Metal Mouth Message Board

So I am 20 years old and have had braces for about a month. I was reading through some of the topics and realized that I didnt shop around for an orthodontist (which makes me a little nervous) but hes great and I really like him. He also showed me the molds of someone else who had the same problem as me and her teeth looked great afterwards.
Anyway, I have had to have two teeth removed (the upper bicuspids) and I'm wearing headgear everyday for 10-12 hours for a ClassII malocclusion. From reading through some of the forums, I've realized that your back teeth can move forward-which my ortho never explained to me. Should I mention something to him? Also how long does it usually take for the teeth to start moving backwards? I'm so confused! Will this actually fix my overjet/overbite? Do most people have to have surgery to have it completely fixed?

Hi Geb,

I am 29f and had a very similar prescription. I had my bicuspids extracted and have had extensive elastic and headgear wear to hold and move my molars back as well as move my upper jaw back. It is a slow process. I was told I would see about 1mm/month if I followed instructions which I have done religiously. My actual movement has been a little slower than that but my ortho keeps telling me that is highly abnormal (lucky me). You won't "see" actual movement for a while, but you should be able to see measured movement by your next appointment.

Good luck!

Hi Geb

The headgear will stop your back teeth from moving forwards. Once they're where they should be, your ortho might put a Nance appliance in to keep them in place while your front teeth are moved back to fill the gaps left by the extractions and the distalized molars.

Extractions with or without headgear is one of the commonest ways of making space to fix a class II malocclusion. I have a class II but mine is a bit more complicated because I already had extractions in my teens so there's no more teeth to take out.

thanks so much for your replies- it really helps. All of my other friends had braces when they were younger- and no one had any of the problems I do. Good luck to both of you!

I have a class II malocclusion, overbite & crossbite. After reading so much on this site and others I'm confused as to why my ortho doesn't recommend any extractions or headgear, which appear to be most common for these problems.



Do you have TMJ pain/problems? That's my main reason for getting treatment.... not sure if that has anything to do with a difference in treatment plan.

no- I don't have any TMJ- however my ortho did tell me it's a possibility to get TMJ after I get my braces off. So how is your ortho treating your problem? Just with braces alone? Were you wanting to fix your overbite and crossbite or just the TMJ? My ortho said that since My jaws and facial structure have stopped growing- the only way to move my teeth back were to have extractions and wear headgear, get surgery, or get some type of screws put in my mouth and he said he preferred the extractions and headgear b/c it was the safest. I didn't realize that so many orthos recommended so many different plans- it makes me feel a little uneasy!