How long will I need braces?

[Burgerpants]

http://i66.tinypic.com/al6jid.jpg
http://i65.tinypic.com/294km5i.jpg

Hello everyone! This is my first time visiting this forum. I am 19 years old, and I am finally getting braces to fix my crooked teeth. The links above show what my bottom teeth are looking like right now, and I have some questions regarding them.

My ortho wants to use IPR (teeth shaving) to make my teeth narrower and solve crowding. Does anyone have experience with this? I wonder if he can get them narrow enough to solve the crowding. I really DO NOT want any teeth pulled.

Also, how long do you think my treatment will take? I'm getting regular braces with ceramic brackets in two weeks, which I already have on my upper jaw, got them installed about a week and a half ago. My top teeth are not really bad, only som small issues that need to be fixed. I do also not have any bite problems.

Thank you!

[EWUgal15]

Those are all questions for your orthodontist. They should have already told you how long to expect treatment to take and whether or not extractions were supposed to be part of the plan.

[metalliKa]

If you consulted with an ortho, pretty much you should have been given all the information necessary for you to make the decision to go ahead with braces. No one here can answer you because every case or treatment plan is different.

As for teeth shaving, I had it done. It's no big deal really. Only small traces of teeth are shaved down.

[janedoe]

I almost have the same problems on my lower jaw as you do. My ortho suggested IPR as well. He said it would take 2 years but he can do it within 18 months although he doesn't recommend it. He's a perfectionist from all the reviews I've read so it makes sense that he wants to take that long.

I'm getting ceramic braces too.

http://imgur.com/p1HlpId

[Burgerpants]

[quote="janedoe"]I almost have the same problems on my lower jaw as you do. My ortho suggested IPR as well. He said it would take 2 years but he can do it within 18 months although he doesn't recommend it. He's a perfectionist from all the reviews I've read so it makes sense that he wants to take that long.

I'm getting ceramic braces too.

http://imgur.com/p1HlpId[/quote]

Mine said 18-24 months too. Seems like a very long time though considering I don't have any bite issues or gaps to close? I guess we'll just see. Secretaly hoping I might be done after a year, I'm not too happy about these braces.

[janedoe]

you and me both

[lmk]

[/quote]

Mine said 18-24 months too. Seems like a very long time though considering I don't have any bite issues or gaps to close? I guess we'll just see. Secretaly hoping I might be done after a year, I'm not too happy about these braces.[/quote]


Your bite might seem fine to you now, (I did too) but it changes through out treatment as teeth are straightened. Mine did, big time. It had gotten way worse, and then better again. After an adjustment my bite might be "off" for awhile again. It's just a process and in the end everything works itself out.

[blade092]

My ortho said it could take me 10 months would be the fastest....If my teeth movement was fast
But my estimate would be 15-20 months, you just never know what might happen along the way
Mine just needed to be aligned at the centerline and pushed back to lose the overbite