Need help as im at aloose end

[dlads]

Hi all this is my first post so bear with me here.

Im a 29 year old male from liverpool but i now live in london (both are in england). I have an overbiten jaw which i have had since i was a child (about the age of 11 I was given a click into place brace which had a key to turn to move my front two teeth back as they were protruding forward quite a lot, i am not sure what the plan from then was but i think i can remember i was going to have the click one for a while befoe getting the train tracks in place, but my dentist (a referred orthodontisit)said i couldnt have them until i had had the jaw surgery to realign my overbitten jaw (something which i couldnt have done until i had stopped growing; which i was told is 21) by that time i was working and i couldnt get either the braces or the jaw surgery.

I gave up shortly after that and tried to get on with things but i found myself back in the dentist for a filling, so i enquired about the jaw surgery and he said it would cot me a lot of money, i was stumped.

I dont know what to do now as it is affecting my life somewhat, i always have and always will probably hide my smile and i talk low when i am in company of people i dont know very well becasue i feel ashamed of my teeth i have learnt to do this over years but i believe i shouldnt have to, I have paid taxes for most of my adult life and the dentistry besides the click into place brace i had as a child has been kept to a minimum as i brushtwice a day and generally keep my teeth clean, they are not dirty they are just bent out of shape.

I just want to know how or what i can do or what my options are, my teeth are quite gappy there is a noticeable gap in the centre of my teeth at the front i have a small tooth to my left of the front two the one to the right is fine if a little behind the front two and the next are a little out of line too, my fangs are forward and prominent, the rest on the top are fine, my bottom are a bit out of line but otherwise they dont bother me, basically i have gaps between most of my unalligned teeth, i would be happy with a brace for just the top ones.

I feel as if teeth are the one thing people look at when they speak to you besides your eyes, they are the forefront of your face and they house the vocal point of yourself, (when you speak people look at your mouth, its human nature) Ive took the step to find out more because ive had enough of looking like i do now and i want a smile which everyone else i know seems to take for granted.

I have a girlfriend and i am happy but i just think how much happier i would be if i had my perfect teeth, it seems like a fantasy now because i've wanted them fixed for such a long time.

I dont have much money but i wouldnt mind paying for this for the rest of my days if needs be.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry the posts so big i seem to have poured my heart out lol.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

dlads

[changes09]

The first thing I would do is call me insurance company and see how much thye cover for braces and the surgery if any.
You need to do, is find an orthodontist that you feel comfortable with. He will give you the price of the braces. Then you go talk to an OS you feel comfortable with and he will let you know what exactly needs to be done and how much it will cost.
I know that orthos have payment plans.

FYI: I had a friend who had the surgery before braces. She also had the axpander in her mouth first. Her's was one of the cheaper of the surgeries. I'm not sure of the cost though.

sorry i know i am not that helpful....

[ohmyjaw]

You should go see a proper orthodontist first of all, and get a full assessment. I am Canadian, so I am not totally sure how your system works, but I think that you can get the NHS to pay for your surgery if they think your problem is serious enough.

[Rachel B]

I'm from the uk too.

I think you should make some appointments to see orthodontists and get some opinions about what can and cannot be done. You'll probably have to pay for the consultations but then the orthos can give you advice about whether you can get treatment on the NHS.
Alternatively, ask your dentist if he can refer you to an orthodontist - maybe this would be covered by the NHS?

Good luck.

Rach x

[TigerLily]

My understanding is the NHS for adults usually only pays for surgery cases but then pays for braces as well.

I did not investigate the option as I hadn't realised there were any adult NHS braces options till I read other people's experiences on here but I was already in my braces treatment.

I would have been a borderline surgery case but am braces only as my ortho is a specialist in this area. And I will have maximum retainers (bonded both arches for years and Essix at night on both arches for at least a year) Though with all the pain from my elastics the last few weeks, I am wondering whether I should have had a surgery and had done with it LOL.

[dlads]

Hello and Thanks and wow, i didnt expect to here from anyone let alone, 4 people, but i will take your advice and see what i can get done.
I'm thinking about talking with my original dentist as in my eyes he started something and didn't finish it off?? i may be barking up the wrong tree but i think its well worth looking into, either way thanks for the responses and i will let you know if and when i get somehting done or what the prices may be, i just hope i can make the bill.

Many thanks everything

Paul (dlads)

[*tap*]

yes defo go for it i am sooo glad that i have, i am in the uk too and i'm paying for all metal damons which cost me around 3,400 its on my story the exact price i had to pay for a deposit of 500 then i saved a grand up before my treatment started but i am paying the rest monthly of £99 per month which i think isnt too bad at all seen as its going to help so much with my confidence. good luck hope that helped abit.

[dlads]

Hi all and thanks for replying again, I'm going to a good dentist on the 25th march, were the consultaion is free, theyre going to have a look in my cake hole and tell me what needs to be done.

Its really handy cos its just round the corner from my house and literally over the road from my work lol

Ill see if the payment plan is good enough and then let them do what they need to do, theyll be using invisalign braces to do the treatment, which means its very low visability of the braces.

If i can get the braces done then ill not worry about the jaw cos i feel like i can live with it and be more than happy, its just 4 of my top teeth i want doing.

Anyway ill keep you all posted and thanks again for the advice.

dlads. (Paul)

[changes09]

Keep us posted! I hope that everything works out for you!

[dlads]

Well since my last post ive had my brace fitted and i love it, its a bit weird at first but its on there and i can feel that its moved my teeth.

The dentist advised me that it will be all done by Christmas time (which is nice) he put the ceramic ones on my teeth (just the top) its the top 6 teeth, ive got my teepees and they help getting food out of between them.

Anyway i just thought id show of by letting you all know i got them fitted and the price, well! i thought it was a little expensive but ill tell you what it entails.

the Brace itself costs £2000 for the top, then after 6 months, another dentist will cap two of my teeth (the two outside of the middle ones) with porcelain veneers. Which are £600 each.

Then he will whiten my whole mouth and hopefully it will look perfect.

Im anxious but i really can't wait.

I should have done this years ago, and i would recommend this to anyone, my next app is tomorrow and he will probably just adjust the brace and fit a new wire across it.

My monthly payments are £250 but theyre very nice and they would accept it if i couldn't make a payment.

My dentist is very cool and understanding.

Anyway, ill spk to you all soon and ill keep you posted, im not going to post a pic of my teeth just yet, i want to wait until theyre done and then ill do a before and after of them, or i might just take a pic later and post it lol i don't know.

Also, one of my teeth on the front has gone a little discoloured underneath the brace, and i have been taken very good care of them, its a little worrying but ill let him know tomorrow and see what he says.

Anwyay spk soon.