Hello everyone.
I recently discovered the Dental Phobia Forum, and asked a few questions about orthodontics, and they directed me here. I did a search and didn't come up with any threads that answered my question, so I apologise if my search skills are lacking and I just missed it.
I've heard that orthodontic treatments last between 2 and 5 years. Just out of my own curiousity, how often does orthodontic procedures go longer, and has anyone heard of any research on long-term mental effects of that duration and the related stress?
My own experiences lasted (roughly) 10 years between the ages of 4 and 16 (when I finally had the right to tell them to sod off) with a few years off in the middle of all that. It was a hellish expereince that I did not want in the first place. I understand that liscenced professionals are supposed to ask even for the consent of the child, but looking back ther was more than one time that coersive methods (specifically repeating the question until getting the 'Right' answer) were used, as well as one time I clearly remember where either I would coooperate, or they'd 'make me cooperate' (Yes, that was the way it was said).
I'm trying to get over my problems with "The Chair" (that is the same chair dentists and orthodontist use), as well as trying to sort out a few outlooks on life that I have that are... difficult to deal with. I've been curious if living in constant pain for much of my childhood has contributed to my "Everything is painful" attitude, and if the part my parents played in that (taking me to the OrthoD., favoring the OrthoD.'s opinion over my own desire to have nothing to do with it, etc.) is contributing to my tendency to distance myself from them.
Maybe I'm completely off base, but I'd still appreciate any information that anyone has come across on the topic.
Thanks.
Prolonged treatment and mental stress
Moderator: bbsadmin
I'm sorry that you had negative experiences with dental and ortho treatment as a child. How awful!
Depending on your individual problems, your treatment could last anywhere from about 1 year to 3 years. Most people seem to have braces about 2 years.
Nobody likes to have fillings or extractions of any of that other messy painful stuff. Braces aren't really like that. As you may already know, there are no shots and there is no drilling involved. If there are going to be extractions involved you'd know that from the beginning (before the braces get put on). Extractions are done separately by an oral surgeon. Only some people with extreme crowding get extractions; many people do not need them.
After you get the braces your teeth will feel sore for several weeks, until your mouth gets used to them. You'll have to eat soft food for a while and may want to use dental wax to help make your gums feel better. But that all passes. After about 2 months you aren't really too sore anymore and you can start eating almost anything you want (except for really chewy or really hard foods which may still be difficult).
Regarding your dental phobia, be sure to mention this to your ortho. If I were you, I'd consult with a few orthos and pick the one I felt most comfortable with. After all, you'll be seeing this doc every month for a year or two, so you might as well like him/her and like their staff. Remember, now that you are an adult, YOU are in charge of who messes around in your mouth. A good ortho will not try to bully, condescend, humiliate, or coerse you. This will not be the same experience you had as a child. As an adult, you are paying for the treatment and you get to have a large say in what happens. Be sure to choose an ortho who communicates well with you, and who is willing to take the time to answer your questions and give you all the information you need.
Regarding the stress of long treatment....I had braces for 3 years, which was a year longer than expected (waiting for some stubborn gaps to close). I didn't find it stressful so much as it was inconvenient -- the monthly appointments, continual cleaning, being tired of dealing with the whole thing. As you may know, braces DON'T hurt all the time. There was a lot of time I forgot about them and they didn't hurt at all -- the cleaning was just a big inconvenience.
Here are some links from the main ArchWired.com site (which I strongly suggest you visit -- especially Braces 101, the FAQ, and our readers' First Day Stories!)
http://www.archwired.com/Braces_Basics.htm
http://www.archwired.com/First_Day_in_Braces.htm
http://www.archwired.com/Popular_Topics.htm
Depending on your individual problems, your treatment could last anywhere from about 1 year to 3 years. Most people seem to have braces about 2 years.
Nobody likes to have fillings or extractions of any of that other messy painful stuff. Braces aren't really like that. As you may already know, there are no shots and there is no drilling involved. If there are going to be extractions involved you'd know that from the beginning (before the braces get put on). Extractions are done separately by an oral surgeon. Only some people with extreme crowding get extractions; many people do not need them.
After you get the braces your teeth will feel sore for several weeks, until your mouth gets used to them. You'll have to eat soft food for a while and may want to use dental wax to help make your gums feel better. But that all passes. After about 2 months you aren't really too sore anymore and you can start eating almost anything you want (except for really chewy or really hard foods which may still be difficult).
Regarding your dental phobia, be sure to mention this to your ortho. If I were you, I'd consult with a few orthos and pick the one I felt most comfortable with. After all, you'll be seeing this doc every month for a year or two, so you might as well like him/her and like their staff. Remember, now that you are an adult, YOU are in charge of who messes around in your mouth. A good ortho will not try to bully, condescend, humiliate, or coerse you. This will not be the same experience you had as a child. As an adult, you are paying for the treatment and you get to have a large say in what happens. Be sure to choose an ortho who communicates well with you, and who is willing to take the time to answer your questions and give you all the information you need.
Regarding the stress of long treatment....I had braces for 3 years, which was a year longer than expected (waiting for some stubborn gaps to close). I didn't find it stressful so much as it was inconvenient -- the monthly appointments, continual cleaning, being tired of dealing with the whole thing. As you may know, braces DON'T hurt all the time. There was a lot of time I forgot about them and they didn't hurt at all -- the cleaning was just a big inconvenience.
Here are some links from the main ArchWired.com site (which I strongly suggest you visit -- especially Braces 101, the FAQ, and our readers' First Day Stories!)
http://www.archwired.com/Braces_Basics.htm
http://www.archwired.com/First_Day_in_Braces.htm
http://www.archwired.com/Popular_Topics.htm
I'm the owner/admin of this site. Had ceramic uppers, metal lowers ~3 years in my early 40's. Now in Hawley retainers at night!
I've been through the deal, I know the routine. I went through that for 10 years. That's not news to me. I don't mean to sound short-tempered, but all but one of those facts I already know all about.
What I'm curious about is the "Law of Unintended Consequences", and specifically about the "Scars we can't see." side of things.
I mean; 10 years of a child's life undergoing pain, and not just the pain of a random injury or genetic condition, but pain inflicted by people in positions of authority. By the time I was able to shake it off I had spent two thirds of my life in a haze of varying degrees of discomfort. The period of my life that, in psycological literature, has the most to do with continuing outlook on life was spent in pain.
Now maybe my case is so unusual that no-one has ever needed to consider the psycological consequences of long-term orthodontic treatment. Perhaps certain 'old-school stoicism' ideas remain entrenched in the industry and no-one has ever given it a second thought.
I suppose I'm looking for two things really, one is just information, or the confirmation of a lack of information. If any research has been done on the matter what does it say? Or is the occourance of such incidences so rare that nothing has been studied on the matter, or ther are no test samples of large enough size to make any reliable conclusions?
The other thing I'm looking for, and maybe a bit selfishly, is validation of my concerns. Am I right in thinking that 10 years of orthodontic treatment, especially in one's early years, can have unintended effects on one's psyche? Or is this just some pseudo-science hogwash I've dredged up to justify other issues I have to deal with?
Now what you have told me is that the window of "Normalcy" is'nt 2-5, but 1-3 years. Maybe that's changed in the last 20 years or so, but in either case 10 is equivalent to 2 or 3 orthodontic procedures.
Anyway, I don't mean to sound testy, but It' so hard to find any information on this, as if no-one thought that mental stresses and trauma could be a problem, or that people refuse to believe it could be an issue. Either I'm a "psycological hypocondriac" and all this is just nonsensical blather, or I have genuine and solid concerns about the things that have shaped my life. Either way I need to know so I can move on.
Just my $0.02,
D.
What I'm curious about is the "Law of Unintended Consequences", and specifically about the "Scars we can't see." side of things.
I mean; 10 years of a child's life undergoing pain, and not just the pain of a random injury or genetic condition, but pain inflicted by people in positions of authority. By the time I was able to shake it off I had spent two thirds of my life in a haze of varying degrees of discomfort. The period of my life that, in psycological literature, has the most to do with continuing outlook on life was spent in pain.
Now maybe my case is so unusual that no-one has ever needed to consider the psycological consequences of long-term orthodontic treatment. Perhaps certain 'old-school stoicism' ideas remain entrenched in the industry and no-one has ever given it a second thought.
I suppose I'm looking for two things really, one is just information, or the confirmation of a lack of information. If any research has been done on the matter what does it say? Or is the occourance of such incidences so rare that nothing has been studied on the matter, or ther are no test samples of large enough size to make any reliable conclusions?
The other thing I'm looking for, and maybe a bit selfishly, is validation of my concerns. Am I right in thinking that 10 years of orthodontic treatment, especially in one's early years, can have unintended effects on one's psyche? Or is this just some pseudo-science hogwash I've dredged up to justify other issues I have to deal with?
Now what you have told me is that the window of "Normalcy" is'nt 2-5, but 1-3 years. Maybe that's changed in the last 20 years or so, but in either case 10 is equivalent to 2 or 3 orthodontic procedures.
Anyway, I don't mean to sound testy, but It' so hard to find any information on this, as if no-one thought that mental stresses and trauma could be a problem, or that people refuse to believe it could be an issue. Either I'm a "psycological hypocondriac" and all this is just nonsensical blather, or I have genuine and solid concerns about the things that have shaped my life. Either way I need to know so I can move on.
Just my $0.02,
D.
Dauric,
I think that any unpleasant continual situation endured in childhood would have some deep-seeded consequences, whether it is related to a dental/medical condition or something else.
Obviously you found the whole dentist/orthodontist situation really unpleasant and painful and possibly even traumatic. The fact that your parents and ortho didn't validate your concerns or wishes added to the problem. What I'm hearing from you is that you felt that you were at their mercy and what happened to you was beyond your control. Indeed, it probably was.
As a parent, I would be concerned about how my kids were feeling about any "procedures." When my eight-year-old daughter got an expander I talked to her about it a lot and explained why she needed it. When my older daughter broke her leg skiing a few years ago, she later needed counseling to deal with the trauma that she was trying to bury (unsuccesfully). It took a while, but the counseling helped and she got over it to a large extent. She never wants to ski again and I would never force her to. Perhaps one day she'll change her mind, but that's her decision.
So to answer your question, it seems to me that yes, having treatment forced upon you for many years and being coerced by a doctor would leave a psychological mark. You describe your orthodonitic treatment the way a person might describe being tortured as a child. Have studies been done on this? I don't know...perhaps one of the orthos who answer questions here on the board might know of some. You could also call the AAO and ask if they know of anything. I can give you the number, if you want it.
It sounds like you're searching for something more psychologicial than specificially "dental." Those sort of negative psychological marks can be made in many ways on a child -- just open the newspaper and read some of the horrible stories about what has happened to some children -- being starved, beaten, abused, forced to live like animals, etc. None of it is good, and it leaves them all sorts of issues to deal with in childhood and later in life.
Not to repeat what Karen said, but have you thought about talking to a counselor about this? You must have a lot of resentment toward your parents (not to mention the ortho). A qualified person can help you sort through it.
Aside from that....if anyone here on the forum has experienced anything like Dauric describes (or other similar childhood traumas), please post here or send a PM with suggestions.
Regarding the length of treatment time....for children it can really vary. I have heard of/known kids who have been in treatment on and off for 5 years or more. It all depends on how the jaw is growing, how the teeth are erupting, and what the specific problems are. I have an adult friend who told me she was in braces for 8 years as a child. For an adult who has stopped growing, usually it's 1 to 2 years in braces, unless there are other complications that involve jaw surgery or similar procedures
By the way...what were your orthodontic problems? What where they trying to fix all those years -- do you know?
I think that any unpleasant continual situation endured in childhood would have some deep-seeded consequences, whether it is related to a dental/medical condition or something else.
Obviously you found the whole dentist/orthodontist situation really unpleasant and painful and possibly even traumatic. The fact that your parents and ortho didn't validate your concerns or wishes added to the problem. What I'm hearing from you is that you felt that you were at their mercy and what happened to you was beyond your control. Indeed, it probably was.
As a parent, I would be concerned about how my kids were feeling about any "procedures." When my eight-year-old daughter got an expander I talked to her about it a lot and explained why she needed it. When my older daughter broke her leg skiing a few years ago, she later needed counseling to deal with the trauma that she was trying to bury (unsuccesfully). It took a while, but the counseling helped and she got over it to a large extent. She never wants to ski again and I would never force her to. Perhaps one day she'll change her mind, but that's her decision.
So to answer your question, it seems to me that yes, having treatment forced upon you for many years and being coerced by a doctor would leave a psychological mark. You describe your orthodonitic treatment the way a person might describe being tortured as a child. Have studies been done on this? I don't know...perhaps one of the orthos who answer questions here on the board might know of some. You could also call the AAO and ask if they know of anything. I can give you the number, if you want it.
It sounds like you're searching for something more psychologicial than specificially "dental." Those sort of negative psychological marks can be made in many ways on a child -- just open the newspaper and read some of the horrible stories about what has happened to some children -- being starved, beaten, abused, forced to live like animals, etc. None of it is good, and it leaves them all sorts of issues to deal with in childhood and later in life.
Not to repeat what Karen said, but have you thought about talking to a counselor about this? You must have a lot of resentment toward your parents (not to mention the ortho). A qualified person can help you sort through it.
Aside from that....if anyone here on the forum has experienced anything like Dauric describes (or other similar childhood traumas), please post here or send a PM with suggestions.
Regarding the length of treatment time....for children it can really vary. I have heard of/known kids who have been in treatment on and off for 5 years or more. It all depends on how the jaw is growing, how the teeth are erupting, and what the specific problems are. I have an adult friend who told me she was in braces for 8 years as a child. For an adult who has stopped growing, usually it's 1 to 2 years in braces, unless there are other complications that involve jaw surgery or similar procedures
By the way...what were your orthodontic problems? What where they trying to fix all those years -- do you know?
I'm the owner/admin of this site. Had ceramic uppers, metal lowers ~3 years in my early 40's. Now in Hawley retainers at night!
-
princess fang
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:59 am
- Location: tokyo, japan
musings on trauma
I think that almost anything can have unintended effects on one's psyche... If you feel you have undealt with issues, then you do. Whether the cause of those issues is something that has or hasn't resulted in the same issues for others is mostly irrelevant. You dont need to justify your emotional response to things, the best you can do is try to understand your responses.Dauric wrote:. Am I right in thinking that 10 years of orthodontic treatment, especially in one's early years, can have unintended effects on one's psyche?D.
It really sounds to me as though you would benefit from psychological counselling to work through your issues, especially if you feel that your childhood experiences are interfering with you leading a fulfilling adult life.
I am not aware of any studies specifically about the effects of prolonged dental treatment in childhood, however there have been quite a few studies on the psychological impact of prolonged medical care and hospitalizations in childhood. You may find them relevant as they often deal with feelings of being helpless, violated, isolated, controlled, and manipulated. I dont have any links to offer but a web search of "childhood hospitalization" should lead you in the right direction.
Hope this helps
Dauric,
Can you share what exactly they did to you dental-wise between the ages of 4 and 16? Are you saying you were in braces all that time or just had a lot of dental work done?
As for myself, I was terrified of the dentist as a child. It seemed like every time I went they were having to pull a baby tooth here, a baby tooth there and I hated it. Mostly because they would do it spontaneously, with a "hey, you're already here, let's just do it now" without any thought as to how it affected me.
Ironically, I grew up to become a dental assistant. I did it to face the fear of what I was so afraid of. Dental procedures are not complicated or painful. When given the proper information and preparation, people can really love their dentists!
I wish you the best of luck in dealing with your issues. Take heart in the fact that at least you recognize your phobia and seem to really be looking at it objectively. As a side note with regards to parent issues - I really resented what my parents did back then too, but as a parent now myself, I'm beginning to understand that they really only were doing what they thought was best for me - whether or not it was right or wrong - they truly do care.
Can you share what exactly they did to you dental-wise between the ages of 4 and 16? Are you saying you were in braces all that time or just had a lot of dental work done?
As for myself, I was terrified of the dentist as a child. It seemed like every time I went they were having to pull a baby tooth here, a baby tooth there and I hated it. Mostly because they would do it spontaneously, with a "hey, you're already here, let's just do it now" without any thought as to how it affected me.
Ironically, I grew up to become a dental assistant. I did it to face the fear of what I was so afraid of. Dental procedures are not complicated or painful. When given the proper information and preparation, people can really love their dentists!
I wish you the best of luck in dealing with your issues. Take heart in the fact that at least you recognize your phobia and seem to really be looking at it objectively. As a side note with regards to parent issues - I really resented what my parents did back then too, but as a parent now myself, I'm beginning to understand that they really only were doing what they thought was best for me - whether or not it was right or wrong - they truly do care.
The specifc corrections I was having were an underbite, and a realignment of my upper teeth, I was not born with the second incisors on either side, so gaps were opened up in my upper alignment for false teeth. Eventually I had to have my wisdom teeth pulled (horizontally impacted)
Right now I'm all over the place for information, I have talked to councelors about it, I'm on the web, I'm in the libraries, ... I'm an analytical person, it's easier for me to deal with something if I have some data to work off of, some names to attach to things.
Princess Fang, thanks for the idea to search "Childhood Hospitalization", I hadn't thought of that.
---
Gah, just re-read my original post... It dosen't all-consume me like it may have sounded, I suspect that my recent search for a dentist has brought a lot of bad memories flooding back. A lot of the "Life is Pain" as well as the helplessness that I used to feel I've managed to see through, push through and put it behind me. Still, it's chewed up a lot of my life thinknig that way.
I suppose I'm a walking cautionary tale. Someone wrote : "[It's] psycological not dental in nature." and I supose that that kind of thinking is a rather dangerous, if sadly comon, road to go down. Our medicine has become so specalized in individual little cubicles, anything outside of that cubicle is "Someone Else's Problem". Yet we are masses of complex systems all interlinked and interdependent, bodies and mind. Forgetting that only leads to bad things.
Ahh, Im starting to ramble so I'd better knock it off.
$0.02
D.
Right now I'm all over the place for information, I have talked to councelors about it, I'm on the web, I'm in the libraries, ... I'm an analytical person, it's easier for me to deal with something if I have some data to work off of, some names to attach to things.
Princess Fang, thanks for the idea to search "Childhood Hospitalization", I hadn't thought of that.
---
Gah, just re-read my original post... It dosen't all-consume me like it may have sounded, I suspect that my recent search for a dentist has brought a lot of bad memories flooding back. A lot of the "Life is Pain" as well as the helplessness that I used to feel I've managed to see through, push through and put it behind me. Still, it's chewed up a lot of my life thinknig that way.
I suppose I'm a walking cautionary tale. Someone wrote : "[It's] psycological not dental in nature." and I supose that that kind of thinking is a rather dangerous, if sadly comon, road to go down. Our medicine has become so specalized in individual little cubicles, anything outside of that cubicle is "Someone Else's Problem". Yet we are masses of complex systems all interlinked and interdependent, bodies and mind. Forgetting that only leads to bad things.
Ahh, Im starting to ramble so I'd better knock it off.
$0.02
D.