Metal Mouth Message Board

im sorry i have already put this in another section but i only had one reply so far and im desperate advice so i can let my orthodobtist know whether i want to go ahead with treatment .
hello everyone, my name is Mel from the UK and im new to this message board. I am 24 and feel really down about my teeth/jaw! my bottom jaw is too far back and my teeth come out too far,i also have a small mouth and my top lip seems short. My orthodontist said the best treatment would be to remove some teeth and put fixed braces on,(i asked for incognito instead of the ones that go at the front) but i have read that it can make the problem worse.please give me advice on the best treatment? i refused the jaw surgery and the hospital told me that an herbst appliance won't work on me because im an adult. im so confused and frightened, there is no way i would ever have the surgery but i don't want treatment that will make me look worse ( trust me , im not entirely sure it's possible to look any worse than i do now) The orthodontist did seem sure what to do either, i one of the most difficult if not the most difficult case he has had, he asked for 3 weeks to think about what he should do and when i got there he still wasn't sure,he sat there scrathcing his head,sighing and looking very confused. i hate being like this,im so disfigured! im worried about how my lips would look after treatment too. sorry for rambling on.

I think you need to get an opinion from at least one more ortho and possibly two.

Do not get any teeth removed. You lose bone in your jaw when you do that, and it makes your face appear older. Get another opinion. Dentists love to rip teeth out of our heads, I'm not quite sure why. Ego maybe? financial benefits?

Don't suffer in silence! Please go and consult some other orthos, if the one you went to was recommended by your dentist then do a google search of other orthos in your area and go and see them. If they aren't NHS referred then you will need to pay for the consultation (usually about 50 quid) but it is money well spent so you can get further advice.

When you google orthos have a look and see what they specialise in, some will be more on the cosmetic side, some on TMJ, some on whole body alignment etc... go and see a couple who sound like they are knowledgeable about your type of case.

Don't be scared! Get some more advice, you do have choices about which ortho to see.

thanks does anyone know where i could find a 'functional' orthodontist in west yorkhire? the ones iv contacted don't have a clue what im on about,they say it's either braces alone or surgery.Thats it, no middle ground.No offer of functional appliance because they say they dont work on adults but others have said they do.