5mm overjet, is it worth 2 plus yrs in braces

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#1 Post by **roost22** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:35 am

I went to see ortho about getting some minor crowding in my lowers fixed which I knew i would need at least 1 extraction, no problem there, ortho said it could be done with 1 extraction but said that i have a 5mm overjet that should be fixed and that would take a bridge to be sectioned out and an extraction of 1 bicuspid and 2 plus years of braces. He also said "the good thing is you don't need surgery." I am not so sure that I want to do that much work for 5mm. He also told me there was agood chance that if we just did the lower crowding it would increase the overjet but he would do it if I wanted. Any opinions?

#2 Post by **jennielee81** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:07 am

...that would take a bridge to be sectioned out...

I'm not sure what you mean here, but to answer your question YES it is worth it!!!

You'll be in braces anyway, why not get it all taken care of and have a perfect bite? In some cases where people only have one arch done end up with two arches that do not match and their bite causes pain and the treated arch doesn't have anything stable to bite into which can cause rapid relapse.

2 years isn't a big deal!! I had a 4mm overjet and it was fixed with elastics. Total time pulling that overjet back was about 10 months. My total treatment time was 20 months, he didn't start working on the overjet until the 10th month. How long did the ortho say for just doing the lower arch? If it's going to be a huge difference, I'll guess that you have more than just an overjet to be corrected on the top.

GO FOR THE GOLD!!

#3 Post by **Kerry** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:45 am

My overbite was 7mm and i need surgery, got full metals on about a month ago and i can say there not that bad (even tho there NHS ones) I cant tell you if its worth it yet but i got a huge feeling it will be

#4 Post by **OverJetSet** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:20 am

i think everyone here would tell you to talk to more than one ortho, especially if you are in the US, where consults are generally free. i even went to a former dentist (former because i moved) of mine to consult (altho i paid him) because he has no stake in my teeth at all. i would question the extraction, why it is being done. in fact, question everything, as i have learned here. be clear about what your concerns are & why you consulted with an ortho in the 1st place.

as to your question "is it worth it?", i dont' know how old you are but i hope to have these teeth for another 40+ years. it seems to me the better function i have, the better chance i have to keep them.

good luck.
donna

#5 Post by **roost22** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:40 pm

jennielee81 wrote:
...that would take a bridge to be sectioned out...
I'm not sure what you mean here, but to answer your question YES it is worth it!!!

You'll be in braces anyway, why not get it all taken care of and have a perfect bite? In some cases where people only have one arch done end up with two arches that do not match and their bite causes pain and the treated arch doesn't have anything stable to bite into which can cause rapid relapse.

2 years isn't a big deal!! I had a 4mm overjet and it was fixed with elastics. Total time pulling that overjet back was about 10 months. My total treatment time was 20 months, he didn't start working on the overjet until the 10th month. How long did the ortho say for just doing the lower arch? If it's going to be a huge difference, I'll guess that you have more than just an overjet to be corrected on the top.

GO FOR THE GOLD!!

A bridge being sectioned out is the same as having a tooth pulled (it creates space). As for just doing the lowers I didnt ask how long but I am going to get a second opinion then maybe get the x-rays and impressions and get in a little deeper. I do like the first ortho, he just wired my wife 2 months ago.

#6 Post by **roost22** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:45 pm

Kerry wrote:My overbite was 7mm and i need surgery, got full metals on about a month ago and i can say there not that bad (even tho there NHS ones) I cant tell you if its worth it yet but i got a huge feeling it will be

I have an overjet not an overbite

#7 Post by **roost22** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:09 pm

OverJetSet wrote:i think everyone here would tell you to talk to more than one ortho, especially if you are in the US, where consults are generally free. i even went to a former dentist (former because i moved) of mine to consult (altho i paid him) because he has no stake in my teeth at all. i would question the extraction, why it is being done. in fact, question everything, as i have learned here. be clear about what your concerns are & why you consulted with an ortho in the 1st place.

as to your question "is it worth it?", i dont' know how old you are but i hope to have these teeth for another 40+ years. it seems to me the better function i have, the better chance i have to keep them.

good luck.
donna

Thanks Donna I am in the good old US of A and I spoke with my dentist (he agreed this would be a good route, but he has never said anything to me about an overjet). the extraction and sectioning would be done because my molars are all in a good bite so it would only be the "super six" being pulled back to eliminate the overjet. I am a 45yr old male and i consulted the ortho because I went to the first few consults my wife had and was curious as to the condition of my own teeth. He did offer a discount if I was to go through with it.

#8 Post by **iBorg** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:19 pm

There you go again taking my name in vain....

Seriously, you owe it to yourself to ask the questions Meryaten mentions. What good is straight teeth if you loose your smile? I'm at the 16 month mark of at least a three year treatment plan to correct what overzealous extractions caused. You need to ask what your final overall appearance would be. How visible would your teeth be after treatment. What will your lips look like? These my seem like questions of vanity but if you find yourself hiding your face because you don't like what you look like, it will effect your overall happiness.

I found my confidence eroded due to my lack of a smile. Even with a mouth full of metal, I smile more than before treatment. I'm happy with my teeth. I wasn't before hand.

Mike

#9 Post by **roost22** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:36 pm

Very good point meryaten this has been on my mind and brings up my question again "is it worth it?" No, I do not want a sunken in face and my top teeth are pretty straight besides the overjet. I want to see if the bottom teeth could be brought forward say 2mm.

#10 Post by **jumbie** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:36 pm

I put on my braces just before my birthday last year. Looking at some of those pics that were taken in a side profile ,i had an overjet that was gettting progressively worse. One year later, looking at the 'after' pics I can see an OBVIOUS improvement in my profile. I was really shocked that half way through my treatment my teeth looked amazing and the pics were fabulous (even with braces!) I can smile anyway i want without worrying what angle it was being taken at. Thats when I knew it was worth it.

#11 Post by **roost22** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:04 pm

iborg, thanks for the comment i was just wondering how many extractions you had and which teeth they were.

#12 Post by **iBorg** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:18 pm

I had the 70's classic "four on the floor" treatment where my first premolars were removed. Two on top and two on the bottom. The bottom arch might have been justified. The top wasn't except it was a combination of the times and a lazy ortho.

Mike

#13 Post by **platinum** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 11:05 am

I had 6 mm overjet. I was told that extraction of teeth would affect my face negatively. At the moment they are trying to eliminate my overjet by making archs wider and pulling upper teeth somewhat back and lower teeth forwards. My archs were quite small to start with and pulling teeth away would made them even smaller.

#14 Post by **dugsmom** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:51 pm

I definitely think you should see more than one ortho. I posted on here a couple of weeks ago and was going to go with the first ortho in this town that I saw. Fortunately I was told to see more (thanks to you all) so I went and I got the best news ever. My previous ortho back home told me I'd need to either have 2 teeth extracted (I have a crossbite and 4mm overjet or maybe it's an overbite...not sure) to bring my top teeth back or I'd have to have surgery. I'd be in braces for 2- 2 1/2 years. I moved so I didn't get anything done (THANK GOD). I went to another ortho last week and he told me I had a 4mm overjet, slight crowding (upper teeth) which I honestly don't think I have but that's what he said, and he said I HAD to have 2 upper teeth pulled. I told him I didn't want to pull my teeth and although he didn't recommend I get surgery he said that could do it if I wanted...which I don' t want if I don't have to...I would be in braces for 2 years.
I went to another ortho the next day and he laughed when I told him that I was told that I'd have to have 2 teeth extracted. He says I don't need surgery or teeth extracted. Braces would fix my problem!!!!! Yayayayaya! My bottom teeth are totally messed up. I lost 2 molars when I was little so my teeth have drifted and there's spaces so he said that once the teeth are pulled forward and implants places in the gaps that should fix some of my overbite (other ortho called it an overjet...can someone tell me the diffence??). He says I will have a very very very slight overbite once treatment is done (treatment time:2 years) I am fine with that...at least I won't have to have surgery.My overbite or overjet,whatever it is, doesn't bother me now. It's not noticeable.
so that's my little story...so get more opinions from Ortho's. You may not even need an extraction.
Good luck!
Jessica

#15 Post by **roost22** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:50 am

Well said meryaten, I will be seeing another ortho, but the problem is when my wife made consult appointments there was a 4 month wait to see the ortho i would like to see. I probubly will wait!