Metal Mouth Message Board

So I've went to two different orthodontists to get consultations.

Both gave me extremely different treatments.

Ortho #1:

They seem really friendly. The office is about a ten minute drive from my home.

They actually gave me the exact treatment because they thought I would be getting my braces there.

My treatment would be wearing an expander along with braces on my top teeth and a 'lower wire expansion appliance' on the bottom for a couple of months before lower braces are put on. Elastics would be worn full time during a portion of the treatment as well. They would need to trim the in-between enamel surfaces of several teeth(sounds painful).

$6,000.
20 months.
Traditional or self ligating braces.

Ortho #2:

They seem friendly but not as friendly as ortho #1. They're very professional and high tech(#1 wasn't all that high tech) as well. They seem to also be concerned with facial profiles, etc which I don't know if #1 cares about that stuff. They're about a twenty to thirty minute drive away.

They gave me treatment estimates since I just went in for a consultation today.

Option 1: Just getting braces but they said my bottom teeth doesn't have a lot of gum so when they move, my gum line would be really thin, something like that. Also my chin would kind of be tipped from the moving which they showed me what I would look like after this treatment. It looked kind of awkward and weird.

Option 2: Getting a total of 4 teeth removed(two top, two bottom). They said this would make my facial profile look better as well as the best option. I hate this option. I wouldn't mind having my bottom teeth removed since that's my main problem but I definitely don't want to have my top removed too.

Option 3: Getting a retainer to maintain my teeth the way it is and wear it every night for the rest of my life. I don't mind this option but I want straight teeth while I'm still young(18 yrs old).
-----
I told them about what ortho #1's treatment was. They said if I had expanders, it would give me a weird facial profile and make my teeth stick out? Something like that I forgot but isn't that taken care of when they trim the enamel?

They also said I would have to get another mould done since I got my mould done at ortho #1 which would be another $150-200 out my pocket. I wish I didn't take my moulds yet since I thought I was going to go with ortho #1.

$6,000 - 6,2000.
20-24 months.
I think this ortho uses Inovation R/C.
_________________________________

Should I even worry about my facial structures right now? I don't think I've even lost my baby fat on my face yet.

Should there be any questions I should ask?

I'm extremely confused on who I should choose and which treatment I should go with. I want to get braces as soon as I can though.

Sorry it's really long to read and so many questions but I want to be as informative as I can.

Thanks for any replies!

Well I would go with ortho 1 because you don't have to get extractions. Having a wider smile looks better than having a narrow smile, if they can save all your teeth I would go with ortho 1. You can go back to ortho 1 and ask them about your gums thinning and all that and how they would approach it. Also you're still young I really wouldn't get teeth pulled, extractions can really change your face if your mouth has room to keep them all. Do you have a protruding face? Does your mouth stick out a lot? Do you have a lot of crowding?

Do you have a protruding face? Does your mouth stick out a lot? Do you have a lot of crowding?

Ortho #2 says my top lip protrudes but I don't know if that's a lot. when i look at the pictures, it looks fine to me.

I believe I have a lot of crowding. I think ortho #2 says my crowding is 6mm?

Here is a quick picture. It's not good but you can see the crowding on the bottom.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/6742/0914080007.jpg

Thanks again.

It looks like you have a very narrow arch. I don't know if you prefer to have a fuller smile. I'm not an expert or anything but your teeth do not look that bad and I definitely would not get extractions. Maybe get a 3rd opinion before deciding?

I would get another consultation but it's very time consuming and usually doesn't fit in with my schedule. I probably will though.

Any other opnions??

It's hard to tell with just that one picture.. do you have a profile picture too, and also pictures of your teeth with your mouth open?

your top teeth look really straight. It's your bottom ones that look really crowded. I know some people here just get extractions on one side.. maybe you can ask if that is possible to get them just on the bottom?

number one sounds good b/c of the expansion... it does look like you have a narrow arch.. you can't see your teeth on the sides of your smile so that would help. but number two sounds good b/c of the fact they take your facial structure into consideration... it's a tough call!!!

VA5 wrote:It's hard to tell with just that one picture.. do you have a profile picture too, and also pictures of your teeth with your mouth open?

your top teeth look really straight. It's your bottom ones that look really crowded. I know some people here just get extractions on one side.. maybe you can ask if that is possible to get them just on the bottom?

number one sounds good b/c of the expansion... it does look like you have a narrow arch.. you can't see your teeth on the sides of your smile so that would help. but number two sounds good b/c of the fact they take your facial structure into consideration... it's a tough call!!!

Here are some scans of pictures I took at ortho #2.
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/1984/teeth.jpg

I think ortho #1 probably cares about facial structure but they haven't talked to me about it.

Ohkae wrote:

VA5 wrote:It's hard to tell with just that one picture.. do you have a profile picture too, and also pictures of your teeth with your mouth open?

your top teeth look really straight. It's your bottom ones that look really crowded. I know some people here just get extractions on one side.. maybe you can ask if that is possible to get them just on the bottom?

number one sounds good b/c of the expansion... it does look like you have a narrow arch.. you can't see your teeth on the sides of your smile so that would help. but number two sounds good b/c of the fact they take your facial structure into consideration... it's a tough call!!!

Here are some scans of pictures I took at ortho #2.
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/1984/teeth.jpg

I think ortho #1 probably cares about facial structure but they haven't talked to me about it.

i can see what they're trying to do for ortho #1... i can see your bottom teeth are tipping inwards, they want to push that out, and then shave your teeth to create space to straighten your teeth. i think this is a great option if your teeth are not protruding. do you have any profile pictures?

I would call ortho 1 and ask. I think your face will look caved in with extractions its not that crowded or bad looking. You should see my before pics and see how badly crowded it was bc I needed extractions and the gaps are already almost closed. Also you're only 18 I would keep all your teeth, usually they extract in adults bc there is no room. Your ortho can create room for you and that is a plus. You shouldn't lose healthy teeth so young! If I had gotten braces younger they probably would have stretched my lower jaw to make room, ortho says its underdeveloped. Its just a permanent change to have teeth extracted.

VA5 wrote:do you have any profile pictures?

The right side of my face:
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/7717/011dx.jpg

----------

Ortho #2 said I'm too old for expanders though. I've read stories on here and they're both positive and negative. I definitely do not want any teeth extracted though.

About my wisdom teeth, do they usually get extracted? Mines are beginning to grow inside and haven't grown out yet. I only have one on top and one on the bottom.

I got a 3rd Consultation.

Traditional braces.
No spacers because they don't use molar bands.
18 Months
$5,180