Any facial changes with your braces?

[sirwired]

Thanks for the discussion everyone!

For those who have already had their braces removed. Did you find that your mouth returned to the way they looked when the braces weren't there?

And for those who noticed a change in how their braces looked post braces. Do you like how it is now compared to before?

I'm just freaking out right now because I miss my pre-braces face

The precise things that are being done to your mouth will make a huge difference. If your teeth were already upright, but crooked and maybe overlapping, just shuffling them around won't make a whole lot of difference to your lips. If your teeth were tilted outwards or inwards, then the braces will make a dramatic difference to how your lips look after they come out vs. how they looked going in.

[railroad]

The precise things that are being done to your mouth will make a huge difference. If your teeth were already upright, but crooked and maybe overlapping, just shuffling them around won't make a whole lot of difference to your lips. If your teeth were tilted outwards or inwards, then the braces will make a dramatic difference to how your lips look after they come out vs. how they looked going in.

Yes this is why my ortho showed me the computerized pictures that showed that my teeth angle inward in an unnatural way. I forget what he said the proper angle is but they are supposed to angle out slightly and he said my lips would look bigger, kind of as a warning in case I didn't want bigger lips but I said bring it on!

[diegorgeous]

My lips look slightly smaller (in a good way). I already have full lips, and pre-braces my teeth were tipped outwards . I also had 4 first premolar extractions.

[rtergeggde]

^ so when you get your braces off do you expect your lips to be slightly bigger? or are you attributing your smaller lips to the extractions you had?

there's no way braces would push your lips in rather than out, physically impossible. definitely the extractions.

[Cassandra]

^ so when you get your braces off do you expect your lips to be slightly bigger? or are you attributing your smaller lips to the extractions you had?

there's no way braces would push your lips in rather than out, physically impossible. definitely the extractions.

If the teeth were tipped outwards before braces, then upon having them straightened the lips would appear less full.

[kellyb]

currently only wearing braces on my lower arch and my bottom lip is about twice the size of what it use to be pre-braces. HELP!

[cbt325xi]

My upper teeth slanted inwards, and my lower teeth were not level, so my mouth looked a bit sunken in, and my smile kind of slanted down to the right. I've had braces since August and started to notice a change in my face about a month later. I'm very happy with it.

[diegorgeous]

^ so when you get your braces off do you expect your lips to be slightly bigger? or are you attributing your smaller lips to the extractions you had?

there's no way braces would push your lips in rather than out, physically impossible. definitely the extractions.

i have lingual braces so my braces have not had any effect in my lip position. The extractions and straightening are what are causing my lips to go back.

[rtergeggde]

yeah i agree.



so far i have brackets+wire+ power chain+ and a bunch of elastics, and it's created a nice obvious bulge in my mouth, like i have a mouth full of water or something, not a pleasant look when your in college and have a bunch of hot chicks in class.

[Angel21]

Yeah I have the same issue, they push my lips forward which I hate! Though it's better now than it was during the first few days. I just keep telling myself everything will go back to normal once they're off, and I'll look even better!

[marzdncr]

The lower half of my face has def changed. Friends I haven't seen in a while and friends who are very honest with me notice it a lot. It's strange, because even though my crooked teeth and bite are improving, I'm missing the identitiy of my middle gap and because I'm looking at MY OWN face, it seems a bit unrecognizable, like, "this doesn't look like me anymore." I'm worried that I have made a mistake in getting the braces (b/c I think I'm starting to look less feminine), but if I look back at pictures of my crazy teeth before, I know that I made a better decision even at the expense of the appearance of my new jaw line and chin.
My chin has "squared" up a bit like yours (less heart shaped). I will say, I think your face looks very pretty in both images, in fact your lips look nice and plump after getting the braces. However, it's your face so only you can determine how you feel about this change.
I've had my braces since May 2011 & I'm in the same boat with ya!

[kennyandrew85]

Quite strange how some people say braces made their chin weak/small and pointed.
Then others claim it has made their jaw more square and manly.

I think a lot of things can play a part in this, such as aging, gaining/losing weight, look at your face over the years before braces you will notice it does change shape quite a bit over time.

[rtergeggde]

Yeah I have the same issue, they push my lips forward which I hate! Though it's better now than it was during the first few days. I just keep telling myself everything will go back to normal once they're off, and I'll look even better!

whenever im at the mirror i always push my lips in to picture what they would look like when the braces come off.

[trisportgirl]

I found my cheeks started looking more hollow, but I think that's because I lost a significant amount of weight when I first got them on. They've filled out a little more now, but the biggest change is in my upper bite - my forward molars are getting pushed out towards my cheeks because my arch was actually concave on the sides rather than convex! (I know that made almost no sense, but my arch looked like this:
_ _
/ \ rather than ( )

So basically you will be able to see all my teeth when I smile, rather than just the front incisors and my very back molars!

Definitely not a fan of the puffy lips look - my lips tend to be forward anyways, so this just makes it worse!

[braces2]

They've filled out a little more now, but the biggest change is in my upper bite - my forward molars are getting pushed out towards my cheeks because my arch was actually concave on the sides rather than convex! (I know that made almost no sense, but my arch looked like this:
_ _
/ \ rather than ( )

Hi, trisportgirl. Is your orthodontist using traditional braces only for this or did you have an appliance or type of expander, before? Thanks.