be fixed in just six months; and if it can't, well, in the end you'll end up with a much more stable and healthy long-term bite. (A bite that is cosmetically perfect can have issues with tooth angles that can lead to all sorts of problems like TMJ, gum recession, or simply relapse.)
Re: Six month Smiles, do I need them?
Well said, sir.sirwired wrote:6 month smiles is nothing more than a trade-name for a cosmetic-only orthodontic program sold by general dentists. (As in, any dentist with a license, a few $k, and a long weekend to attend a seminar in a hotel ballroom can offer them.)
I wouldn't recommend them for a few reasons:
- There's a reason board-certified orthodontists undergo years of additional training: It's because there are things about orthodontics that can't be learned during a long weekend.
- 6-month smiles cannot correct a bite, as that takes a bit longer than six months, and a deeper understanding of orthodontics than a general dentist has. (It's not really that different from simply stopping treatment in conventional braces after six months...)
- A general dentist usually will not have the equipment to take cephalograms, which are pretty important for orthodontic diagnosis. (Nor will the office have the hundreds of different brackets, several dozen archwires, and the large pile of specialty pliers, pullers, scrapers, etc. that every ortho equips the office with.)
- They often aren't any cheaper than comprehensive orthodontics by an actual orthodontist.
Make an appt. for a consult with one or more actual orthodontists, and see what they come up with. Maybe whatever problem you have can indeed be fixed in just six months; and if it can't, well, in the end you'll end up with a much more stable and healthy long-term bite. (A bite that is cosmetically perfect can have issues with tooth angles that can lead to all sorts of problems like TMJ, gum recession, or simply relapse.)
Dan
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. -- Buddist saying
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. -- Buddist saying
Re: Six month Smiles, do I need them?
This is what I'm getting on lower arch only (to reduce overjet)
A lot, lot cheaper than being seen by an ortho.
A lot, lot cheaper than being seen by an ortho.
Re: Six month Smiles, do I need them?
I've had Six Month Smile braces on for 5 months, but was given a 9 month estimated treatment time. I do often worry that I've done the wrong thing, but at the time, I didn't want to go down the 18-24 month route quoted for full braces. My top arch does look better, although the front 2 incisors have been flared forward and I'm pretty sure I have a significant overjet now. My bottom teeth have had little to no improvement. They are very crowded and have needed a lot of IPR. My dentist still thinks it can be sorted in the remaining 4 months I was quoted, but I'm not so sure.
sirwired - sorry if this a stupid question, but you seem like someone in the know...do you always know if you have a bad bite? I think my bite was okay before braces, and with braces it changes all the time. It feels awful at the moment, very one-sided, but I know I can't judge anything until the braces are off. Is it possible that my bite could feel satisfactory, but actually start causing damage that will rear its ugly head in the long-term?
It's so difficult because I feel annoyed I went down this route after reading the opinions of lots of folks on here, but I proably would've been feeling just as annoyed if I hadn't got them.
sirwired - sorry if this a stupid question, but you seem like someone in the know...do you always know if you have a bad bite? I think my bite was okay before braces, and with braces it changes all the time. It feels awful at the moment, very one-sided, but I know I can't judge anything until the braces are off. Is it possible that my bite could feel satisfactory, but actually start causing damage that will rear its ugly head in the long-term?
It's so difficult because I feel annoyed I went down this route after reading the opinions of lots of folks on here, but I proably would've been feeling just as annoyed if I hadn't got them.
Re: Six month Smiles, do I need them?
Your bite changes all the time while in braces, but it won't get significantly better once the braces are off.
I'd like to say "don't let the dentist take them off until your bite is good", but with 6-Month Smiles, the dentist may or may not have any idea how to actually fix the problem.
At this point, I'd say "cross your fingers and hope for the best." However, DO NOT let this guy pull any teeth or repeatedly shave down your teeth to make room. Some IPR is okay, but if they do too much, it can cause permanent sensitivity.
In the end, you may end up having to go to a regular ortho to get things working to your satisfaction. If you do have to go that route, I don't know if it's possible to recover treatment fees from a dentist that got in over their head.
I'd like to say "don't let the dentist take them off until your bite is good", but with 6-Month Smiles, the dentist may or may not have any idea how to actually fix the problem.
At this point, I'd say "cross your fingers and hope for the best." However, DO NOT let this guy pull any teeth or repeatedly shave down your teeth to make room. Some IPR is okay, but if they do too much, it can cause permanent sensitivity.
In the end, you may end up having to go to a regular ortho to get things working to your satisfaction. If you do have to go that route, I don't know if it's possible to recover treatment fees from a dentist that got in over their head.