BRACES SIDE EFFECTS: thinned my face and head.

[Kru2tu]

I am so glad and calmed to have found this forum about braces. First of all, I've had a very bad experience with braces for almost 3yrs. I just turned 26 on May,4th 2011 and the first time I had my braces put on was back in June 2008. I just had them taken off on April,20th 2011 without having finished my time. Thank God I decided to take them off early.

There was no worries before I had braces put on...well I'm exaggerating, of course there's always things to worry about. I was fine and healthy and nothing to worry about my face and head all right. After deciding to get braces for my cricked teeth, my Orthodontist conditioned me to take off four of my teeth. After getting braces on, in June of 2008, I was fine until about 6-12 months when I started noticing mysterious thinning around my face and head. I started worrying too much about it and stretching my face and the side's of my head because I was shocked of the fats I've lost. I had no clue what was going on with me. I didn't do anything wrong or try to lose weight or running. I went to the docter for check up and told me nothing was wrong wit me.

My face has become so thin that many people that knew me before had to comment that my head have gotten skinny. Braces have ruined my LIFE! I have noticed through progression of time that it kept getting thinner and thinner that I can feel my skull which I couldn't before. First, it started on my face and continued to the sides of my head. There is still thickness on the top of my head and back of it but it too is in the progression of thinning.

After all my life of 24yrs, is it a coincidence that I encountered this problem after having braces on my teeth. Thank God I decided to take them off after I was sure it was the braces that caused the thinning of my head.

[lilone]

Hi there,

Only you know exactly what has happened and you are certainly entitled to control your care based on those feelings. Perhaps what you experienced is extreme, if your friends are noticing. What I would like you to know, though, is that at least some of it is likely to be coincidence of timing. When you got braces you were exactly the age that people start losing more collagen and some thinning of the face and a change in the elasticity of skin is normal. It can be more noticable on people who were thin to begin with but it really depends on the person.

I hope that, despite finishing up a bit early, you still have a wonderful smile:)

[UGHBRACES]

Do you have before and after pics?

[bbsadmin]

She can only post pictures after she has made 7 posts total.

[kreyFL]

I have seen and heard that braces can definitely alter the alignment of our faces...My previous post have gone over my open bite and night time grinding and all of that....well, on the first appointment with my ortho, he kept walking around me while I sat in a chair, talking...laughing, coughing, open/closing my bite, etc. When he was done, I just kinda looked at him..."That was weird" I kept thinking, lol...then he says "Your probably wondering why I just stared at you for 15 min....well, its to check out the aesthetics of your face." He then proceeded to tell me that braces are not about just getting your teeth straight, its about maintaining the jaw structure, muscular structure, and natural protrusion of our faces. He said that due to my outward jaw muscles (the masseter) being so "built up" from all my years of clenching at night time, that I would probably notice a slight change in my face shape as the braces will move my teeth, take pressure of the "clench points" which will in turn cause the masseter muscles to finally relax and weaken, and other facial muscles that will now be targeted will probably build up strength and change proportion and size. He told me that all of this plays a part with braces and that he tries to keep an eye on all of this as we progress in treatment, especially us 'older' patients; as the mouth and bite change alterations in appearance are a common problem and not always for the better...

Basically..long story short...braces can change all aspects of our face...not so much from a skeletal standpoint but just the muscles alone....and I had never really thought of that before I got braced.

I would probably suggest you get one of those little devices that help build up facial muscles, jaw muscles, etc and see if that helps bring back the fullness you have lost in your cheeks and jaw?

It does kinda sound like maybe the ortho didnt take these things into consideration...but I myself didnt even realize how much that would play a part with my treatment, and that my face would "change" so much as well....

[itsabouttime22]

I'm sorry that this happened to you- I had two extractions and my face has also changed dramatically- mainly it is my cheeks that have sunk in. My ortho never mentioned this to me when discussing braces and my only hope is that things don't get any worse!


KreyFL - what is this device you are talking about that can strengthen muscles- I might want to look into it.

[kreyFL]

itsabouttime: The risky thing about this approach is if you suffer from night time grinding, clenching, or TMJ...you can make it worse.

I have a dentist appt on June 2nd and I will ask my dentist the name of that device he mentioned as I couldnt find the EXACT one online. It straps around your face, and vibrates...it also has a resistance band with set exercises to follow depending on what muscles need work. Anyway, here are some links to a few different things. I have never used any of these devices so I am not sure how they work....but all seemed to have decent reviews....

http://www.carolynsfacialfitness.com/fa ... rcise-kits

http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Facial-Mu ... B000GDK0CY

http://www.all-for-skin-beauty.com/prod ... stimulator

http://www.facial-flex.eu/en/discover.html