Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi Everyone,

I'm a new member as of today, so please let me know if this isn't the correct usage to get my first post in!

My teeth have a whole host of issues, but most noticeably a significant overbite and overjet. I was qouted 2.5ish years in the old metal mouth clink. I did my research and went with a trained orthodontist with good reviews. So far, so good.

I'm now over a year with braces, 2 extractions in, and my teeth... just don't look great to me. The bottom looks ok, but the uppers look crooked and/or have irregular heights and my bite doesn't yet feel any better. My midline is crazy off now. My orthodontist, while seemingly a knowledgeable dr, doesn't seem to have the time to fully explain what's going on each time. I don't like feeling like a time burden when I have questions. =\

I don't know if I'm expecting too much too soon with my host of issues. It's pretty disappointing when I see so many people have their braces updates look practically finished in the same amount of time! It would be super reassuring to hear from other adults that felt it looked worse before it looked better, well into their treatment plan.

Hi BF McGee, Many, many folks on here will tell you it looks worse before it looks better. My ortho likes to say "it's a process", where certain teeth must move first to allow for movement of other teeth later. Eventually everything comes together to give a nice result in the end. In my case my front teeth were not too bad but I had messed up molars. After 2 1/2 years my molar crossbite is nearly fixed but I now have a large (4mm) open bite in the front. It looks ridiculous, but I've been assured it will be fixed by the the time I'm done, whenever that will be..... Hang in there. -P

Those people with quick results are a rarity. My teeth were also slow to move, and the progress was very slow for the entire time. Then it seemed like they woke up and got with the program. The progress definitely was not linear. Hang in there, you'll get there, but as was mentioned it might get worse before out gets better. I'm full of all sorts of good news

Thanks to you both! I think after this last, unusually painful tightening (woof), I got into my head a bit wanting to see quicker results. It's reassuring to hear that many others are in my same lot. ;-P

LOL...don't feel bad; I've only had my braces for a month and am already getting antsy! I can't really see any changes, other than in one bottom tooth that seems to have come up a tiny bit (it sat lower than the others). My wires are still light ones, though. If I had been in braces for a year without many apparent changes, I'd definitely be getting grouchy!

I think if you’ve had extractions the wait is even longer because not only do they have to close large extraction gaps, they have to straighten things out as well. And teeth might not move into place to close those gaps in a pretty way. My midline was off to begin with, and got more off before it got better. Often things get worse before they get better.