Adult overjet - in need of an orthodontist or a magician?

[loveactually]

Hi everyone,

I've wanted braces as far back as I can remember, namely because I have upper crowding as well as an overjet. My bottom front teeth are completely occluded by my top teeth, which are tipped back (they make full contact), and one of my lateral incisors shoots outward, while my front incisors and my other lateral incisor tip inward. Apparently I have the beginnings of notches in the backs of my upper incisors because my bottom teeth keep hitting them. After getting some consultations when I was younger, and even now in adulthood, I'm beginning to think that I'm more in need of a magician than an orthodontist. Aesthetically, my smile isn't so bad; I've always been bothered by that tooth that sticks out. But now I'm worried about my bite too!

I've been told that my protruding tooth is the only one in the right spot in my mouth. I've also been told that surgery is now the only option for me to get a proper bite. Are there any appliances or any techniques beyond surgery that can help correct this kind of overjet in adults (I'm nearing 30)? Or am I going to have to resign to the fact that my teeth can only get corrected from an aesthetic standpoint, while my bite continues to gnaw away at my upper teeth? I was told I have one of two options if I don't want the surgery: 1. push that lateral incisor in, so all my teeth are tipped inward together (but the ortho said this wouldn't look great); or 2. bring my rest of my upper teeth forward to meet my protruding lateral incisor, get an even bigger overjet, and possibly risk getting buck teeth.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[plugnickel69]

You need to have at least a couple of additional consults with certified orthos before you can make an informed decision.

[loveactually]

Thanks for your reply. :)

I was told that my case isn't so bad that surgery was a requirement, but I was told that in order to move my jaw it would be the only option to do so as bone doesn't move when you're an adult.

Is that necessarily true? Or are there devices out there that can help? It may not apply to my specific case, but I'm just wondering if it is possible to get a proper bite as an adult when movement of the jaw seems warranted.

Cheers!

[plugnickel69]

Some people on this board swear by functional orthodontics. You might want to check that out if there is anyone available in your area. Good luck to you.

[poppy123]

Oooo your teeth sound like mine were before my braces. I've not posted on this forum for a long time but was having a mooch and your post caught my eye. I had similar issues in that my two front teeth were tipped back and touched my bottom teeth and the two teeth either side of my front teeth stuck out forwards. I had braces for mainly vanity reasons but I had been told by my dentist a few times that my front teeth were wearing thin due to the fact they touched my bottom teeth. I was told the finished result would give me an over jet and this did worry me a bit (especially 4 months in when the over jet was massive!). In the end I had my bottom teeth braved too (which wasn't originally planned) and he tipped them forward slightly to make the over jet look smaller than it was. It meant I ended up having them on for an extra 6 months (and for my 30th birthday party) but I couldn't be happier with the results. Definitely get some more opinions, and there's ate things they can do to make over jets appear smaller, if you don't need surgery for functionality then personally I'd do without but it all depends on each person I guess. I have a blog under the 'my story' bit of this forum but I don't know if you'll be able to find it. It's not very detailed either but it has some pics. Good luck with it x

[starfish88]

I had a 12mm overjet when I started braces and now its normal! I didn't have surgery (although it was reccomended - I couldn't afford it and was too scared) and in the end I haven't had to have extractions although I was a 'wait and see' case and it looked likely a couple of months back. I didn't need appliances either - I'm not sure my ortho uses them on adults or whether I just didn't need them - braces alone have done a great job!

You can check out my story here: http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=42441

[loveactually]

Plugnickel69 - I had no idea that there was such a branch as functional orthodontics, but it sounds worth looking into. I'm in the Toronto area, so I may need to do some investigating.

Poppy123 - I came across your story and pictures, and my teeth are very similar (the only real difference is I only appear to have crowding on the one side). Any idea how far your teeth came forward? The ortho that I consulted with told me that he'd have to bring them out a couple of mm, which kind of scares me. I have another consult with another ortho coming up soon, and I'm hoping he has some more creative solutions to get me a great smile without making me look like I'm puckering up all of the time. :)

Starfish88 - Wow, I'm really happy to hear about your story too! You must be so relieved that the overjet was brought in. Was yours a jaw overjet, or just teeth?

I'm really glad I found these forums - this is very helpful!

[starfish88]

My overjet was partly because my upper palate was narrow so the top teeth had to go forward to fit in and partly because I held my lower jaw too far back because that's how the teeth lined up. Some of the overjet was dental as my top teeth tilted out a bit too. By widening my smile the ortho created the space to pull the teeth back. It won't be 100% textbook perfect but it will look great to the layperson so I'm happy!