Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm just wondering when you feel you're finally ok with your results. Do you leave it entirely up to your ortho? Mine is very good about talking to me and getting my opinion, and I wonder at what point you stop and say 'yep, this is good enough'.

My teeth are really coming along and I think I'll be debanded quite soon. I go back and forth between worrying that I will never be 10000% satisified (in that no one can achieve complete perfection), and then worrying that I will say ok that's good, and then regret that it was too soon and not quite as good as I'd wanted. Am I the only one this crazy?

Well, I'm not braced yet, but I imagine I would trust the ortho's judgement, especially since he's seen a lot more braces than I have.

Then again, I've never been very good about just trusting the doctor. I'm one of those guys that argues with the doc if I don't think I'm getting a fair shake.

I am going to trust what the Ortho says and try not to force them to come off too soon

I haven't been braced long but I think it is a combination of what the ortho states needs to be fixed and what you are happy with. I personally don't need a "perfect smile". I just wanted to be able to close my mouth and eat properly. I guess it depends on what issues you need fixed as well.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks all. I kind of have the opposite concern, in that I was being treated with Invisalign and then had to go to traditional braces because of a couple of issues. The treatment has gotten a lot more complex than first thought (I have a treatment contract) so the longer I am still in treatment, the more my ortho is losing. That's my long winded way of saying I'm more concerned about being debanded too early.

At my last adjustment he'd said my top teeth are done, I just need to finish up the bottoms, but I am not 100% in agreement. From the outiside I think the tops look ok, but the 2 teeth that caused me to go to traditional braces still don't feel right from the back when I feel with my tongue. My 2 central incisors, and the left lateral incisor/canine are all 100% perfect. The right side lateral and canine are still out of alignment, in my view. I'm worried that it will really show when the braces come off, although he said to me it's normal for some teeth to feel uneven from behind even if they are perfect on the front (differences in thickness maybe?). I'm just not buying that, and I guess kind of looking for some feedback before my appt. Thursday.

Erm, I guess pics would be a smart idea, huh? Must go find my camera.

Thanks all. I kind of have the opposite concern, in that I was being treated with Invisalign and then had to go to traditional braces because of a couple of issues. The treatment has gotten a lot more complex than first thought (I have a treatment contract) so the longer I am still in treatment, the more my ortho is losing. That's my long winded way of saying I'm more concerned about being debanded too early.

At my last adjustment he'd said my top teeth are done, I just need to finish up the bottoms, but I am not 100% in agreement. From the outiside I think the tops look ok, but the 2 teeth that caused me to go to traditional braces still don't feel right from the back when I feel with my tongue. My 2 central incisors, and the left lateral incisor/canine are all 100% perfect. The right side lateral and canine are still out of alignment, in my view. I'm worried that it will really show when the braces come off, although he said to me it's normal for some teeth to feel uneven from behind even if they are perfect on the front (differences in thickness maybe?). I'm just not buying that, and I guess kind of looking for some feedback before my appt. Thursday.

Erm, I guess pics would be a smart idea, huh? Must go find my camera.

So far I've voiced any concerns I have, and she responds accordingly. Really, though, the woman has been putting braces on teeth for almost forty years now, if she's not capable of doing a great job on my teeth I wouldn't think ANYONE would be capable. If there is a concern you have, don't be afraid to speak up--after all, they're your teeth and YOU have to live with them!