midline off, crowded teeth, please advise [pics]

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#1 Post by **tbear** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:02 am

Hi everyone, I am new here. I am 23 and looking into getting braces very soon! I am most interested in the Damon brackets and SureSmile. I have never had previous orthodontic work or evaluations, but I can tell just by looking at my teeth that I definitely need braces. I don't have any functional problems with my teeth; my concerns are mostly aesthetic. I have lots of crowding and one tooth came in on top of another tooth. It is noticeable because it is right next to my front teeth. I am hoping that an orthodontist can align all of my teeth properly without the need for extractions. I have heard that extractions are less common today but I'm afraid that I might have to have some teeth pulled--I just don't see how an ortho can get my tooth on top of a tooth into alignment without making space for it via extractions. I'll just keep my fingers crossed and wait and see what the ortho's have to say.

Here are some pictures of my teeth. They were taken using my laptop's built in webcam so the quality is a bit poor but I think the problem with my teeth are clearly evident.

Note the off-center midline in the first pic:

Here's another. I have a really ugly looking jaw/chin. It looks too prominent to me. In face-only pictures, I look overweight because of it but I am actually not. Will braces change my face at all?:

Another pic:

And finally, the bottom arch:

As far as I know, there are no ortho's on board, but I'd appreciate it if anyone here could give me some insight on my ortho problem. I'm especially interested if anyone here has ever had a tooth on top of a tooth (not sure what the technical name is) and if you had to have extractions.

#2 Post by **tbear** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:54 am

Okay, so the first pic didn't post somehow. Here it is:

#3 Post by **MCG2013** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 12:37 pm

There's no difference between the Damon and any other self-ligating system.

Other than that, you do need braces. But, you knew that before you posted. So, go see an ortho, get impressions, imaging, etc done and then you'll know what you're up against.

#4 Post by **tbear** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:13 pm

MCG2013 wrote:There's no difference between the Damon and any other self-ligating system.

I didn't know that there were other self-ligating orthodontic systems.

So, do orthodontists typically use Damon-like braces today or are the traditional metal ones used most often? The main reason I want the Damon brackets is because treatment time is supposedly faster. Is that true or just a bunch of marketing hype?

#5 Post by **sirwired** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 7:16 pm

Yes, you have a problem, but even if there were ortho's on this board, they couldn't tell the answer to your problem with just those pics. A treatment plan involves pictures of your entire arch, and as much bite as can be seen by pulling your lips around. It took my ortho nearly fifteen minutes of staring at my bite and arch in person before he even had a rough idea of what to do.

I think that it is certainly possible self-ligating brackets could reduce treatment time, but I think by how much depends on an individual case.

I think the best thing you can do is cruise around here for a while, so you get familiar with orthodontist "lingo", and then you will be prepared to ask intelligent questions during your consult.

SirWired

#6 Post by **overseasmel** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:14 pm

Hi and welcome!

In the nicest possible way yes it does look like braces would lead to some improvements in your smile/bite. And yep, like the others I guess the only way to find out exactly what is needed is to go to an ortho.

Generally-speaking, if your teeth are overlapping there are a few different ways to fix the problem that I am aware of, but each depends on the specifics of your case, including the positioning of your bite. There's expansion through surgery and/or palatal expanders, which makes things bigger up there and therefore gives you room for your teeth to spread out. There's also extractions and a range of other options.

In terms of self-ligating brackets versus the more traditional kind: I had ceramics on the top and damons on the bottom, so I had a bit of both. I didn't particularly notice my bottom teeth moving any faster than my tops, so I don't know if that tells you anything! In the end you should go with whatever bracket type you feel most comfortable with. For some people aesthetics is a big thing (hence the choice of ceramics on top for me), and for some people other factors are more influential. Find a good ortho in your area and have a chat. And yep, read old posts - lots of good discussion about bracket-choosing.

Good luck with your journey - great that you're starting it at 23. Many years to enjoy your investment!