Metal Mouth Message Board

Quick question-

I'm still in the consult phase, no braces yet. Anyways, in regards to the gaunt, sunken cheek look that braces may or may not give you..

Have braces had a negative or positive effect on your facial shape?

Thanks for your response.

hm...honestly i have seen a change...but don't let all our "sunken cheeks" talk frighten you....we are not even sure if it is permanent...we still have to wait to see what happens when our braces come off. Some people have seen a change, while some have not been effected. A point that is made alot when "facial changes" is mentioned is how a healthy mouth is more important in the long run and is worth some facial changes... i would only be able to answer truthfully after my braces come off...

I just got my braces off last week after 32 months of wear. For me, the facial changes were positive (and come to think of it, I don't think I've ever come across anyone who had a bad facial change from braces).

I believe it depends on the individual's situation. For me, I had a complete overbite (but no protrusion--or jet?). If anything, my teeth were slanted inward. My treatment caused my teeth and chin to pull forward where they should be.

Ultimately, it's the health of the teeth and bite that are most important. Imagine the facial changes after missing some teeth. Now, I've seen that and it's pretty bad. If you're on the fence about getting braced and you've been told that orthodontics will help you....go with it. Best wishes.

I guess all this sullen face talk would scare someone out of their wits!! Personally, yes my face is slightly longer....but it only makes sense. There are brackets on the teeth, I'm wearing elastics to correct an overbite, (which actually is making my profile nicer with the lower jaw coming a bit forward), and the most obvious is that until the entire process is done, your teeth are not connecting at 100%. Your bite changes as the weeks move on. It's not a bad thing at all. In fact, my lips look way nicer now. But because we're working on the bite and the molars aren't in proper biting form, it's like I'm not able to bite down completely, which makes it almost feel like there's something in your mouth. And there is! The braces themselves. Once the bite is good, (1 1/2-2 years), the mouth will look more relaxed, and it won't look like you have something in your mouth. Right now most of my top molars are biting down partially on bottom molars, and the bottom brackets themselves. Despite all this action happening in my mouth, my lips close over my teeth and no one would ever know anything is going on. I've been on the elastics for one week, and as of today, I took a look and noticed my bottom arch starting to widen just a tad! Somehow it's as if everything starts aligning from the front, then slowly works towards the back. And now that I've noticed this millimeter or two of movement, it almost looks as is my face doesn't appear as thin. Today is a happy day.....lol. I am truly glad i went through with this, and it's only common sense when you think about it, that your face will have very subtle changes as the procedure moves along. I was told by the ortho it's one step at a time. Please don't let all this talk scare you off.

jt2Lang......Charlie is awefully cute.

Reading all the sunken cheek story. Im getting rather paranoid and worried about this. Has anyone with braces finished and can tell us whether it all looks good after you take off the braces and whether you face looks like you still and the sunkeness atleast goes away. It would be good to know that its all really temporary. Right now one side of my cheek is sinking in abit.

I have never understood all of the "sunken cheek" posts....

There is cheek BONE behind the fat pads on our cheeks and braces don't change that bone.
The part of our "cheek" below the bone that stretches when we open and close our mouths is subject to visual differences due to how we hold our mouths. When you have braces and elastics in your mouth, you will hold your mouth differently.

Some people change their eating in such a way that they end up losing weight (not me ) and that may cause your face to become thinner.

I had to sign a paper with my kid's ortho treatment that said that their face may change because of orthdontic changes, but in all cases in MY household, it was all for the best! All of their profiles improved because their bites were aligned. My son's face got longer, but I think that had more to do with his growing up than his braces....he's quite handsome!

I have said this in the past, if getting braces made people's faces sink, there would be millions of sunken faced people walking around with beautiful teeth.

Go to the "naked tooth" forum and read people's after braces stories....there are only a few of the posters on there who are not happy...all of those are not happy with their teeth. I don't think there is anyone on there who is unhappy with their face.

Relax!! You will look fantstic!

I also have a fuller face since starting ortho treatment. A lot of my teeth were leaning inwards when I started, and now they are standing up straight so naturally my lips and cheeks are fuller. I think I might even look a couple years younger!

Nothing but positivity! I've noticed a slight change, but it is definitely for the better, and I too, will be curious to see if it lasts after the braces are gone...

I finished my braces treatment in 2005. Nothing but positive changes, here. My ortho took a series of pictures before and after treatment. Here are a couple of the ones where you can best see the changes in my face:

http://mostlyinedible.com/images/photos/Compare1.jpg

http://mostlyinedible.com/images/photos/Compare2.jpg

I think the biggest change is that my face is more symmetrical than it was. my entire mouth used to be crooked, and my smile went higher on one side than on the other. Much of that has been evened out now. I feel like I can actually smile bigger than I ever did before.

However, I think the most noticeable difference is in my profile:

http://mostlyinedible.com/images/photos/Compare3.jpg

My chin was very sunken in. Now, everything seems to be more evenly proportioned and my chin doesn't seem small for my face, it just fits a little better.

All in all, I'm incredibly pleased with the changes.

That's great! You're right, there's nothing wrong with your facial changes!!

Your braces made subtle and lovely changes in your face and fantastic changes in your smile

Great pics, the first one is very similar to my changes!

I have noticed some changes, but I have also been working out and losing weight, so I have no clue how much is due to that and how much is due to changing my teeth

I can't speak from experience (I get my braces on next week), but my ortho said that eliminating my overbite will allow my lower jaw to come forward, making my chin stronger and my cheekbones more pronounced. She will also fix my slightly asymmetrical jaw (which I've had since my toddler days!).

Pretty amazing.