need help in Houston
Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 9:53 am
I just moved here from out of state (single, working adult, new job, new everything) with braces on upper and retainer on lower. The orthos I have visited here tell me that my upper is way over expanded (one finally removed the expansion wire 2 days ago). I've seen:
1) cosmetic dentist (we thought he did ortho but don't think so now)
2) ortho (who doesn't do braces and splints/retainers)
3) ortho who thinks I need jaw surgery to correct over-expansion (no way) and LOTS of ortho treatment OR cosmetic dentistry on the lower to make it "meet" the upper as best it can (less than optimal from his tone)
4) a prosthodontist - he would do cosmetic dentistry to build up the lower teeth so they would meet the upper teeth (they only meet on back, right teeth currently)
I thought, when I moved, that we had expanded the upper a little too much but were going to bring it back after putting brackets on the lower and aligning the upper and lower.
The amount of time and mental and emotional energy on this is killing me. I need to be working and having my regular monthly appointment. This is the second time I've had braces but I am really scared. At minimum I would like to close the spaces on the upper and get the teeth so they're straight up and down (right now they angle outward a bit). And then do cosmetic dentistry on the bottom if that's the best option. I have put so much $$$$$$ in my mouth its not even funny. I would just like to find a Houston orthodontist who will take on this challenge, not charge me an arm, a leg, and a torso to get this done.
If anyone has a recommendation, I would love to hear it. 
1) cosmetic dentist (we thought he did ortho but don't think so now)
2) ortho (who doesn't do braces and splints/retainers)
3) ortho who thinks I need jaw surgery to correct over-expansion (no way) and LOTS of ortho treatment OR cosmetic dentistry on the lower to make it "meet" the upper as best it can (less than optimal from his tone)
4) a prosthodontist - he would do cosmetic dentistry to build up the lower teeth so they would meet the upper teeth (they only meet on back, right teeth currently)
I thought, when I moved, that we had expanded the upper a little too much but were going to bring it back after putting brackets on the lower and aligning the upper and lower.
The amount of time and mental and emotional energy on this is killing me. I need to be working and having my regular monthly appointment. This is the second time I've had braces but I am really scared. At minimum I would like to close the spaces on the upper and get the teeth so they're straight up and down (right now they angle outward a bit). And then do cosmetic dentistry on the bottom if that's the best option. I have put so much $$$$$$ in my mouth its not even funny. I would just like to find a Houston orthodontist who will take on this challenge, not charge me an arm, a leg, and a torso to get this done.
If anyone has a recommendation, I would love to hear it.