It has nothing to do with your age. I am 26 years old and up until 8 months ago before I got these stupid braces I was ALWAYS thought to be 17 years old. Always used to get complimented about how young I looked, always got complimented about my roundish features people thought were "cute." This is something I was very proud of (looking so young), that I was carded everywhere and everyone thought I was always younger than I was. I went to an audition once when I was 20 and the lady filming actually stopped filming my audition after my introduction to say "What? you're 20? wow I was about to ask you where your guardian was I thought you were 13!." By the way I am a singer/songwriter.... I am getting some great songs out of this whole depressing situation. Anyway, I ALWAYS got this from people. I started a job last year and everyone assumed I was 18 years old, when I told them I was actually 25 they couldn't believe it they told me I looked so young. By the way I look 27 now..... People always assume I am around 27 years old. Which is my real age ..almost but I am disappointed that I lost what I was so proud of and so happy with.
I find it impossible for my face to have changed due to maturity at this age. I am 26 and have had braces on for 7 months. My orthodontist assured me my face would NOT change but he in fact shaved my teeth down and pulled a molar out of my top row making my cheeks look sunken in and one side of my face is more sunken in than the other due to the tooth he pulled out, also my face is crooked. Other orthos I have seen say this is due to the relationship now with my teeth and gums and the way they're holding up my facial tissues. I TRIED discussing this with my ortho and he has the audacity to have someone else at the office call me to tell me "the Dr thinks it's silly and there is no way this could happen. He think's it's absurd." blah blah blah which made me even more pissed off. Well, honestly I started crying after that phone call... Ive been crying alot lately because I dont know what else to do. I feel like it ruined my career and my whole life. My whole family has noticed one side of my face is sunken in.... I am not the only one. The last time I saw my ortho he came over and his hands were literally shaking while his hands were in my mouth checking my adjustment. I am VERY VERY dissapointed in this whole process. My teeth were not so bad to begin with and now this whole thing has ruined the shape of my face. I always have to cover my face now because I am so embarassed about how crooked my face looks now. Other orthos have also told me that there is no solution to what happened to my face shape because I would have a bad bite because of him having shaved down one side too much. He needed to pull that top tooth out to give me a good bite but one side of my face will always be more sunken in than the other. Unfortunately its a very noticeable difference.
This has really disrupted my whole life. Self esteem was important to me, when I had it. I am having trouble functioning now. I think it definetly is very unprofessional of orthos to not mention face changing with braces when they start treatment because if it does this can really affect their lives for the worse. I spent many nights not sleeping thinking only about how I could fix what happened to my face. It has been a very depressing fight with no solution. I am continuing to call orthos to see if someone can help me. My question is.... what would my ortho have done if I would have so NO to him pulling out my top molar? So, I am going to bring this up to other orthos, I already had a bad bite to begin with. I told him about this many times right after he pulled it out and he still did not try re opening the space. It seems to me he does not care about his customers. He is not seeing me as a customer...... This really has been the worst experience of my life and I wish my face would even out but I need that implant for that to happen and the orthos are saying its not healthy for me to re open the gap. The way I see it is, this is not my fault... I asked my ortho about it and he fully lied to me saying it would not change my face and when I saw this happeneding I freaked out because my worst nightmare had come true.
Do braces give you a sullen look ?
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I am hopefully getting debanded tomorrow (yay!), and I had the exact same concerns. I was looking at some pictures from last summer and my face shape was very strange. I remember being very concerned about it. My cheeks were very sunken, my chin looked square and I just looked mad all the time! In recent pictures, I look like myself again. Hang in there!
Woah, interesting thread.
I took some pictures of myself the other day to check the colour of my foundation but then when I saw them I was thinking wow I looked completely different, I would not have recognised myself in the pictures. My face looks really gaunt. Had not noticed in the mirror.
I did lose about 7 lbs last year (just before my braces) so thought it was linked to that (though wish it did come from my face, it had come off my tummy lol!) but this thread has got me wondering.
Oh and I do have narrow arches. And a deep bite. Like platinum I had a bite plate/retainer style thing but my teeth have moved so my ortho said I didn't have to wear it anymore. I hated it with a vengeance (speech issues) but I must say that when I wore it, it seemed to 'hold' my face, certainly my brackets chafed far less with it on than without.
I took some pictures of myself the other day to check the colour of my foundation but then when I saw them I was thinking wow I looked completely different, I would not have recognised myself in the pictures. My face looks really gaunt. Had not noticed in the mirror.
I did lose about 7 lbs last year (just before my braces) so thought it was linked to that (though wish it did come from my face, it had come off my tummy lol!) but this thread has got me wondering.
Oh and I do have narrow arches. And a deep bite. Like platinum I had a bite plate/retainer style thing but my teeth have moved so my ortho said I didn't have to wear it anymore. I hated it with a vengeance (speech issues) but I must say that when I wore it, it seemed to 'hold' my face, certainly my brackets chafed far less with it on than without.
new here, and yes i've noticed changes in my face.
i've only had my uppers on for a month and haven't even gotten the bottoms put on and already my face has 'sunken' in.
even my husband says i look 'ill'. i was amazed that it changed that quickly. unfortunately not only does it make me look ill but also older and i DON'T like that.
i've always been known for my pudgy cheeks and now they're completely gone. the round cheeks made me look younger.
totally bummed but i guess it doesn't hurt to look my age now (34) versus people thinking i was in my early 20's.
we'll have to see how things progress further as it's only been a month. hang in there.
i've only had my uppers on for a month and haven't even gotten the bottoms put on and already my face has 'sunken' in.
even my husband says i look 'ill'. i was amazed that it changed that quickly. unfortunately not only does it make me look ill but also older and i DON'T like that.
i've always been known for my pudgy cheeks and now they're completely gone. the round cheeks made me look younger.
totally bummed but i guess it doesn't hurt to look my age now (34) versus people thinking i was in my early 20's.
we'll have to see how things progress further as it's only been a month. hang in there.
My husband says that he thought i had lost weight in my face recently which i can't afford to lose as i am naturally slim. It can't be because of my extractions because my last two were removed 8 year ago ( a different story). Anyway i am putting it down to not eating as much while wearing the brace due to sore teeth etc. I am now trying to eat more to fill out my face if i can. Trouble is it never goes were you want it to! 
I think they di. In fact I suspect that they actually have to. I can see exactly what is being said, and I do not even have extraction's. Right now there is some sort of subtle pouty looking stage. Where the mouth looks or feels like you are on the verge of "whistling". Mechanically I can feel it, the ceramic braces, have had massive movement since day one, where if you're mouth is not lubricated you can catch your lips on them. Whatever the depth or width of the brackets are, as the arch moves, they'll for sure affect how you look at a certain time. Not sure for everyone else, what how and where, but in my case, the ortho specifically moved the 4 fronts, on top forward, separated from the rest for a specific purpose, then once the correct angle / root positions connected the rest in order to pull or bring back everything, in order to create the arch. Right now progressively 6 months in, we're pulling everything back so , yes leading up to this reversal, it appears or appeared, while having braces, this sullen look or change in face, does, or has to take place.
As for extraction's, this is of course very technical and specific, extractions, depending on your particular problem, can cause a collapse regardless, and where choosing a competent ortho and discussing everything really comes into play.
Otherwise for sure it is nothing more than a phase in the treatment and should settle down.
As for extraction's, this is of course very technical and specific, extractions, depending on your particular problem, can cause a collapse regardless, and where choosing a competent ortho and discussing everything really comes into play.
Otherwise for sure it is nothing more than a phase in the treatment and should settle down.
While I did notice a slight change in the pronouncement of my cheekbones, I really think it is SO HARD for those of us getting braces in our mid- to late-20's to say that it was the braces for sure. I don't have a round face anymore, but I'm also leaving early adulthood and growing up. I also lost a little weight before and during being braced. So who knows? I really don't care what caused it, I'm glad to look more mature and my own age and more importantly, LOVE MY NEW SMILE! Yay!!!
All Metal Uppers and Lowers - brackets placed with OrthoCAD
Braces on 2/1/2007, Removed 2/13/2008, now in Essix retainers.
sulen face
Hi Maydel. Just been reading these old posts about sunken faces and would love to know are you still braced and are you happy with the outcome?