I guess I'll start by just copy & pasting my introduction message - I'll post updates w/ pics as they come along in the weeks/months to come.
General background:
This is all very new to me. In fact, I'm still dealing with the shock. I've gone to the dentist religiously for my entire life, and never once was the possibility of braces even suggested. I am, however, a world champion grinder. I've successfully cracked 6 night guards and my teeth are severely worn. It wasn't until my vanity got the best of me (I've learned my lesson), and after many years of being sick of being asked if I had "e" - aka, ecstasy, by random strangers (!!) because my teeth were so flat, that I decided to consult a cosmetic dentist for veneers. At the consultation, he took one look at my mouth, and said he couldn't call himself a professional and give me veneers.. he wouldn't even touch my teeth! He told me although my teeth were straight, my bite was off - which meant, my grinding was due to alignment issues rather than solely stress/anxiety (at least I don't feel like quite the anxious mess my other dentist made me feel like.. "why are you so stressed!! Calm down.. life's too short."... yadda yadda). Anyway, I went to a couple orthos to get other opinions - all pretty much said the same thing.. my bite was aggravating my grinding.
I'm pretty sure that I'm going with ceramic up top (I'm aware of staining issues) and metal bottoms... My concern, is that they're going to look hideously massive as my teeth are very tiny. My other concern, which is a little stupid I admit, but still bugging me... is that, I have to wear the braces for 2 years, but the ortho said I will mostly likely not notice a huge difference after braces - it will just realign my bite and fix a slight overbite. Screw that! I want something to show for the money, pain and potential embarrassment.
Ah well.. Here are some pretty poor pictures pre-braces... I'll post what they look like once I get braced this week. If anyone else has small teeth w/ braces, or due to jaw alignment vs. straightening, please share your experiences with me!
Looking forward to getting to know you all:)
