Ortho for cosmetic straightening

[Blurple]

Newbie here - hi!

Will an traditional ortho be happy just to do a basic job of straightening the front teeth, and not resolving any bite issues?

I've been looking at 6 month smiles, but have some concerns, I've got consultations booked for tomorrow (6MS) and ortho on Thursday.

I've lived with my bite as it is for many years (am over 40), and just looking for a cosmetic tidy up of my bottom teeth.

When researching 6MS I asked them how the star rating worked, and for clarification on the number of cases it took to move up a star, and they won't tell me. I did find an article on line that indicated the dentist only needed 3 cases for the first star, which I found a bit worrying. the consultation tomorrow is with a dentist without a star, so I'm worried about lack of experience.

I also don't want to be spending 2 years with a brace, when I'm not looking for a massive overhaul.

Any advise would be welcomed - thank you :)

PS - am feeling very nervous!

[EWUgal15]

I never thought about quick straightening because the issues I wanted fixed were not cosmetic...but I will say that if you're going to have braces, you might as well fix all of the problems instead of just the visible ones. Yes, it's a lot of money, but down the road, you'll be thankful you did it. Just fixing the cosmetic problems might make underlying issues worse. 40+? I wouldn't sweat that. There are quite a few people here that had braces in their 60s. There's no shame in it, most people (other adults) don't even notice.

[djspeece]

There is a distinct bias here against six month smiles -- you can probably search the forum for details. As it has been explained here, any dentist can apply them after attending a weekend seminar. And in your case, you may be the inaugural case. If you are like most of us over 40 (I am about a month away from 66), you've doubtless noticed that wear and tear begins to take their toll on body parts that had seemingly been working fine begin to malfunction under the strain (here I am thinking about knees, feet, and in my case, brain) and that is likely what you will find with the bite you have been tolerating. My general dentist made a very effective explanation to me on this subject, and hence I elected to embark on the orthodontic adventure. You should consider the possibility also that simply straightening your teeth may aggravate existing bite issues. There have been some anecdotal evidence to that end here on the forum.
I was in braces for three years, and was debraced finally about a year ago. In my case, the cosmetic improvements were nice but not dramatic. I'm more impressed with the improvements to my bite, which I had previously thought was fine, but was in fact wearing down some molars prematurely along with some other issues. I would simply recommend that you do more due diligence and listen very closely to both assessments. Best of luck to you!

[Beckett]

I also don't want to be spending 2 years with a brace, when I'm not looking for a massive overhaul.

Any advise would be welcomed - thank you

PS - am feeling very nervous!

Best advice I can give is to also visit a board certified orthodontist. You might not be looking for a massive overhaul, but what if that's what's better for your teeth? Also be aware that even just a cosmetic tidying up of the lower teeth can create a bite issue that didn't exist before and you may find that you need longer treatment anyway. Moving teeth around in your head is not a quick fix and I personally would never let a dentist go near my teeth with orthodontics. They simply don't have the proper training. If they did, they would be orthodontists.

Best of luck in your decision, it was smart to come here and ask questions in your quest for information.

Edited to add: duh. I see that you did post you have an ortho consult. Ask him what he thinks of 6MS. He may open your eyes a bit if we didn't already. It's ok to be nervous too, whichever you decide, it's a big commitment. These forums are awesome in helping people navigate the whole process.

[BracesGuy]

You can't know how long an ortho would have you in braces for without asking. Tell the orthodontist what you are looking for and concerned about (e.g. time) and see if they are able to offer a treatment plan that meets your needs.

Bear in mind to become a specialist orthodontist requires several years more training and experience in the area after qualifying as a dentist.

[Braces47]

I've been in braces for six weeks now. The reason for my braces is to fix a bite. I was not aware of having a bite issue until recently but in the past ten years, I've cracked four molars and have had to have crowns put on them. In fact, one tooth got so bad that I had to have it removed and have an implant. The implant failed this summer after two years. Now that they're looking at my bite, I firmly believe my bite issues caused all the cracked teeth and the implant failure. I'm giving the oral surgeon and my dentist one more shot at the implant, therefore, we decided to fix the bit in order to set everything up to give me the best change of having a successful implant. Based on my experience, I would recommend fixing the bite through an ortho.

[Blurple]

Thanks everyone - I realise I should probably have given a bit more info :)

My top teeth are fab, I had the lateral incisors and baby canines removed when a teen, eventually the adult canines came through, I then got crowns on the front 4 teeth which obviously look really good, I have a small gap between those and the rest of the molars, but its not really visible, and I have a nice smile. The molars seemed to sort them selves out and are nicely aligned.

However both my arches are quite small.

I had the first consult today (6MS), who suggested that in order to straighten the bottom teeth the arch needed expanding, and for that to happen the upper arch would need to be expanded too. I honestly don't want to mess around with my upper teeth, and also don't need more space up there. Plus I don't really want my face profile to be wider.

She said that if it was really my preferred option, she could sort out the "social 6" of my bottom teeth, but it would need an extraction to make room for my canines to be brought into line, which I'm fine with.

I've been quoted approx 9 months for either invisalign or 6MS, tbh I'd prefer 6MS as I think a fixed brace would give the best results looking at the movement needed from my canines.

I'm seeing the ortho in the morning, so will see what she says.

I really admire those of you that are going for the full works, I honestly couldn't face it, I'm quite shy and not the most confident, I couldn't deal with it :(

[Beckett]

I'm really curious about what the ortho will say. Please mention the course of treatment suggested by the dentist. I would caution you though, about having 6MS with extractions and rogue canines. Canines can be notoriously difficult to get right and someone with limited experience is going to be trying it?

Shyness won't matter with a full set of braces vs a limited set. You're still going to have brackets on your teeth. And I'm speaking this as a pretty introverted, not very confident person myself. I have a full set of ceramic braces. No one ever says anything.

Good luck with the second consult.

[Blurple]

[quote="Beckett"]I'm really curious about what the ortho will say. Please mention the course of treatment suggested by the dentist. I would caution you though, about having 6MS with extractions and rogue canines. Canines can be notoriously difficult to get right and someone with limited experience is going to be trying it?

Shyness won't matter with a full set of braces vs a limited set. You're still going to have brackets on your teeth. And I'm speaking this as a pretty introverted, not very confident person myself. I have a full set of ceramic braces. No one ever says anything.

Good luck with the second consult.[/quote]

Thank you - of course, I'll keep you posted.

That was what worried me about the invisalign option, as I've read it isn't wonderful on canines.

I'd have expected for the bicuspids to be extracted then everything can be moved back, so will see how it goes in the morning.

Keep alternating between - wtf am I doing and wanting to get on with it :)

[BracesGuy]

I suggest you consider very carefully the extraction and 6MS proposed plan you have in mind. It's good that you are visiting an ortho and, indeed, as Beckett suggests do mention the exact 6MS proposed treatment plan to her and hear her view.

I don't think you should let shyness dictate your treatment option. Once you have had braces on for a while they will probably seem less of a big deal.

[Beckett]

Keep alternating between - wtf am I doing and wanting to get on with it

Totally normal!

[Blurple]

[quote="Beckett"]
Totally normal![/quote]

Thank you :)

Ok just back from the ortho, who has said exactly the same as the 6MS, extract one of the front incisors, and then close the gap.

The consultation took about 3 mins! And then I was taken with a patient co-ordinator to discuss costs and answer any questions.

The downside here is that she's said I need to have metal as there is less chance of damaging the crowns - I really really do not want metal.

Arghhh!

[BracesGuy]

Ok just back from the ortho, who has said exactly the same as the 6MS, extract one of the front incisors, and then close the gap.

The downside here is that she's said I need to have metal as there is less chance of damaging the crowns - I really really do not want metal.

Out of interest, how did the prices and treatment time estimates compare between the dentist with 6MS versus the ortho?

If you are only having lowers then it won't matter if they are metal. I chose ceramic upper and metal lower. The metal brackets are smaller, which is a bonus.

[EWUgal15]

I wouldn't be concerned about the confidence thing. Most adults don't even notice that you have braces or when you get them off. And a lot of people here have said that getting braces booted their confidence because they weren't ashamed or disappointed by their teeth any more. The knowledge that they were doing something to fix the imperfection that they were embarrassed by made them smile more. What would be worse: going through 2 years of braces and having a better bite + cosmetic fixes and having issues fixed as they arise or going through 9 months of cosmetic braces and needing to have additional work done to fix issues that weren't addressed by quick braces and paying more for those?

You have to make the decision based on what's best for you, there's no clear cut answer. And what users here suggest is what worked for their individual cases, which are probably different from your case any way. We're not professionals and we can't make the decision for you.

[Blurple]

Out of interest, how did the prices and treatment time estimates compare between the dentist with 6MS versus the ortho?

The ortho was cheaper actually.

I know everyone is going to disagree with my decision, but am opting for the 6MS treatment, the practice is very local and the dentist very nice and approachable. The ortho was scary, and didn't seem very approachable at all, they also seemed to mainly deal with teens and it felt like they just wanted to get everyone in and out asap.

Need to discuss a couple of things with the 6MS clinic tomorrow, then hopefully get booked in. I had originally decided before I went that I was going to go with the ortho - but it didn't feel right. Plus as they both suggested the same treatment plan, that made me feel more confident in the 6MS.

Now ducks for cover ...