Any advise or encouragement?Hate getting braces. What can I do?
Moderator: bbsadmin
-
serenity4u
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Thu Apr 27, 2006 7:47 pm
Hate getting braces. What can I do?
I'm 40 years old got braces about 18 months ago for an overbite. The orthodontist pulled 2 upper and 2 lower teeth. Now that the gaps are closing, I hate how I look. I had a very pretty smile before I got braces even though I had an overbite. Now it looks like my mouth is caving in. My mother said I look like I have dentures. I hate that I got braces. Will my orthodonist be able to move my bottom teeth forward with rubberbands? Can I reverse my braces and put tooth implants back where my old teeth were or could veneers make my mouth full again? I always feel strained around my mouth and feel like my teeth are never in a resting position. Its causing alot of tension in my head. My ortho says my teeth are torqued back while closing gaps and that is causing this look. He plans to use rubber bands to move my bottom teeth forward. Im getting impatient and want my old bite back. Somedays I just want them off and want to start reserving the process. Any advise or encouragement?
Any advise or encouragement?Bearing in mind I have absolutely no dental/ortho training, this is what came to mind:
Can you make an appointment with an oral surgeon just to discuss options? Oral surgeons are used to matters of reconfiguring facial structure through dentistry whereas the orthos are pretty much limited to moving teeth. The OS could also give you real direction about the feasibility of implants to reverse the process, which I don't know if it is possible, but is certainly worth exploring.
For me, what is important is to know that I have options. I imagine, but don't know, that right now you are feeling "trapped" in your "new" mouth that is supposed to be "improved" but might be the opposite. Even if nothing becomes of seeing 1, or more oral surgeons, (and it will cost, but shouldn't be too bad and perhaps will go against medical insurance if it is related to facial structure), you derved to know "what is out there" and to remember that if - and that is a big if - the outcome is really problemmatic, that you have checked out what might could be done to ameliorate the situation.
If you live near a university, many universities have extensive deparments in dentistry, oral pain, facial aesthetics, etc. so it might be helpful to get an appointment (or get on the waiting list).
Not being able to see you, I can't say if the changes in your facial structure are "noticeable" or not. What is important is that they are noticeable to you, period. While you may want to do some information collection now, realistically you will probably need to finish out the ortho treatment before any responsible OS will begin any treatment. As the saying goes, hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
I hope things look up for you. Please don't forget that your mouth and your smile are just one part of you, and I imagine you have much to offer the world, so I hope you can stay involved in the world and live a full life as this situation plays out.
Best of luck.
Can you make an appointment with an oral surgeon just to discuss options? Oral surgeons are used to matters of reconfiguring facial structure through dentistry whereas the orthos are pretty much limited to moving teeth. The OS could also give you real direction about the feasibility of implants to reverse the process, which I don't know if it is possible, but is certainly worth exploring.
For me, what is important is to know that I have options. I imagine, but don't know, that right now you are feeling "trapped" in your "new" mouth that is supposed to be "improved" but might be the opposite. Even if nothing becomes of seeing 1, or more oral surgeons, (and it will cost, but shouldn't be too bad and perhaps will go against medical insurance if it is related to facial structure), you derved to know "what is out there" and to remember that if - and that is a big if - the outcome is really problemmatic, that you have checked out what might could be done to ameliorate the situation.
If you live near a university, many universities have extensive deparments in dentistry, oral pain, facial aesthetics, etc. so it might be helpful to get an appointment (or get on the waiting list).
Not being able to see you, I can't say if the changes in your facial structure are "noticeable" or not. What is important is that they are noticeable to you, period. While you may want to do some information collection now, realistically you will probably need to finish out the ortho treatment before any responsible OS will begin any treatment. As the saying goes, hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
I hope things look up for you. Please don't forget that your mouth and your smile are just one part of you, and I imagine you have much to offer the world, so I hope you can stay involved in the world and live a full life as this situation plays out.
Best of luck.
-
serenity4u
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Thu Apr 27, 2006 7:47 pm
Talking to Ortho
I have brought this up many times but he makes me feel like I'm overacting and that my face is fine when I know its not. I feel like Im getting on his nerves. But perhaps I need to make a separate appointment and have him address each issue and tell me what results I can except and if he can bring my teeth back forward again. I think he is a knowledgable orthodontist but I have to look at myself everyday and I dont like what I see.
-
Regina Rose
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2006 2:18 pm
serenity4u, how severe was your overbite originally? I'm very interested in your post because I'm facing extractions to correct an overbite/flaring and one of my concerns is the potential "aging" effect it could have on my facial features. In my case, the overbite and flaring is fairly severe and unless I want to live with my upper teeth biting into the middle of my lip, I probably have little choice. My orthodontist is sensitive to my concerns and so is going to do as much as he can without extractions first, then let me decide if I want to go ahead with the extractions or not. In his experience, most adults eventually choose extractions once they see their overbite gradually improving.
One thing I mentioned to him was a woman I know who, like you, is in the middle of orthodontic treatment and is experiencing some of the concerns you have. To me she looks older as a result of her treatment; however, he told me that it's quite possible she may look very different after treatment is complete. As it happens, when I did see her recently, she did look a lot better than she had a few months earlier. So try not to panic; the end result may be quite pleasing to you.
One thing I mentioned to him was a woman I know who, like you, is in the middle of orthodontic treatment and is experiencing some of the concerns you have. To me she looks older as a result of her treatment; however, he told me that it's quite possible she may look very different after treatment is complete. As it happens, when I did see her recently, she did look a lot better than she had a few months earlier. So try not to panic; the end result may be quite pleasing to you.
-
serenity4u
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Thu Apr 27, 2006 7:47 pm
Not that severe
It was not that severe. I actually like my top teeth, it was my back teeth that were too far behind but you didnt really notice it because my front teeth covered them . But I still looked really pretty. Everyone told me I didnt need braces but I guess I was going through mid life crisis and wanted what I thought were perfect teeth. I also think that they will look better based on what he says but Im so uncomfortable with the tension in my face that I just want them off. Im going to talk to him to see if he will start opening my bite soon and maybe that will help. Im glad you realized this ahead of time. I had no idea this could result.