What realistically is achievable?

Message

#1 Post by **2shy** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 3:41 am

I won't ask do I need braces LOL the point is I should have had braces a long time ago. Like many on the site whose stories I have read I too started young I got as far as four extractions and the actual fitting of a removable appliance of some sort but I never wore it. Later when all my friends were getting braces I went back to the dentist but he said no and I though that was it, nothing to be done. and now after all these years of living with my teeth I discover that it may be possible to do something about them;

I am very concious of my appearance but the thought of braces is just as scary if not more so. I am wondering if realistically its too late and if at the end of the day my teeth are too far out of line to ever get back to something resembling normal / acceptable.
I am 43
I have been inspired by the stories and people on this site I had no idea it was even possible to get something done about your teeth past your teen years.

Ok so my questions I guess are am i too far gone? pics to follow.

front view

this really isn't pretty teeth closed in their usual position

if I bring my bottom jaw forward i can almost get my front teeth to touch but actually only two points touch on the back somewhere

usual position as I am unable to bring my lips together without thinking about it

can i realistically expect to get a good result. I am thinkig that i would be faced with possible extractions , braces and maybe other appliances or combinations i am not sure I could cope /deal with headgear, but i would draw the line if I needed surgery.
my next fear is if i was to go ahead with work and it all got to much I am worried I may bottle in in the middle as i doubt I am in for a smooth ride.

how do others cope with this?
and finally anyone any experience of orthodentistry in france? are they up to date? still in the stone age fairly open to work on adults?

thanks for reading

#2 Post by **pearls** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 4:40 am

From what I have gathered from this forum, it is never to late to start orthodontics (unless of course you have no teeth left!

)

It looks to me you have a pretty narrow arch and pretty obvious overbite. From other's experiences in this forum, and for a condition similar to yours, they received a couple of extractions, and a palate expander on the top arch. I would assume treatment for you would be pretty similar (but then again I am not an ortho and have no authority at all to say that!).

The best thing to do would be to book in a consult at an ortho. Some places are free, but others only have a small fee. Mine was about $60. Consults are really good because they give you an idea of what treatment you need, and you never have to commit to anything.

Good luck with your journey!

Pearls.

#3 Post by **Becca** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 9:59 am

Hey! I agree it's never too late to get braces. I'm 24 and I have pretty bad crowding in my bottom teeth. I have Damon braces, which allowed me to have no extractions in a case where if I had got regular braces I would've DEFINTELY needed extractions! So you might want to check into the Damons if you're worried about extractions. They have a really good website that shows before and after pics. Some of the people shown on there had really bad cases to deal with, but the results are amazing. And you'd get results with any other types of braces as well. You're teeth are definitely fixable.

And as far as age is concerned, my ortho told me a story about a woman who was in her 70s that came and had braces put on. Anyway, hope this forum helps you and good luck!!

#4 Post by **Lisa65** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 11:32 am

Your case looks similar to mine in some respects. I am now 42. I had 4 premolars extracted as a teen and a removable appliance on the top(although I did wear mine) but instead of my front teeth moving back into the extraction gaps, my back teeth moved forward into them, and over time I got crowding on the front again and a big overjet. It looks like that must have happened with you, too.

It would be possible for you to get an improved smile, but like you said I don't think it would be easy. From your pic I can't see what your profile is like. Is your lower jaw retruded (set too far back) meaning you don't have much of a chin? If so, you might be a candidate for lower jaw advancement if you felt you wanted to go down that road.

If you don't want surgery or are not a surgical case (if your overjet is due to your teeth moving forward rather than a too-small lower jaw) then you might be able to get a compromise result from more extractions, or by moving all of your upper teeth back, although from personal experience I know this is not a short term proposition, and not all orthos will attempt to move upper molars back as there are potential pitfalls. You can skim through my blog if you want to know what has been involved in my case. It's been pretty complex.

I don't know what orthodontics is like in France, I am not sure if we have any French members here. I guess your best bet would be to set up a consultation or two and see what they say.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

#5 Post by **loulou123** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 12:30 pm

Hello

your teeth are definately fixable, my front teeth were similarlary far apart. Whether or not youd need headgear, surgery etc i couldnt say (i personally had surgery 7 weeks ago)

As far as France is concerned, im in the UK and having treatment on the NHS, so im sure the treatment in France is just as good, if not more so.

I can understand your fears about bottling it half way if the going gets tough, i had the same fears, but ive had a pretty bumpy ride after surgery and have never really thought of quitting treatment as ive seen how much better my teeth look already and im determined to see it through now.

Good luck.

#6 Post by **mominbraces** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 12:45 pm

I certainly think you should go for a consult, maybe
with more than one orthondontist. I agree with
others who have said that based on reading this
board, it is generally never too late to be helped
by othodontic treatment.

Having said that, I will also say that yes, there
may be limits to what can be accomplished in a
reasonable time frame (2-3 years). Perfection
may elude some of us, and you may have to
settle for "good enough" in some areas. Lynn
writes in her journal that her treatment ended
once she and her ortho decided that some details
looked as if they could not be totally fixed. I too
am facing this: Age 50, braced 25 months, and
my ortho is still frustrated with my bite, he
says it will not open as much as he wants it to,
and that I will have to settle for a good enough
bite, not a perfect one. Unless I want to spend
another 2 years in braces! So, a prospective
ortho ought to be able to tell you if certain
major problems can be improved, but I suspect
it will be difficult to predict certain details.

#7 Post by **2shy** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:55 am

Hi just wanted to say thank you to those who took the time to reply. I have found the replies have helped me greatly be more postive and take action I have scheduled an appointment with my dentist to arrange a referral to an ortho.

Meryaten wise words I suspect on every count. I have read you story from start to finish.

Mominbraces thank you I hope you and your ortho get the result you are looking for

Loulou wow I hope things are settling down for you now it seems you have had a rough time thank you for your blog it is so amazing to be able to share I hope that I am as brave when it come s down to it.

Lisa 65 what can i say your explanations and photos make things all so clear and I don't know if I share a similar problem to you I suspect I might but your entries have been so helpful in letting me get my head round the whole process;
it seems for everyone its a roller coaster ride; I hope you all get to the end laughing and smiling big beautiful smiles.
hang on tight I may be coming along for the ride;

#8 Post by **2shy** » Sat May 24, 2008 8:41 am

Just wanted to update my post and say that honestly without this forum I would never have even got in through the orthodontists door. Today I had my first consult I have two others lined up to do some comparisons interesting initial appraisal.

I need to also say THANKS to this place and the people who inhabit it you have all been a huge help. Just please don't go anywhere i think I may still need a little hand holding from time to time !

#9 Post by **TigerLily** » Sat May 24, 2008 11:50 am

Congrats on making your first step!

Do go through the consult process as much as you can.

I have an underdeveloped lower jaw as well as narrow arches on both upper and lower and an overjet.

I also had extractions and a removable appliance when I was young and also my back teeth tilted into the gaps, particularly after my wisdoms started coming though and putting more pressure on the space available.

This time around, I was initially told I would have to have extractions and surgery but by time of the 2nd or 3rd appointment, after my ortho had looked at my xrays and study models, she said she could get a very good result without surgery (or extractions as there was enough room) with archwire, a bite plate, coiled springs and elastics. The result would not be as perfect as she would want but she thought I'd be very happy with it. But I'd still have the option of surgery if I wanted it.

I'm about 6 months in and time will tell what this 'compromised result' will be like. I was told 18 months which I mentally made 2 years. However, my uppers went on yesterday as the ortho's initial schedule (though they could have gone on 3-4 weeks ago but I delayed due to a family occasion) and I was out of coil springs at 3 months (rather than the 6+ months) and the bite plate at 4 months (rather than 6 months) so I am now thinking perhaps 18 months after all. If anything, my ortho has tried to slow things down due to concerns about bone density.

Yesterday, my ortho said to me when looking at the progress of my lowers how well everything had come along and she just knew I was going to have an excellent outcome. So no mention of surgery...yay! Though to be honest, once you get on the road, for me at least, you just take it in your stride. It's just another step. But I think if my ortho was thinking surgery, she'd mention it.

As for orthodontics in France.. I suspect they must be very good. People from the UK are always going across the channel for medical so why should dental be any different. I am in the UK but my ortho is from France..she moved over about 8 years ago from practising in Paris. I like her a lot, she really focuses on achieving a certain smile outcome, not just a good bite (IMHO much more so than English male dentists would be) and really takes into account the looks aspect of the process.

#10 Post by **badbite** » Tue May 27, 2008 7:39 am

2shy, What did the ortho say?

#11 Post by **2shy** » Tue May 27, 2008 9:19 am

Tigerlily I really appreciate your comments. its been very helpful to hear other peoples experiences.

Meryaten next time I think I will be writing some questions down before hand.

Bad bite, there wasn't anything that I wasn't expecting i think my dental problems are reasonably classic but with 4 premolars already removed the guy was struggling. I was surprised that he was adamant that the two lower premolars should never have been removed. I guess I just assumed that my dental problems were all as a lack of my compliance. he suggested palate expansion ( slow) plus lots of elastics................ but would discuss more following xrays I felt he was struggling a little once he realised no premolars to make any space easily.Oh and he was definately against surgery. next appointment in a couple of weeks. I suspect I might be offered a different approach.

#12 Post by **TigerLily** » Wed May 28, 2008 1:23 pm

2shy - good luck with your next appt. You may find the ortho's thoughts are different after he's had a chance to properly look at your case with the xrays and study models, as mine did. To be fair she did say 'probably' at the first appointment but I was really surprised when she said no extractions necessary (and I wasn't that anti them anyway), but she hadnt had a chance at the first appointment stage to look at things properly.