Newbie advice

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#1 Post by **Annie** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:55 pm

Hi Everyone-

I just registered after lurking for a little while, reading and reading to try to answer my questions, but I think I just need to ask specific to me.

I'm a 40 year old mother of 3 and just had my first ortho consultation. My dentist referred me to an orthodontist because my bite is off and he's been filing bits to get my teeth to fit together. Unfortunately, the biggest problem right now seems to be my lower right canine. Over the years it has shifted forward and now overlaps my top teeth. (I call it my werewolf tooth) There is really no way to file THAT down so my teeth line up without making it look really weird... I also have a crossbite.

I wouldn't be too concerned if I wasn't having clenching/TMJ problems. My jaw aches as though I've been chewing something tough all day and I do get headaches. I've also cracked 4 of my molars clenching.

Visually, my teeth look fine. Slightly flared in front from tongue thrusting, and you don't really notice the werewolf tooth unless I smile really big. The orthodontist was very cool and not pushy at all. She said I'm definitely a candidate for braces, but nothing drastic will happen if I don't get them. I won't lose any teeth or anything. About the clenching and TMJ, she said braces MIGHT fix it, but she can't guarantee it. There are so many factors that contribute to TMJ that we might fix my bite and it might be completely gone or we might fix it and find out that wasn't the problem.

My husband seems freaked out about the money and the fact that this "seems to have come out of nowhere", meaning no dentist ever suggested braces to me before.

Has anyone had any experience with any of this? Has anyone had TMJ problems that were lessened by braces? Has anyone had a spouse that seems suspicious of the cost / validity of treatment?

Help! Thanks-
Annie

#2 Post by **Annie** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 7:08 pm

Thanks KK, for taking the time to respond!

My brother says "Go for it! You'll have those teeth for another 40 years, why not do a little maintenance."

My husband gets really quiet and is mainly concerned with the money.

I'll keep you posted. I'll probably be around a lot more often!

Annie

#3 Post by **Jenny5** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 7:15 am

Annie,

Try not to think of the cost as a few thousand dollars for a year or two of treatment, but a few thousand dollars for 40 years of strong, healthy, straight teeth and relief from your jaw troubles. Do the math and you'll see that you're talking pennies a day! Plus, if your teeth are going to cause dental problems down the road, fixing those problem can be expensive too. I think preventative maintenance is a smart move.

Good luck with your decision!

#4 Post by **Ives** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 8:43 am

On the TMJ issue, i'll give you a quick background of my problems. I will not get braces till march 1st so I don't really know if braces help TMJ but I would imagine it does.
Around July/August 2005 I went in for a consult on braces and was told I had serious TMJ problems. He said I was clenching my teeth real bad. I never realized I was doing it. He showed me where I had actually ground down my lower teeth to the point that they were badly worn down. One of them looks like it's been broken but it actually has just worn down that far. He told me that straightening my teeth before fixing the clenching problem was counter productive. He had me where an appliance for about 15 months. This actually forced me to relax my bite quite a bit. My jaw pain reduced considerably and my headaches went away almost completely.
As far as the cost goes, it's a tough one. It is alot of money but it's your health your talking about. Well worth it in my opinion. Sometimes people without health problems just do not get it. Explain to him the pain your in and hopefully he'll come around.

Good Luck
Ives

#5 Post by **Annie** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:14 pm

What a fantastic find this website has been! Thank you all for sharing your stories and advice. You make some excellent points.

My mouth just aches recently, and I don't know if it's because now I'm just hyper aware of it or whether I was just blocking it before or if it's a result of the initial tooth grinding / bite fixing stuff. Like some of you, this is the first time a dentist has even mentioned braces, but now that I'm aware of it, it's hard to put out of my mind.

You know, I'm trying to not think about it so I can see if I can live with this bite forever or not. Right now, I think not. Too achy. I suppose I should get a second opinion, so I'll ask my dentist for a second recommendation.

Again, thank you all so much!
Annie

#6 Post by **Dr Jon Harrow** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:51 pm

Hi Annie
Welcome to the site, Im also fairly new, B-day is on 12th march, and if you see my post, i was also not too happy about the prospect, but now looking on the bright side, this site is great support.
In relation to your TMJ, I am hopefully assuming correctly that you have with professional support looked in to the possible causation of this.ie stress, and thus have looked into stress management, and heat and muscle relaxation?
I also grind ( although if you see my other probs you can understand the stress!!), but I found that physio exercises helped, as did relaxation, especially positive visualisation, as for a bite guard, well i just bit through that!
Look forward to hearing your progress
Jon

#7 Post by **braces@28** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:36 pm

Im a newbie! Looking at my smile you could hardly tell..but over the years dentists would mention braces. You should always have more than one opinion on any procedure and anything that is an investment!
As far as the costs..there are always payment plans.
Health is number one! That is why I did it. As you age so do your teeth:) Good luck!
Im on day one! Regreting because of the pain but it will pass:)

#8 Post by **plsandiego** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 3:56 am

I prolonged getting braces for 12 years, since i was 16. I chose not to get them because i thought my teeth were good and straight (NOT!). They shifted so bad due to two lower missing 6's that as early as last february, i couldn't chew on either side and my jaw popped all the time.

After 9 months in braces i can chew like i could when i was 12 years old. Some people view getting braces as a vanity improvement, but for the majority of us, getting them is getting "treatment" for a bad bite.. regardless of how your teeth "look"..

#9 Post by **Annie** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:20 am

Congrats on the brand new braces, braces@28! You'll have to keep me updated as I'll probably be in the same boat in a few weeks. Let me know how long it takes for the pain to subside.

It's so good to hear from other people that their teeth also looked fine. I keep thinking I'm crazy when I look at my smile, but my jaw & head are killing me.

Annie

#10 Post by **PfectPitch** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:05 pm

Hey, Annie: I'm also a newbie but would like to offer my 2 cents on the cost issue:

1) I had minor outpatient surgery in December. For a few hours' time the bill was $9000. I did it because it was necessary and a health issue. Sounds like the same is true for you. If it is interfering in your life, it's time to fix it. With three kids you have to be in top form to keep up!

2) Most ortho offices will work with you to get the fees down so you can pay on a monthly basis. With some back and forth, I was able to get my fees down to $150 a month and by cutting out some things I will be able to pay it with no huge change to the "bottom line".

3) As the commercial says, "I'm worth it." Good luck!

#11 Post by **Annie** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:51 pm

Hi! I just wanted to (again) thank you all for your input and let you know that you'll be seeing a lot more of me around... I decided to get the braces! I have an appt. March 1st for impressions, etc.

I'm sure I'll have many many questions...

Annie

#12 Post by **PfectPitch** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 4:23 pm

That's great, Annie! Your first appointment is the day I get my braces, so we'll both be "in the chair". Good luck.