Closing a large diastema

[Dee17]

Hi Mitch,
I meant that I'm embarrassed about the way my teeth look right now. The gap is so wide that it seems to be very noticeable to me. I've also been having a lot of pronunciation problems. I've noticed that I can no longer say a proper "f" or "th" sound because the air goes right through the space in my front teeth. I also can't say a proper "s"or "c"or even "x" because (I think) of the extraction I had on my right side. The air goes through the space there, too So, basically, I have developed a lovely lisp when I try to say words with those letters in them. Or when I try to say a word like "fist" it's really interesting! It's not that I can't be understood, I don't think. No one has made any comments about THAT, thank goodness. It's just that the words sound funny. I guess I can only hope that these problems will go away once I've fixed the problems with my teeth. I hope I won't find when all is said and done that I've developed a new habit of speaking strangely and then need speech therapy!

[jerhend]

Hi Dee,

Very true, however the bonding technology has improved dramatically in the last few years. It also needs good a good dentist. Check out doctor Dr. David Clark in Washington state. He is the expert in cosmetic composite, he has a few videos on youtube. I also agree with you about veneers. I would never have my good teeth cut to put fake teeth on.. not a good idea.

[Dee17]

Hi,
Thanks for the name of the dentist in Washington state. I'm afraid that's a bit far for me to travel for dental work. I am in Ontario -- not far from Detroit!

[Dee17]

Well, I have finally taken the first step. Have an appointment to see an orthodontist on Friday, August 24th. Here's hoping I hear on ly good news.

[Angel269]

Good luck with your appointment on 24th Dee.

I know that making that appoinmtnet is the hardest step but once things are under way you will know that it was well worth it

[Dee17]

Thank you for your good wishes, Angel. I hope that he does not give me too much bad news! I'll keep you posted on what he has to say.

[Mitch11]

Dee,
How are things going??

[Dee17]

Hi Mitch,
Things are going reasonably well, I suppose. I have another consultation with a second orthodontist scheduled for Friday. I expect that he will probably tell me pretty much the same thing. Meanwhile, I am still working very hard to try to get my head around all of this and trying not to get depressed. The whole thing has been enormously depressing for me. To top it all off, now my front right incisor seems to be rotating to the left and it looks very wonky. Can't for the life of me understand why all the tooth shifting is happening but it's been very distressing.
So, my daughter gave birth to my first grandchild on August 20th, the same day I found out that I need braces. Kind of a mixed blessing, I think. I am going to have to work very hard to get used to seeing myself with all that metal in my mouth, I think.
Thanks for asking. I'll post an update after I've seen the orthodontist on Friday.
I'm still trying to figure out when I'm going to actually get them put on. I really want to wait until February so that I can save up some money, but I don't think I'm going to be able to live with my teeth looking like they do for that long a period of time. Any suggestions on that?

[Mitch11]

Dee,
I know that the dentist said my teeth would continue to spread and the gaps would widen as I got older if I didn't get it fixed. I have read quite a few stories on this forum and seen some amazing work done as the pictures progressed. The only concern with braces is the financial impact it has. Pain and a few mouth ulcers are worth it in the end, it just boils down to how much this will cost. I do recommend a payment plan and not paying a huge lump sum up front.

Maybe you should post some pix of what they look like right now.

On high note:
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW GRANDCHILD !!!!!!!

[Dee17]

Hi Mitch,
This is a pretty bad picture. It was taken when I went to see the first orthodontist. I don't have a digital camera so I can't take any of my own photos (not that I'd really want to, mind you!). Not sure how much detail you'll be able to see with it. --- Oh, I just tried to submit my response to you and received a message which said, "Sorry, the board attachment quota has been reached." Not sure what that means.

[jem]

Hello Dee,

There has been a problem for some time now with adding photos as attachments. I don't know whether Lynne is aware of it.

You can overcome this issue by uploading pictures onto eg Photobucket and then adding them to the body of your message.

Hope you make progress with your second opinion. If your teeth are continuing to deteriorate, I would get braces on asap with payment by instalments, rather than saving up and teeth getting worse before braces are fitted.

Good luck

Jem

[Glandyover]

Imgur.com is where I upload photos. It's the preferred image repository of Reddit and it's pretty fast and easy to use.

[Dee17]

Hi Jem,
Thanks for the tip on the photos. It also occurred to me later last night that maybe the photo was too "large". I''ll try resizing it and then uploading it again.
You're probably right about not waiting. I think that I am just desperate to put off the inevitable as long as possible.
The orthodontist I am seeing on Friday uses Damon brackets. I am going to ask him if he can close the two spaces which were left behind by the two extractions I had. If so, then I may just go ahead and get started. I guess the sooner I get started, the sooner I will finish, right? That's probably the best way to look at it. I think that I have just become completely obsessed on the changes this will have on my appearance. Mind you, having said that, walking around with a HUGE space between my teeth has not really helped my appearance so probably having braces will be an improvement, right? I guess that's probably the way I need to look at things. I just need some time to "get over myself" I think.
Thanks for your kind message.
Dee

[jem]

Hi Dee,

I have the Damon clear brackets and I have found them both comfortable and unobtrusive, so I can recommend them.

I spent over a year getting round to doing this when I probably always knew it was the obvious option.So yes, the sooner you start the sooner you finish and I could have been done by now.

Good luck!

Jem

[Dee17]

Hi Jem,
My journey only began recently after I had two extractions at the beginning of the summer. I can certainly understand why you wanted to put it off, though. Depending on what the second orthodontist tells me on Friday, I may just go ahead and decide to do it sooner rather than later. But, I'm very nervous about everything. I've never had any problems with my teeth before so this is a whole new experience for me. I'm also very unhappy about the prospect of having to put about $11,000 into my mouth ($6,500 for braces and then another $4,000 for two bridges). So, if the second orthodontist tells me he can close the spaces left behind from the two extractions, then I am going to go with him. My understanding is that Damon brackets are more expensive than traditional brackets but it will be worth it if it ends up saving me $4,000 for bridge restorations.