Can teeth be corrected, but not the bite?

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#1 Post by **PIMPmyTEETH** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 2:49 pm

Hey everyone!

I'm in my late 20's and am considering getting my teeth finally fixed. I know that I have some overjet, very slight overbite, and crowding. I am totally comfortable with my bite and my profile. They don't really bother much at all. All I really would like is for my teeth to be straighter. Can this be done??? Has anyone else here done this??? In other words, I want straight teeth, but don't care about correcting my bite. It's fully functional and I have no pain whatsoever. I really want to avoid extractions and surgery. If it's suggested that it can't be done without pulling things out, or cutting me up, I probobly will just leave my teeth as they are.

Sorry if this question has already been answered. However, I couldn't find the answer I was looking for by using the search.

Any comments or advice would be appreciated. I have dentist appointment next Monday and will be asking for a referral to an Orthodontist for my first consultation.

Thanks!

#2 Post by **PIMPmyTEETH** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 3:19 pm

Thanks for the reply, Meryaten.

I just feel as though I shouldn't be taking the risks involved with surgury and risking changing my face for the worse by extracting teeth when I don't even have a problem with my bite.

I guess a consultation with the orthodontist is the only way to tell for sure. I'm thinking I'll need at least 2 consults. Hopefully, it doesn't cost me too much money. :S

If there is anyone out there who's had braces just to straighten their teeth and are either happy or not happy with their results, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks.

#3 Post by **calypsojunky** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:13 pm

It sound like if you just want to cosmetic benefits without the braces, you might as well as get veneers.

#4 Post by **Chris** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:40 pm

It sound like if you just want to cosmetic benefits without the braces, you might as well as get veneers.

I SO AGREE!!! When they straighten your teeth, your bite will probably be affected as well. Sometimes the bite is worse and cannot be fixed...thats not the normal, but it does happen when they straighten things out.

Go see a cosmetic dentist who specializes in veneers.

Its INSTANT ORTHODONTICS!

#5 Post by **PIMPmyTEETH** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:46 pm

Chris and Calypsojunky, I totally disagree with both of you.

They butcher you to put veeners on. I don't want to be butchered.

Plus, with braces I'd be getting a wider arch, broader smile, easier to clean teeth, and a fuller face. Big benefits over veeners. It's just the overjet/overbite that I could do without correction. It's not a necessity for me. It's not just cosmetics that I'm after.

#6 Post by **Chris** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:57 pm

Well, I guess if you want your arch widened, then braces are the way to go.

As for veneers, they don't take off as much tooth structure as doing a crown. Check out the lumineers. But perhaps if your teeth are very crooked they may need to take off more.

I guess you made your decision then.

We were just offering our personal preferences,....since you asked.

#7 Post by **PIMPmyTEETH** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 5:18 pm

I appreciate your comments, Chris.

It's not that I "want" my arches widened. What I want it my arches to be wide enough for all of my teeth to fit in them nicely and for them to be easy to clean (developing stains on the insides of my lower front teeth from coffee, I assume). If I veener a couple of teeth, I don't get those benefits, and it would probobly cost just as much.

Just don't care if my overjet gets totally corrected. That's all.

Anybody out there in the same boat or went through this?

#8 Post by **Tin Indian** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 5:34 pm

My ortho told me I had a mild case of over jet and my bite was fine, but my teeth were crowded .He said that by widening my arches my teeth would line up, and my bite would change a bit but he could change that later by the use of elastics. He did suggest the use use of veneers on my eye teeth because he felt they were in his words diminuative. He did say my face would have a rounder and less sunken look to it and he thought my cheeks would have a fuller look too.

#9 Post by **PIMPmyTEETH** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 5:47 pm

So, I guess there is hope that it can be done without extractions and surgery. This whole process kind of freaks me out. I mean, you put all this trust into one person who is in total control over the appearance of your teeth and entire face! And, you give them obscene amounts of money!

Can't wait to see the dentist and ortho so I can get the scoop on myself!

#10 Post by **Tin Indian** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 6:09 pm

Sorry I can't comment on the surgury or the extractions bit since I didn't need either but getting braces was quite overwhelming at first with all the phrases and talk being thrown at you all at once, but after being in braces now but a mere 6 weeks , I can see why I trusted the man in the first place, things that he said would happen , happened and maybe at a snails pace but they did happen. I did need my wisdom teeth extracted years ago but it was a non orthodontic issue at the time.Didn't mean to yap at you so much but you seem quite aprehensive about everything just like I was before .

#11 Post by **rsprouse** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:13 pm

...They butcher you to put veeners on. I don't want to be butchered....

That is far from the truth. There are labs that will tell you that they can fabricate veneers that go directly over your natural tooth with no reduction of enamel. Some people consider this type of veneers (Lumineer's if you wanna look into it) very bulky, some do not. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But the point is no reduction of natural tooth for veneers is possible. And if you go the alternative route, a traditional veneer prep is very conservative and hardly "butchered".

Plus, with braces I'd be getting a wider arch, broader smile, easier to clean teeth, and a fuller face. Big benefits over veeners. It's just the overjet/overbite that I could do without correction. It's not a necessity for me. It's not just cosmetics that I'm after.

Those are all potential benefits of orthodontic treatment. You can have a broader smile and easier to clean teeth with veneers as well. There is a newer technique that is getting quite a bit of attention in the dental community known as 6 month braces. I am sure there is some information on this site about it somewhere. But basically the premise is that 75%+ of adults choose orthodontics for cosmetic reasons. Straightening teeth is quite easy and can be very fast. Most arches can have straight teeth in a few short months (thus the marketing term). The point is the tweaking of your bite and correction of skeletal and bite issues are not addressed in "6 month braces".

Regards,
Rory

#12 Post by **PIMPmyTEETH** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:41 pm

hmmm, guess I was misinformed about the veneers. Even still, I'd rather use braces to fix my teeth.

6 month braces...sounds interesting. I wonder if the technique is being used in Canada? I found some info by googling, but nothing from Canadian dentists or orthos.

I'll be sure to ask my dentist about it on Monday.

#13 Post by **bip** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:38 am

I was given two options by my ortho - surgery and braces or just braces. I opted to not do the surgery because the ortho felt that we could get good results with just the braces but for everything to be "ideal" the surgery would be required. At some point I may change my mind but for now I think if we can get the results he is hoping for from braces I'll be ok with it.

The bite issues everyone is mentioning are very important though. My ortho said during my consultation that sometimes you see people with what look like perfect teeth and inside their mouth there are all kinds of issues going on! So, I do think multiple consultations are a great idea and finding an ortho you trust and are comfortable with is the most important thing. I really appreciated the candor mine had with me when he explained the options and what i should and shouldn't expect.

So, i can't speak to the surgery because I did decide not to go that route. However, my extraction was not bad at all. It was a tooth closer to the front though so that may have made a difference - sorry - i'm not sure on all the different names of the teeth. As a matter of a fact, now that I'm in spacers, I can say I'd rather have another tooth pulled than do these things again!

#14 Post by **PIMPmyTEETH** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:55 am

bip, glad you have the chance to work with a great doctor!

i've had some past experiences with some doctors that just don't get what it is their profession is all about. for example, you see them, present a problem, and all they want to do is give you some drugs and get you out so they can see another patient. doctors are supposed to listen, answer questions, and help. some people just don't do that.

my previous dentist was absolutely great. unfortunetly, i've moved and am seeing a new one for the first time next week. i hope they are as great as he is. also, i'm hoping they can refer me to an ortho that i like.

#15 Post by **broochie** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:03 pm

PIMPmyTEETH, you seem to be very affirmative of what you want or don't want. Many of us here had their first consultation just for straightening teeth and ended up having to deal with far greater problems they did'nt even know they had ! Thus the need, as Meryaten and others have suggested, to consult more than one ortho and to keep one's mind open ! For years, I didn't even want to hear the word "orthodontics" when suggested by my dentist. And now not only am I in braces but I am even looking forward to surgery (not for another 9 months to a year, according to my ortho).

So you might very well change your mind after you learn a bit more about what you have and what's out therer. Anyway, whatever your decision, good luck.