hello, I'm a newbie here and new to dental issues - i think my problem is not uncommon, so i really hope someone here can give advice.
I'm 35 with an overbite - i have great healthy teeth, straight etc..but my top front teeth totally cover my bottom front teeth. Probably due to slightly smaller lower jaw (although thumb might also be responsible!). i got into the habit of keeping back teeth apart to self correct the problem years ago, if i close my back teeth i look like a tweenie or something from the simpsons - so i am always holding my bite at an unnatural angle!
The reason i want my bite corrected is for comfort, i'd like to put my back teeth together and because a good bite lends suport to facial muscles, if not corrected, adult overbites can lead to premature aging, the lower half of my face looks very tired and drawn...not as bad as, but a bit like, older people when they take their dentures out.
I've emailed picturs to a couple of surgeons and will see one soon ,but some feedback was that jaw surgery was required - i really want to avoid this by any means - does anyone know if there is an alternative? I wondered if its possible to build up the height of the back teeth to push the jaw forward. In hope!
adult deep overbite-is there ANY alternative to jaw surgery
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horriblebite
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Deep Overbite
Hi, I have a deep overbite and did not require jaw surgery in my case.
The ortho installed a bite plate rigged with coil springs which makes my molars erupt to open the deep bite and push the molars back to fix the over bite. Of course you'll need to talk to an orthodontist to see what will be required in your case.
It is a bit of a slow process, I've had this in my mouth for about 6 months now. At my last visit the ortho said that it can be removed on my next visit on the 16th of this month.
Vector
The ortho installed a bite plate rigged with coil springs which makes my molars erupt to open the deep bite and push the molars back to fix the over bite. Of course you'll need to talk to an orthodontist to see what will be required in your case.
It is a bit of a slow process, I've had this in my mouth for about 6 months now. At my last visit the ortho said that it can be removed on my next visit on the 16th of this month.
Vector
I had/have a deep bite too. I know what you mean about holding your teeth in a different position.
No surgery in my case. However worth saying that at my first consult appointment my ortho said probably extractions + surgery but it was at the third consult appointment after she'd had time to study my xrays and study models, she said neither would be necessary. However, no surgery means a compromised result on how perfect she'd like it. She thinks I will be very happy with the result (but the option is still open down the line). Agreeing to bonded retainers top/bottom (as well as Essix style for 6months to a year) was part of the deal.
I had a removable bite plate which I wore on my upper teeth whilst my lowers were braced. It helped my molars erupt. I was supposed to wear it for 6 months plus but after 4 months my ortho was happy enough with my bite to say I didn't have to wear it anymore. I had my upper braces put on at 6 months.
My niece has a deep bite too and she has molar build ups on her back teeth. She got braced about a month after me but I think she's going to have them for quite a while.
No surgery in my case. However worth saying that at my first consult appointment my ortho said probably extractions + surgery but it was at the third consult appointment after she'd had time to study my xrays and study models, she said neither would be necessary. However, no surgery means a compromised result on how perfect she'd like it. She thinks I will be very happy with the result (but the option is still open down the line). Agreeing to bonded retainers top/bottom (as well as Essix style for 6months to a year) was part of the deal.
I had a removable bite plate which I wore on my upper teeth whilst my lowers were braced. It helped my molars erupt. I was supposed to wear it for 6 months plus but after 4 months my ortho was happy enough with my bite to say I didn't have to wear it anymore. I had my upper braces put on at 6 months.
My niece has a deep bite too and she has molar build ups on her back teeth. She got braced about a month after me but I think she's going to have them for quite a while.
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horriblebite
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thank you!
Oh thank you both, thats really helpful. I know cases vary re what can be done without surgery - but knowledge is power..i think sometimes specialists are too keen to go a certain way and other ways don't occur to them in that mindset - if i at least have the terminology i can suggest things - even if they are rejected. I am willing to compromise - I'm not even after the perfect smile..just proper support for my face from my bite and for things to be abit more comfortable in that area. Are either of you over 30 if you don't mind me asking..I wish I'd done something sooner.
I'm 35.
I just came back to this thread to update that I looked in the mirror and I really don't have much of a deep bite anymore (I don't take pics or update my progress or look too closely at stuff ..I just go for the major milestones for me like getting a coiled spring off).
Are you going straight to a surgeon or going to an ortho? Let the ortho take their time to have a proper look at your case, any good one will certainly think of all the options. Go for other consultations with other orthos if necessary. I believe they are no fee in the US? Though I dont know how many appointments you get, whether just one or several.
I am in the UK so paid. If I'd just gone for the first appointment, I'd have run away but as I said after my ortho had time to devise a treatment plan it didnt incorporate surgery. By that time I'd spent £200-£300 in consultations so did not get a second opinion as I didn't want to spend that again. Also, I felt very comfortable with my ortho. And as she practices at my dental surgery which is around the corner for me, it made sense to go with her.
I don't know what my result is going to be like, if you looked at me you'd think that surgery would be the only way to go, to bring my lower jaw forward. But my ortho seems to have achieved quite a lot in 6-7 months with archwire, bite plate and coiled springs so I am trusting her judgement. I understand from reading on here that in cases like mine, results could be less stable than surgery options and therefore retention would be more intensive, but as I said my ortho said I'd have to commit to bonded retainers as well as a removable one.
I just came back to this thread to update that I looked in the mirror and I really don't have much of a deep bite anymore (I don't take pics or update my progress or look too closely at stuff ..I just go for the major milestones for me like getting a coiled spring off).
Are you going straight to a surgeon or going to an ortho? Let the ortho take their time to have a proper look at your case, any good one will certainly think of all the options. Go for other consultations with other orthos if necessary. I believe they are no fee in the US? Though I dont know how many appointments you get, whether just one or several.
I am in the UK so paid. If I'd just gone for the first appointment, I'd have run away but as I said after my ortho had time to devise a treatment plan it didnt incorporate surgery. By that time I'd spent £200-£300 in consultations so did not get a second opinion as I didn't want to spend that again. Also, I felt very comfortable with my ortho. And as she practices at my dental surgery which is around the corner for me, it made sense to go with her.
I don't know what my result is going to be like, if you looked at me you'd think that surgery would be the only way to go, to bring my lower jaw forward. But my ortho seems to have achieved quite a lot in 6-7 months with archwire, bite plate and coiled springs so I am trusting her judgement. I understand from reading on here that in cases like mine, results could be less stable than surgery options and therefore retention would be more intensive, but as I said my ortho said I'd have to commit to bonded retainers as well as a removable one.
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horriblebite
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:46 am
hi
Thats really encouraging Tigerlily. I'm British but live in France and I fully expect having to come back to the Uk for treatment and pay (probably shocking amount) for it do you mind if i ask roughly what you thnk your treatment will cost...I went for a small filling and when i mentioned overbite to French dentist, he just said i was to old! I think Uk is bit more forward thinking on dentistry these days. I'd happily have a mouth full of wires for a year and wear a retainer after that if it helped - how long to you envisage having to wear the bite plate etc? I wonder if I'm realistic in thinking i can get treatment in the UK for a couple of thousand IF an orthdontist agrees that bote plate etc might help me.
Funnily my ortho is from France and I feel more comfortable with her than I think I would with a British dentist, particularly a male one. She really looks at outcomes from a looks perspective not just a bite one!
I think your experience may be linked to general dentists. Definitely worth consulting an ortho in France, someone else on here did recently and it went well. I remember a few years ago I mentioned braces to my dentist at the time who was actually a top general dentist (I say top as I was initially given her name by a couple of dentists I knew who went to her themselves) but she thought I was too old for braces or that actually it was a jaw issue that would need surgery. So I never did anything else.
It's only since I started going to my current general dentist who is also really into cosmetic stuff that it became an avenue as he 'pushed' me into making an appointment with the ortho.
I will share my prices but you are in for a shock if you are budgeting £2k.... I will caveat saying I pay top whack as I'm in central London. All the other UK costs I've seen on here have been less.
My treatment will cost £4.5k (I think the bite plate had added about £500 to the total) The price could have been 3.5k all metal but I chose to pay extra to have ceramic on tops and bottoms which added £500 per arch. My treatment price does not include the retainers which I think will set me back £1-1.5k.
I also had to agree to three monthly hygienist visits (my ortho would not benefit financially from this but prides herself on minimal problems with her patients) which cost £60 each time and check ups with the dentist every 6 months which cost £65 each time.
I reckon at least £1k of my treatment plan is going towards the overheads of being in this area not another.. so maybe in hindsight I should have got consultations to the west or south of the big city!
France must surely be cheaper than the UK? If my ortho is anything to go by, French orthos are certainly very good.
Edited to answer your question on my bite plate. I was supposed to wear it for 6+ months but my ortho said I could stop wearing it when I got to 4 months. I'm also out of the coiled springs I had for what seemed like an eternity.
Now I'm at 6/7 months. I had my uppers on last week. So straightforward uppers and lowers combo until I get to elastics! My total treatment time was forecast at 18 months but I mentally put aside 2 years.
I think your experience may be linked to general dentists. Definitely worth consulting an ortho in France, someone else on here did recently and it went well. I remember a few years ago I mentioned braces to my dentist at the time who was actually a top general dentist (I say top as I was initially given her name by a couple of dentists I knew who went to her themselves) but she thought I was too old for braces or that actually it was a jaw issue that would need surgery. So I never did anything else.
It's only since I started going to my current general dentist who is also really into cosmetic stuff that it became an avenue as he 'pushed' me into making an appointment with the ortho.
I will share my prices but you are in for a shock if you are budgeting £2k.... I will caveat saying I pay top whack as I'm in central London. All the other UK costs I've seen on here have been less.
My treatment will cost £4.5k (I think the bite plate had added about £500 to the total) The price could have been 3.5k all metal but I chose to pay extra to have ceramic on tops and bottoms which added £500 per arch. My treatment price does not include the retainers which I think will set me back £1-1.5k.
I also had to agree to three monthly hygienist visits (my ortho would not benefit financially from this but prides herself on minimal problems with her patients) which cost £60 each time and check ups with the dentist every 6 months which cost £65 each time.
I reckon at least £1k of my treatment plan is going towards the overheads of being in this area not another.. so maybe in hindsight I should have got consultations to the west or south of the big city!
France must surely be cheaper than the UK? If my ortho is anything to go by, French orthos are certainly very good.
Edited to answer your question on my bite plate. I was supposed to wear it for 6+ months but my ortho said I could stop wearing it when I got to 4 months. I'm also out of the coiled springs I had for what seemed like an eternity.
Now I'm at 6/7 months. I had my uppers on last week. So straightforward uppers and lowers combo until I get to elastics! My total treatment time was forecast at 18 months but I mentally put aside 2 years.
Last edited by TigerLily on Sun Jun 01, 2008 11:35 am, edited 3 times in total.
I too live in France, find another dentist, so far ( yet to get braces) I have found the french system to be very open to treating adults I have been for a check up with my dentist where I broached the subject and she agreed it was entirely feasible to treat adults and my age was not an issue. I have three appointments booked with orthos the first was very open to treating me ( I haven't decided who i will go with yet) the next appointment is this fri with the ortho reccommended by my dentist. If you read french I surfed several french forums where braces for adults was discussed and there were quite a number with braces etc. If you prefer to go to the UK thats fine but don't dismiss the french option. As far as I can ascertain french orthos look to the US for the latest thinking and options wherever you go you will always get those who don't move forward. just re read your first post at 35 your still a youngster i'm 43 and so wished I had found this forum years ago it has been immensely helpful!
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horriblebite
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:46 am
Thanks everyone, especially to 2shy who is also in France - I'm going to see an ortho but be prepared to see another and maybe another if they say I'm too old or that jaw surgery is the only option....I'll try that route and then the UK if i get no joy in France.
Has anyone else heard about overbites having effect of premature aging in later life? I had always thought that it was becasue i was quite skinny that the skin on my face seemed 'loose' ...not looking old so much as just drawn...now I've researched about overbites, and how they don't provide the right support for the face, it all makes perfect sense...a bit like when people with dentures remove thier false teeth i guess.
Has anyone else heard about overbites having effect of premature aging in later life? I had always thought that it was becasue i was quite skinny that the skin on my face seemed 'loose' ...not looking old so much as just drawn...now I've researched about overbites, and how they don't provide the right support for the face, it all makes perfect sense...a bit like when people with dentures remove thier false teeth i guess.
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retainerjoe
- Posts: 293
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- Location: nashville tenn
- Contact:
i too had a deep overbite, at first they thought strong elastics could do it NOPE, so a biteplate was installed NOPE agian, but when i was put into HEADGEAR that did the trick for me , an no surgery was needed an i'm very very happy with the outcome 
http://community.webshots.com/user/head ... =community this link also has my video of me getting my braces
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horriblebite
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:46 am
this site
this site is fantastically helpful. Thank you so much.
I just wondered if anyone could explain a bit more about eruption - i don't have a clue what it means in context of adults and fixing bites, I'd assumed it just meant when kids teeth come through.
I just wondered if anyone could explain a bit more about eruption - i don't have a clue what it means in context of adults and fixing bites, I'd assumed it just meant when kids teeth come through.
I had a deep overbite, and I have had reverse archwires on my bottom at least 6 last six months. Today they increased the curve again. I got also reverse archwire on my top to push fornt teeth to the gums.
It seems to take a long time to fix my overbite. I was borderline surgical case, so I guess thats why it takes sooo long.
It seems to take a long time to fix my overbite. I was borderline surgical case, so I guess thats why it takes sooo long.
Hi TigerLily,
I'm so glad I found this post! I am now 26 and have been 'posturing' my lower jaw down and forwards for years now to cover my overbite. It is fairly severe (maybe 8mm?) and I have seen an Ortho about getting it fixed but he will only consider surgery. Personally, I would rather have the 8mm gap than surgery, especially when you can come across multiple instances of people dying during the surgery (do a Google News search if anyone's interested).
I am also in London and would love to get a second opinion from your ortho. I am not looking for 100% improvement, just a 'best-case' improvement. The prices you mention actually seem reasonable next to the ortho I saw! Could you tell me how I can get in contact with your ortho? If you are uncomfortable posting here maybe you could PM me?
Out of curiosity, has anyone here got Tinnitus? After doing lots of research I'm convinced it's a side-effect of my TMJ problems and would be interested if anyone that did have Tinnitus saw a change after their ortho work or jaw surgery.
My best to you all!
M
I'm so glad I found this post! I am now 26 and have been 'posturing' my lower jaw down and forwards for years now to cover my overbite. It is fairly severe (maybe 8mm?) and I have seen an Ortho about getting it fixed but he will only consider surgery. Personally, I would rather have the 8mm gap than surgery, especially when you can come across multiple instances of people dying during the surgery (do a Google News search if anyone's interested).
I am also in London and would love to get a second opinion from your ortho. I am not looking for 100% improvement, just a 'best-case' improvement. The prices you mention actually seem reasonable next to the ortho I saw! Could you tell me how I can get in contact with your ortho? If you are uncomfortable posting here maybe you could PM me?
Out of curiosity, has anyone here got Tinnitus? After doing lots of research I'm convinced it's a side-effect of my TMJ problems and would be interested if anyone that did have Tinnitus saw a change after their ortho work or jaw surgery.
My best to you all!
M
Dear Meryaten,
I can't seem to find the most recent case I was thinking of... I believe it was following the anaesthesia that the man had trouble breathing and this led to his death. You're right that it is extremely rare! But it is more the fact that there are many complications that can result from surgery (numbness, pain, etc), and that these are so unpredictable, that puts me off.
You are right that I am confusing overbite and overjet... I have both, but my primary problem is overbite. The net result is a reduced facial length, pouty lips and a poor profile. As I have been aware of this for years I have developed an almost sub-concious 'posturing' ability whereby I move my jaw down and forwards. It's so convincing that when my ortho first looked at me before I opened my mouth he was wondering what I was doing there! All of this makes me rather self-concious when eating, as I have no choice but to chew with my back teeth touching (thus revealing the true nature of my under-developed lower jaw)!
I have been reading a lot of your wonderful posts and I have to say that I don't think I could put up with all the things that you have! My ortho says he wants me to wear an orthotic (sp?) for a number of months to find my jaws 'true' position. Then he wants me to wear braces for between 12 and 24 months to move my teeth into the position they need to be in following the surgery. This part bothers me because during this period my bite will become worse! Then it's on to surgery, then a final brace period, then a final orthotic to verify and then stabilise my bite, which I'll finally just then be using as a retainer at night to protect my bite.
I was actually going to go ahead with all of this until my girlfriend of 4 years left me! Your 'mister' appears to have been very helpful and supportive of you; do you think you could have done it all without him? I don't have any pets either...
I've asked my ortho to think about all possible ways he can make improvements without the need for jaw surgery. If I was at a settled point in my life, with a secure job (I'm financially fairly secure but in between jobs), a loving girlfriend/wife and a couple of pets then I would probably just say 'what the hell' and go ahead with the surgery. But I'm on my own and the months of wearing the orthotic and the potentially 2 years of braces (that will actually make my problem worse until the surgery) are not exactly going to help my confidence (the most important ingredient in attracting a girl!).
The sad thing is that much like you, I had an ortho tell me all this as a child/early teenager and I didn't want to listen. I then went elsewhere and was told that I was ok. Similarly to you, it wasn't where I was at that was the problem, it was where I was going.
All the best,
M
I can't seem to find the most recent case I was thinking of... I believe it was following the anaesthesia that the man had trouble breathing and this led to his death. You're right that it is extremely rare! But it is more the fact that there are many complications that can result from surgery (numbness, pain, etc), and that these are so unpredictable, that puts me off.
You are right that I am confusing overbite and overjet... I have both, but my primary problem is overbite. The net result is a reduced facial length, pouty lips and a poor profile. As I have been aware of this for years I have developed an almost sub-concious 'posturing' ability whereby I move my jaw down and forwards. It's so convincing that when my ortho first looked at me before I opened my mouth he was wondering what I was doing there! All of this makes me rather self-concious when eating, as I have no choice but to chew with my back teeth touching (thus revealing the true nature of my under-developed lower jaw)!
I have been reading a lot of your wonderful posts and I have to say that I don't think I could put up with all the things that you have! My ortho says he wants me to wear an orthotic (sp?) for a number of months to find my jaws 'true' position. Then he wants me to wear braces for between 12 and 24 months to move my teeth into the position they need to be in following the surgery. This part bothers me because during this period my bite will become worse! Then it's on to surgery, then a final brace period, then a final orthotic to verify and then stabilise my bite, which I'll finally just then be using as a retainer at night to protect my bite.
I was actually going to go ahead with all of this until my girlfriend of 4 years left me! Your 'mister' appears to have been very helpful and supportive of you; do you think you could have done it all without him? I don't have any pets either...
I've asked my ortho to think about all possible ways he can make improvements without the need for jaw surgery. If I was at a settled point in my life, with a secure job (I'm financially fairly secure but in between jobs), a loving girlfriend/wife and a couple of pets then I would probably just say 'what the hell' and go ahead with the surgery. But I'm on my own and the months of wearing the orthotic and the potentially 2 years of braces (that will actually make my problem worse until the surgery) are not exactly going to help my confidence (the most important ingredient in attracting a girl!).
The sad thing is that much like you, I had an ortho tell me all this as a child/early teenager and I didn't want to listen. I then went elsewhere and was told that I was ok. Similarly to you, it wasn't where I was at that was the problem, it was where I was going.
All the best,
M