Decided to get Braces

[eternitybc]

So, I've finally made the leap- I'm going to get braces this year. I've decided. I was supposed to get them when I was young- I had over 8 teeth pulled (yep, 8 molars- plus some lower teeth!!!). Then we moved, and I wasn't eager for braces, so I just kind of let it slide (thanks mom!!)

Now, I've already gone to see 2 ortho's about braces. One recommended regular metal braces- I didnt get into brand or anything, since I was new to this and didn't know. Apparently, I shouldnt have had the teeth pulled, since the preferred look is more full mouthed. Well, good to know now. He mentioned I could pull the teeth forward and get some false teeth in back if I really wanted, but I'd likely be happy with the result if I didn't- that was overkill. He also mentioned an herbst appliance. He didnt think Invisalign would work for me, and wouldnt use it unless I absolutely insisted it was the only way I'd get braces. It also wouldnt fix my overbite. Cost - $8,000, including ceramics in front.

So, after researching, I found an invisalign professional in my area. I went to see him, and he informed me that to fix my overjet, I would need jaw surgery. He could use invisalign without it, but I'd have to sign a consent that my front and lower teeth wouldn't touch after treatment, makign it dicult to bite down on things. He was the same price, $6,900, for either invisalign or metal. Also, he said an herbst appliance wouldn't work, sicne my jaw was no longer growing- and I would get the same result no matter which way I went. If I did decide to get jaw surgery, it would be both invisalign + 3 months of metal for $9,600 + about $5,000 for the jaw surgery. Total- $14,500.

I woudl really like to correct the overjet, as I can see what that would do to my profile, and I love the results. However, I felt very pressured to get the surgery in their office, and they pushed a specific doctor to me- maybe they just trust him, but I think they get a referral kickback. It just wasnt comfortable for me. So I've booked a third consult, with a Damon specialist. I don't know if they work faster, but thats not what I care about, I just want results. Namely, a full smile with no overjet or overbite. If Ortho three doesnt work, I'll likely go with Ortho 2- he was honest, and seemed to know what he was doing

Has anyone else used an herbst (sp) appliance to correct overbite / overjet? Its not very big- I think he said 2 mm. I dont want to spend 15K and go through jaw surgery for that! In fact, definitely not an option for me.

Also, if anyone in the Vancouver area could recommend an ortho, I'd be willing to get yet another opinion

Thanks for reading- this is more of an introduction email. I will post pictures of my pre-brace teeth and braced teeth as soon as that happens.

[cowlypso]

First of all, welcome! Glad you've decided to make the leap.


Wow... jaw surgery for 2mm? It might give the absolute best results, if the overjet is caused by a discrepancy in jaw length. But it might also be overkill. My overjet is 7mm. My ortho said that surgery would probably be the only way to get absolutely perfect results, but he could most likely get it down to 1mm with just braces. So I'm going with that for now.

At first the prices you were talking about seemed high, but now I see you're in Canada, so I guess they probably are reasonable with the exchange rate. I'm paying $5400 US for mine.

Definitely do as many consults as you need to find somebody you feel comfortable with. Some people go with the first person they see, but there are people on this board who have had many, many consults. You're going to be investing a lot of time and money with these people, plus you're letting them mess around with your face!

Remember that your dentist might be able to recommend orthos in your area, and might even be able to review various treatment plans with you to help you decide.

I had two and a half consults. One was an office error so I only saw the ortho for about 2 minutes, but she said that I'd need either extractions or jaw surgery. First real consult said extractions, 2.5 years, $5400. Second consult said extractions, 2.5-3 years, $6000. So I went with the first guy who was cheaper and more conveniently located. But if I'd gotten very different opinions from the three consults, I would have gotten more.

Best of luck as you continue with the consults. This part can be frustrating, because you just want to get started right away, but take your time and find an ortho that you are comfortable with.

[thesallymonster]

I have a deep bite and a moderate overjet, and I went for three consultations. Two orthos each gave me the options of Herbst, extractions, or surgery. The other ortho said that I would either need surgery or my overjet wouldn't get fully corrected.

Well, there's just no way I'm getting surgery, I can't really really afford it and it's just too inconvenient on my busy lifestyle. I'm going to go with the Herbst appliance. The ortho I picked said it should, at least, mostly if not completely correct my overjet. He only uses it on younger adults, though, and I'm only 19.

I'm glad that you're getting another opinion, that might help you figure out what treatment is best for you. Perhaps your third ortho will agree with one of the first two (like mine did), making your treatment choice a little easier for you.

Also, congratulations on starting your braces journey!

[eternitybc]

Thanks cowlypso and sallymonster, for the fast replies! Sally, I'm only 23. I know I'm not young anymore, sniffle but I'm not that old either! I don't know when your jaw stops growing though- maybe it's at 20.

Wow, if you can get a 7 mm overjet down to 1- I would think they could fix mine without surgery! Yes, the prices are a bit higher here, but with a 15% exchange rate, I guess it isn't as bad as the states. I'm also lucky in that my dental plan at work covers up to 3,000. So I don't even have to pay all that much! Too bad it isn't 100%

Well, we'll see what Ortho 3 suggests. He's also only 5 minutes from where I work, so it'd be really convenient for me. I live about 45 minutes from home, and I carpool - so driving home mid day once a month would not be fun. And thatnks for the warm welcome! I hope I have something useful to post soon! Ortho Appt is Jan 10- I had to wait two weeks, but only because the office is fully booked- which is a good sign, I think.

[platinum]

Hi

I have a severe deepbite and 6 mm overjet. My first ortho told that jaw surgery coild only fix my bite to the prefection. No thanks for the jaw surgery.
Second told that with braces I can get my deepbite fixed and my overbite smaller. It cannot be fixed fully, but my overjet does not bother me that much.
I also told that if I go the extraction route my front upper teeth would end up slanted backwards... don't want that... I will have my records taken in one week, so i will hear what is it going to be.

About invisalign, I can swop to invisalign after having had braces later on.
Maybe you can ask this option if you dont want to have metal braces during the full treatment time.

[thesallymonster]

Sally, I'm only 23. I know I'm not young anymore, sniffle but I'm not that old either! I don't know when your jaw stops growing though- maybe it's at 20.

Don't worry, you're not old yet, you're not much older than me! I'm not sure when jaw growth stops, but I think if I were younger there would be a much better chance that the Herbst appliance would fully correct my bite. From my online poking around I have found that Herbst appliances are usually used in children, but can be used in adults sometimes.

[manglemouth]

Ok burning question now until I see my orthodontist...how do you know if you have an overbite or just teeth that overlap the lower ones a little? Because 2mm, I would have never considered that an overbite, I think mine are at least that far apart from my lower teeth but my first orthodontist didn't even mention an overbite at all. So now I wonder if this is just another thing he decided to not tell me about (which is the reason I am going for a consultation with another one on Friday) or if some things are not actually an overbite. I could swear I have seen people with perfect teeth whose top and bottom don't match 100%? I didn't even know they were supposed to. Wouldn't teeth wear out then if they always hit against each other for every bite?

I apologive in advance if this is a really stupid question I don't know much about this stuff yet!

[manglemouth]

1) Thanks for explaining the difference between overbite and overjet, both of you gave me some great info considering I never even knew that those two things aren't the exact same thing

2) I finally know what Damon's are!

After spending many hours on this site, I feel like I just obtained some sort of braces mini degree!

[Samantha19]

Welcome to the club!

I think you will find it is worth it. It's different at first but in the end you will have perfect teeth.

[JayC]

are u from BC eternitybc? im from vancouver bc and may be able to point you to an ortho specialist

[eternitybc]

Update: Today was appt for Ortho3. Incredibly disappointed. Not by the ortho per se, but I thought it would be easier than this.

According to #3, my jaw is crooked. Not even on left as it is on the right, which is why my molars line up on one side, and the other side they're one on top of the other. Also, the midline on my bottom teeth is is further to the left, sinee jaw growth wasnt stable. His recommendations? I have a bad bite (haha obviously) so I need braces. he would TRY to sue an appliance to move the one side of the jaw further, but can't guarantee it will work since I've mostly stopped growing. But he wouldnt recommend jaw surgery, since the results won't be that bad and not justifiable to him.

So, this is news to me. Neither ortho mentioned my lower jaw grew more on one side than the other. Ortho2 recommended ajw surgery to move the bite forward, ut never said anything about one particular side.... it was to correct overjet, not an imbalance. And Ortho#2 was converned very much with my profile and appearance, so I'm wondering why he didnt mention my face wasn't symmetrical?? Cost was similar to ortho1- 7,500 + 400 for xrays, 200 more for ceramic on top. around 8,000.

At this point, I'm just so frustrated. This guy has been doing braces for 38 years. Shouldnt he know what he's talking about? Or would a younger dentist be more in tuned to today's techniques? So. Who to go with? At this point I'm leaning toward the first. #2 wasn't willing to even try an appliance- either I have jaw surgery, or he does a treatment plan based on me keeping my overjet. Of course, this would be invisalign- so no metal mouth. 6,900 (same price for metal, but same results, apparently). But #1 thinks he can corerct my overbite, will try an appliance for the overjet, and seems to think he can give me a nicer profile. I had my visit with him before I knew what I was doing, so I think I might go back to ask a few more questions. I didnt know any of the terms either, such as overjet or overbite.

Anwyays, sorry for the rant and rave. I can't believe there are three so different opinions and treatment plans. invisalign, appliance, jaw surgery.... all are giving me different opinions. How do I know which to choose?!

And thanks Jay C - the ortho you recommended is actually ortho# 2, who thought jaw surgery was the way to go. I'm really uncomfortable with getting surgery at this point....especially when I have two other people who don't think it's necessary. I know he was willign to do the treatment without it, but I don't think i'd be happy with the results- I'd at least like to try other methods, if they're available to me.

[platinum]

Your ortho 1's route sounds similar mine. As i wrote i was also recommended a jaw surgery. My ortho told that the picture of my deepbite is a very good example of severe deepbite. he said that can be fixed with braces This problem will be addressed first using only lower braces and removable retaine on the top first, and later upper braces.
I did not ask how the overjet is going to be fixed or do I neec some appliances. I will ask next time.

[KatK]

I just wanted to chime in here. Sorry you are having such a hard time finding an ortho, i'm sure you'll find one that you are comfortable with! Apparently, i have a 6mm overbite, and they are trying to correct this with a pendulum. This device covers the roof of my mouth and will stay in for 6-8 months. (it's really not that bad at all)

It "distills" my back molars, meaning it pushes them back to create 6mm of space. Then my ortho will use damon's to pull the teeth back. He seems pretty confident that this will work and has seen it work on many patients. I trust him because he's been doing this for 30+ years AND he even did some of the Steeler's (pro US football) teeth! I'm not sure if this info is helpful, but just wanted to post incase!

Good luck!

[eternitybc]

Thanks everyone. You're right, I shouldn't go ahead with any of them right now. I'm still confused as to why I'm getting different opinions. One side of my jaw didn't grow, the whole thing is small- I need surgery, it can be fixed with braces? I don't know.

I don't want surgery. period. It's too expensive, and it just isn't worth it to me- it seems more cosmetic. And my teeth aren't BAD. I just want them to line up (i have an overbite/overjet). But if braces can't fix that, then why would I even get them? 2 years so my molars line up. I don't particularly care about that i know, i do, and i should. But why spend all that time and effort if I'm not going to get the results I want?

Maybe I should just wait until I'm desperate enough to go for the surgery, lol- but that's not going to happen. I'm goign to make an appointment with one more ortho, and go back to the first- sincei'm unclear what his treatment plan was. I also want to confirm what results I could expect, now that I'm getting all this other info. Sigh, too difficult

[platinum]

How is it going?

Have you decided what to do?

Ciao,
Platinum