Would you be happy with this?

[starfish88]

So I'm really stressed and upset about my latest ortho appointment

I go in today and everything seems to be going fine, the assistant puts on thicker wires on my teeth (my upper is finally rectangular - yay for movement) and I even get a bracket for my crazy crooked tooth on the bottom athough its only tied to the wire with string at the moment. The ortho comes in and says if I want my overjet fixed much more and less chance of relapse I should get two premolars out on the top. hes been hinting this for some time.

However when I was signing up to braces I specifically asked if i needed teeth out because I was having IV sedation to get my wizzies out and would have been able to do the lot in one go. My wisdom tooth appointment stressed me out so much I spent 6 weeks of my life in the run up a complete shell. I needed antianxiety medication for the whole week before, I didn't laugh or smile, I barely ate or slept. I was miserable. The stress impacted my body so bad that I actually started to get symptoms of diabetes and had to get tested for that. My blood sugar was all over the place then slowly got better again. The doctor could only put it down to stress. I still need anti-anxiety medication to go to a hygenist appointment - thats how bad I am.

So why they hell is my ortho suggesting extractions now. I'm so cross. I had a 12mm overjet surely he knew that extractions would be needed? Did he think that if he said I needed them I wouldn't get braces and he wouldn't get my money? I paid upfront so now he has my money he can suggest what he likes and if I run away he still gets paid. I'm so angry! Its also going to cost a fortune to book IV sedation. My wisdom teeth cost over $1500! I found the money because I had to but i doubt I could again...but I also don't thin i could do extractions unsedated. When I raised this with him he said 'well you could always have the surgery instead' and then dissapeared off. He is a very good ortho so I went with him even though I had inital missgivings about his personality - I figured I was paying him to sort out my teeth not be my friend.

So after I had a panic attack the assistant says I dont NEED teeth out it all depends if I'm happy with a compromise. My overjet is now 4mm, it may come in a couple more mm but may also relapse in future. Either way though my teeth won't go back to 12mm at the start and they wont suffer extra damage because of my bite. Its all cosmetic at this point. So i guess I'm asking you guys what you would do in my shoes. it may be hard for you to sympathise with the extreme fear I have but is it worth the stress? The assistant also said I would risk making my face thinner (I don't really want that since my face is thin now and if I even lose a couple of lbs I look gaunt) and I would maybe gt more wrinkles and sagging as I get older. is that worth it for a few more mms? The assistant also showed me her teeth which look perfect but were also a compromise. I wish I could only have her as my ortho and not the actual one.

So this is what my teeth looked like at the start, a couple of months ago and now. What would you do? Should I say anything to the ortho to stop him making my stress worse? Thanks for all your help!



Don't know why my brackets look pink-ish or why my teeth look so funny - they arn't that colour really! But at least i got my neon elastics finally!

PS This won't be the final result - I have another year or so at least of braces and my upper palate will widen a bit/teeth tipped to they are not tippd in anymore ect but my overjet may not improve much more

[pinkiipromise]

I understand how you feel about not being told beforehand that you had to remove your teeth, as the exact thing had happened to me. I ended up having to remove 8 teeth in total. I, too, have a very thin face and honestly, I do think my cheekbones had became more prominent and I now look a little older. I don't, however, regret removing my 8 teeth as I do not wish to spend $7000 on braces only to have them moving back to its ugly crowdedness and deep overbite sometime in the future. This is my opinion from my experience but it really depends on what you want.

If you are having issues with money, then maybe you could discuss with your orthodontist about removing the teeth later on in the treatment, so that you could have time to save up? Some dentists may offer payments in installments, so maybe you could make an enquiry about that? If you really feel like your orthodontist is stressing you out, them maybe you should speak to him about it. Don't tell him off though, but just discuss with him how you feel and what your circumstances are at the moment, and maybe you and him could work something out.

[starfish88]

Thanks for the advice - I guess if I decided to go ahead with the extractions I would get the money together. Its annoying though. I sent an email asking my dentist more about the stability because thats what this hinges on. I think I would be happy with my teeth as they are as long as they will stay that way. i don't want to go back to having a 12mm overjet ever - now its gone I can't believe i lived with it for so long.

[klobird]

Hey Star--First, remember we both have a dental fear history--this is a hard process for both of us...

I started with a 10mm overjet. I didn't have a clue that I would need some teeth pulled...NOT A CLUE! So, I'm at about 15 months, and he tells me I need to have a wisdom tooth and the tooth above it removed. My wisdom teeth are completely bony impacted--so it's not an easy situation-and it was under general anesthesia. I got through it....

We both need to decide how much we are willing to face head on...a financial investment like this should figure heavily into our decisions. It's a lot of money to not get the most out of it.

Your teeth look amazing--they really do! So, even if you decide to leave it as is it's still getting to be a fabulous result. 4mm is not a horrible overjet--nothing compared to 10-12mm! Mine are almost all the way in and it is the weirdest feeling ever...my bottom teeth touch the back of my top teeth (slightly) when I bite down. I asked people at work if this is what normal feels like and they said yes. I really, really love where they are now. I love the way it looks and feels and I'm glad I had the teeth removed.

You can only do what you can do, but all of it will be over before you know it--either way.

So I was thinking ---maybe they can put you in an induced coma for a few weeks while they pull out the teeth

[starfish88]

Thanks - Its great to hear from people who do understand the fear - a lot of people don't quite understand how much stress we get from this process.."its just teeth, right?" It must be really great for your teeth to touch like that - I kind of want that for myself but I'm not sure if I want it enough! I've e-mailed my ortho about IPR - hoping that will be an alternative to allow me a mm or so which I will be 100% happy with. Fingers crossed!

[kennyandrew85]

I think a lot of orthodontists are happy to go the non-extraction route to get the money.
A lot of people on this board have had 4 consults and gone with the only 1 that offers non-extraction thinking they are doing the right thing, but I would always go with the majority rather than the one who tells you what you want to hear.

I know it's difficult to say, but I would go for the extraction route without sedation, it really is a painless procedure.