Metal Mouth Message Board

hey everyone. i have a dentist appointment tomorrow and for some reason am kinda nervous about asking him about braces.

i don't know how i will bring up the topic. should i just say something like "i'm not very happy with my teeth, do you think braces will help?". For those of you who asked to have braces, how did you do it?

i have considered braces for a very long time now (probably about a year or more) and just want to go ahead and do it. i'll post some pics of my teeth for you to see. i also have issues with my jaw (it clicks/locks) and i have gum recession too. i am mainly concerned about the appearance of my top canines and the crookedness of my bottom teeth.

and also, you probably can't tell by the photos but my teeth are angled quite far back towards the back of my mouth which i really don't like. are they able to change the angle of your teeth in braces treatment?
















thanks
pearls

Hey Pearls,

I think the best way to go about it is how you suggested, by saying something like "do you think braces will help/ can you refer me to an orthodontist to look into getting braces?"

And yes, they do change the angle of your teeth.

Good luck with the beginning of your braces journey!

I'm with the guys above me to... The way I approached my dentist was the exact way you said!

~Tim~

Just ask, your dentist should not have anything negative to say about it. Ask around and see if any of your friends went to a ortho in your area. I didn't ask my dentist for a consult. I just found a friend who had braces and went to see her otho. It was my first consult and I like the guy. Can't wait for braces and you shouldn't either! Go for it!

I would make the statement to your dentist "I'm considering braces could you recommend an othodontist for me". If you ask him if he thinks braces would help and he says no and you show up at your next appt with braces he could think didn't value his opinion.

thank you to everybody! you are all so wise and are helping settle my nerves a bit! you are all so kind. this board is so fantastic! i will let you all know how i go tomorrow.

My sister was recommended an ortho by this dentist however she was a kid when she got braces (i'm now 20 and although thats still close to teens, i think its worth inquiring about an ortho who might specialise in an older crowd. So, I think i'll say something on the lines of "i'm considering braces to straighten my teeth, can you recommend an ortho? i know my sister was recommended one but you might have a couple others that i can try to see which one i feel comfortable with"

although it will be a bit more conversational than that. oh gosh i sound so paranoid!!

thanks so much guys

pearls.

i was quite concerned about exactly what you said before it all started too - and my teeth were a bit similar to yours (although not as nice!). i did phone up several orthos, but got the same message, that they only took patients on dentist referrals. so, i was really nervous about seeing my dentist, had this crazy idea that he might absolutely refuse and i'd be stuck!!

when i eventually got to the dentist, he was lovely - and was more than happy to refer me. he had two orthos from which to choose, and set up the appointment for me - at which the ortho was lovely, and was prepared for me to be much less decisive about my treatment! i remember her saying, "so, if you want to go away and think about it, that's fine..... oh. ok. you're absolutely sure, now? well, then, let's take moulds!"

what i found particularly interesting was that the reasons i had for wanting braces (i hated my turned tooth and slightly uneven bottom row) were really different to what my dentist and ortho saw - and they were VERY interested in my bite and angle, and now i can see how much of a difference there was to make. since i was braced, i've noticed the angles of my teeth have changed, my jaw looks better, especially in profile, and my top row of teeth now overlap my bottom (as they're supposed to, apparently... i never knew!) rather than clashing at the tips.

"i'm considering braces to straighten my teeth, can you recommend an ortho? i know my sister was recommended one but you might have a couple others that i can try to see which one i feel comfortable with" - sounds really good, i hope your dentist appointment goes perfectly, and that you're recommended a really good ortho - good luck!

thanks BobKitten! well i just came back from my dentist appointment and all went smoothly. i sat down in the chair and told him that my wisdom teeth have grown even more and then asked him when he thinks i need them removed, then i added "and i've been considering braces because i don't like the way my teeth are crooked" then he said "alright well lets have a look" so he gave my teeth a quick check and polish. he said that my case shouldn't be too difficult but he said he couldn't guess how long i would be braced for (which i had expected anyway). he also told me not to take any action on getting my wisdom teeth removed in case the ortho needs to do some more extractions for my braces.

the dentist later gave me the business card to an ortho around the same area as my dentist (however this ortho works at 2 locations which i think is pretty nifty). the ortho was the same as the one my sister went to (who my mum loved so i'll probably end up going there). my dentist only has the one ortho to recommend, but that doesn't stop be asking around and trying another ortho's.

i am so excited that i have taken a little step towards this journey

i will keep you updated, and will most likely post another topic when i call the ortho and book an appointment. (hopefully that will be this afternoon, i'm just waiting for my mum to ask her).

take care

pearls

Great that it all went well, Pearls! Just thought I'd mention I'm 18 and from Australia, too (Sydney). Be sure to keep us up to date with your progress. You have really nice teeth, so I'm sure they'll look even better when the braces go on

When my husband went in to see our dentist, since I had been telling him how bad my headaches were getting from my jaw that I wanted to see about getting invisalign or braces, I had previously asked our dentist's receptionist if he did Invisalign (my previous dentist in Massachusetts did invisalign) and she told me no but they could give me a referral, so while he was in the chair I had asked her if she could please give me a couple referrals to orthodontists and called around to see which ones accepted our insurance company(only to find out after calling the insurance company if we had the coverage and we don't) but still told me to look into Ortho Insurance if not go with a payment plan. She seemed surprised when I asked her for the referrals, but I kindly told her that I've known ever since I was 7 that I've needed braces, and that I just put it off since I dind't want them as a kid. She didn't hesitate at all to give me the referrals. I hope that helps you out. Good luck with getting the consultations. I went in for my first one yesterday, and now I'm dying to know what the other 2 Ortho's think and how they want to treat me and hopefully come up with a compromise with my husband on when I can get started and all, since I'm eager to get my teeth straightened and properly alligned. I don't know about you and what route you want to go, I was excited to know Invisalign could correct my problem, although I actually want to get braces and a bite plate which is what was recommended yesterday. but who knows what will be reecommended by the other orthos. Good luck with your Ortho journey. Just like you, I feel like it will all be worth it in the end.