I'm a 24 year old high school teacher from Australia. I've had crooked teeth since my adult teeth came in... my parents wanted me to get braces as a teenager but as I was a keen trumpet player (and I had a fear of the dentist), I used that as an excuse to not got ahead with it. My crooked teeth have always affected my self-esteem and, especially now that I've started my teaching career, I've decided that having a nice smile is going to really improve my confidence. The only downside is that I have to pay for them all myself !
I am going to the orthodontist my brother went to; he was in plates and then braces (they started plates too late) and has achieved a beautiful smile. I know that my orthodontist is really thinking about my whole mouth/face, not just smile aesthetics. The diagnosis:
- Crowding in both arches
- Class II malocclusion
- Underdeveloped maxillary and mandibular arch
- Posterior left cross-bite
- Tongue thrust
My ortho also noticed clicking in my jaw and wants to make sure I don't develop TMJ in the future. Basically what he told me is that we can achieve a good result, however, only surgery will achieve a perfect result to re-position my jaw. I don't want to go down the surgery route so am happy to see what can be done with orthodontics alone.
****I am not currently a full member but I will post photos here when I have permission***********
Pictures on the day I got top braces on:
Picture of the tongue spinner/habit appliance:
1 month progress:
Bottom teeth (with controlled arch) the day before braces went on:
