Overjet, Profile, Braces Advice Please! (Pics)

Message

#1 Post by **melfly** » Fri May 12, 2006 3:14 pm

Hi, I am so glad to have found this site, a little late, but I could still use some advice.

I am a 19-year-old college student with a large overjet and an underdeveloped lower jaw (thumb sucking worsened the overjet). The overjet causes me to never ever smile with teeth showing, which I would love to be able to do. I have always been self-conscious about my profile, but I have opted not to get jaw surgery to fix it. Instead, I am going to get 4 teeth pulled (2 on top, 2 on bottom) and then full braces for 2 years (ceramics on top).

My concern is that my profile will look even worse after the braces. Wonâ€™t my upper jaw just move back further and cause that â€œcaved inâ€

#2 Post by **Dark_angel** » Fri May 12, 2006 3:20 pm

I had 4 teeth pulled back last september and i had a 9mm overject when the braces went on 7 months ago. Its now down to 5/6 mm which im really happy with.

If your worried discuss it with your ortho, they should be able to show you some previous before/after photos of similar cases.

Ill try and upload some photos in the morning, sorry for any errors its late.

#3 Post by **melfly** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:37 pm

Thanks dark_angel for the reply, I would love to see some of your pics if you wouldn't mind posting them

KK, thanks for the warm welcome and reply.

I really wish I voiced some of these concerns at the consultation as well, but I was overwhelmed by the whole thing and honestly haven't given them much thought until coming onto this website and looking at all the posts.

Thanks for the advice about the brackets too, I will definitely ask about the ligatures. And about my question if it is worth it to get the braces, I have been having lots of second thoughts and deciding if my teeth are really that bad to justify spending all of the money and then maybe not being happy with the end results.

Thanks so much.

I hope I can get some answers about how my face might change before the brackets go on, then there is no turning back.

#4 Post by **Granola** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:50 pm

melfly, I'm glad you got some helpful responses here.

I know you are new to this site, so just wanted to give you a head's up, woman to woman. There are a lot of male lurkers here who have a fetish for braces, especially for young girls with them. Please read the administrator's messages (at the top of the page) about this, and about posting full facial photos of yourself on this site.

You may want to crop out everything from your photos but your teeth when you post pics, and be forwarned that people may copy your photos from here and use them for their own "purposes."

I hope you don't take this as anything but an attempt to be helpful. Just wanted you to know about this issue, if you don't already.

#5 Post by **melfly** » Sun May 14, 2006 10:04 pm

Granola, thanks for the heads up, I took the head on photo down

If anyone has similar problems with their teeth (bad overjet) and have opted for full braces and no surgery, I would love to see some photos or hear about your experience (I have searched with no luck).

Can anyone give some insight on how my profile will change with the four teeth being removed. I am really afraid of the "sunken in" look that is often referred to on this site. I am also afraid of how my lips will change, will the top lip decrease in size once the front teeth move back?

Also, for those of you who have had their lower jaws moved forward, do you think that is a better option for me?

I will discuss this with my ortho, but I would love to hear some other opinions, thanks so much

#6 Post by **Duffle** » Mon May 15, 2006 5:07 am

Melfry,

I had 4 extractions, 2 top and 2 bottom to correct a 9mm overjet. My lower jaw is also underformed but much worse than yours judging by your pics.

My profile has changed but only ever so slightly and definately for the better. My upper jaw hasn't moved back and I don't think they can do that because it's actually part of your skull, I think. But my profile has shifted because my top teeth no longer push my lips so far forward. My lower jaw now looks less recessed as a result but to get it in line with my upper jaw and to completely eradicate my 3 or 4mm overbite I would need surgery but have no intention of having it done as I'm far too squeamish.

I've been in braces for 2 years, 2 months and 17 days, (ceramic on top and damon on the bottom), and they will be coming off on Thursday, (woohoo), and I am extremely pleased with the results that have been achieved with my overbite and overjet.

I too had your concerns after I'd made the banding appointment. Although expensive, the money I spent was definately worth it as I am no longer conscious of my sticky out teeth and jump at the chance to smile for photos something I never did before.

Unfortunately I've never taken any photos so can't show you, sorry.

Good luck.

Tania

#7 Post by **melfly** » Mon May 15, 2006 9:00 am

Duffle,

Thanks so much for your reply, I am glad to hear from someone in the same situation as me. You must be so excited to get them off and to have a smile that you love

Good luck Thursday getting them off while I will be getting them on and starting the long two year process.

I'm glad to hear that your profile has changed for the better, that is great news. That is my main concern. Do you feel like your lips have changed at all? I know it is an odd question, but I feel like when my top teeth move back, that my top lip will get a little smaller too.

Thanks again:)

#8 Post by **x3trinity** » Mon May 15, 2006 12:41 pm

Hi Melfly! Welcome to the board!

I had 4 teeth extracted before I got my braces, two on top and two on bottom. I have a severe overbite, and my is worse than yours. My first option was to have jaw surgery but I could not afford it, so we decided to try a new product called "anchor screws" They are two small metal screws that sit in the bone of your top gums one on each side, your jaw does not move while these screws are in place. My ortho said that it is a new technology that might soon replace jaw surgery. I am from Mississippi so I don't know if they are available where you live. I have not had my braces very long so I don't see much difference yet by I can feel the difference in my bite.

Well, I don't know if I helped with your questions but I hope my "two cents" will help you somehow.

#9 Post by **sophielafille** » Mon May 15, 2006 1:11 pm

Hi Melfly,
I had my brackets put on first and then the teeth extracted 2 weeks later. The main reason that my ortho did it in this order was because she wanted to make sure I was happy with the braces before I had teeth taken out. Once the teeth were taken out there would be no turning back.

I think your teeth look great already. If mine looked like that, I would not have gotten orthodontics. Maybe I will change my tune when they are taken off, but right now, I really hate them. So, to answer your question about the pain and cost....Alot of people here are super happy with braces and their results, and I hope to be when they come off, but if I could go back in time I wouldn't do it.

-Sophie

#10 Post by **melfly** » Mon May 15, 2006 1:50 pm

x3trinity, thanks for your response, the "anchor screws" sound like a good alternative to surgery, I hope they work out well for you

I'm hoping the braces will fix my teeth enough, since surgery and anything like that scares me so much.

sophielafille, I've had people have say that my teeth look fine already, and that's why I am having such a hard time deciding what to do. I know I am probably being vain, but I hate hate hate the overjet and never show a real smile. I really hope the braces will help my self confidence and such. If you don't mind me asking, what is the worst part of the braces? Is the pain really bad or do you hate the way you look in them?

Thanks, I appreciate your help, I keep going back and forth about whether I should get them... I only have two more days before they go on

#11 Post by **Jesslzz** » Mon May 15, 2006 3:59 pm

Hi Melfy!

I have a really big overjet, and that is the main reason I've got braces in the first place. My profile is quite awful too, and I know exactly what you mean about never wanted to smile wide open. I used to have some kind of "fake smile" because I was sooo embarrassed of my real smile.

You can see my pictures and journal on: viewtopic.php?t=8449

You will see that my overjet is quite big! My ortho was pretty confident about treatment, he told me that braces worked wonders on cases like mine. He never mentioned surgery, even though my upper jaw is a little displaced. He even showed me how my profile should change over time, and he even make a joke about my nose... he will "lift it" withouth any surgery!

You can ask your ortho about it too!
I had two extractions on top only, and everything went very well...

I would recommend you to ask everything to your ortho and trust in his/her knowledge. Having braces (and paying for them) is not easy, but I'm so happy for my progress so far...that I feel it was all worth it.

I have to say, as sophielafille, that your teeth look pretty good though!

Now I see your pictures, I think that perhaps I should take a similar pic just for see the progress on my profile as well.

Good luck!

#12 Post by **melfly** » Mon May 15, 2006 4:51 pm

rage31, thanks for responding. I read your about your journey so far, we seem to have very similar teeth, and it makes me more confident that I am making the correct decision. Your teeth look great, you must be really happy with the treatment so far

I look forward to seeing how your teeth move along, I'll post a journal about my experience as well once I get them on.

Jessizz, I read through your journal and your teeth look so good since you started with the braces

I also noticed that you got the same top teeth pulled that I will be getting pulled. How were the extractions, Did you feel anything when they were pulling them? What kind of medicine were you on when they were pulling them out? I am really nervous about the extractions... I can't wait until we can both show our beutiful "real" smiles

That is really cool that your ortho. showed you pics of how your profile will change, I wish mine had that kind of technology. How exactly would your nose change? I hate my nose, maybe I'll like it better after the braces, haha.
-thanks so much!

#13 Post by **Jesslzz** » Mon May 15, 2006 10:24 pm

Hi Melfy!

Well, the extractions were super fast, they only took about 15 minutes! I was really nervous, but I can swear I didn't feel absolutely no pain at all.

My ortho (yes, he performed my extractions himself) gave me a little pill for taking after an hour, I don't remember what it was (I guess it was a strong painkiller) but I only needed to take some ibuprofen after that. The only annoying thing is the bleeding and the feeling of all that gauze in your mouth...but after two or three days I was ok.

Living with the gaps it is a different thing, I truly hate my gaps now but I know that someday they'll be gone! Don't be afraid of extractions, they are, at most, a little uncomfortable. But be sure to check out if everything is going ok, and don't be afraid to ask your dentist or dental surgeon if you have any doubts.

About my future profile, he only showed me how my face would look after treatment by drawing over a transparent film that he placed over my picture. It was just for giving me an idea of the changes that braces could accomplish in my case. (But it would be cool to see that in a computer! haha)
When my upper lip gets back and down, my nose will seem to "lift up" a little. I believe you will have the same "effect" after treatment!

I hope that one not-so-distant day we can post our new profiles and great smiles too!!