Metal Mouth Message Board

Hey everyone so I am a little confused because I've got braces and I was told I need braces to fix the positioning of my teeth (minor crowding, and two teeth needed to be twisted around a bit to prevent from eroding the bottom teeth). I was also told I don't NEED braces so it was really my choice to have them to fix these things. I was told this would take an estimated 9 - 12 months. It's been 9 months since I have had braces.

My orthodontist told me it will be another 3 - 6 months longer. This is way over the original time I was told - but this isn't the main point..

He said that all my teeth are straight. It's just he wants to bring down the teeth (?) a bit (I am currently wearing elastics for it) and also that on the right side it's a little uneven in terms of where the teeth are placed.

As I asked him why and he gave me the details, he said that I can choose to have them taken off if I wanted to.

Can I just have some opinions here...

To be honest, what they are working on now seems to be completely different to what they said at the beginning. It seems that the initial issues (minor crowding etc) have been fixed, but now there are some extra bits and pieces (which were not mentioned in my consult nor in writing when I first decided to get braces).

I am just wondering if these extra bits and pieces are necessary -- aka. are these just for aesthetic purposes?

If these are just for aesthetic reasons, then I would rather have my braces removed because as far as I am concerned, I think my teeth look great. Also I don't want to improve them aesthetically, I wanted to just correct the teeth issue which was to prevent them from damage. Okay - so aesthetics is important, but if my teeth are straight then I don't see a problem? I don't have an overbight - it's only something to do with the detailing which sounds like he is being a perfectionist (which he has every right to be) but these little things aren't necessary (to someone like me). It seems like to him he wants to get it PERFECT but the things they are working on now will not be noticed, only by a fellow orthodontist or dentist or someone with a measuring tape or something!

My friend had her braces, plus surgery. Now she has them removed - she has a permanent wire retainer in - and her teeth have STILL moved and are crooked...

It makes me think that if the reasons I have to wait another 3 - 6 months are for aesthetic reasons, then I don't think I should bother?

Many times, other issues arise that weren't apart of the plan therefore they can't be foreseen. This could be the case here. If the teeth are uneven on one side, it will take a while longer to get them where they need to be. The teeth may be straight but is this uneveness causing a bite issue? Or can one develop in the future?

I would think after the time and money spent so far, it would be wise to wait another 6 months if necessary. Elastics work very quickly so maybe wait three more months, if you really don't see any changes, then maybe you should get them off. If in 3 more months, they look better than they do now, what harm was done?

I know we all want our braces off as quickly as possible. I was quoted 22-24 months, I am almost at 20. I have never asked when he thinks they will come off because I have spent way to much money as I want them as perfect as possible.

Was that a typo about your friend whose teeth are crooked, after braces and surgery?

Thank you for your supportive advice.

I have emailed him so I can get a written explanation. I just would have thought that if any "new" issues arrived that they would tell me. He didn't say anything about a bite issue. He just said that on the right side I think the teeth aren't perfectly aligned to the bottom teeth. But doesn't that just change depending on the pressue you put on them sometimes (eg if you sleep on one side)?

Anyway regardless, my teeth are straight and I don't see how these extra things are of valid importance. Yes, maybe important in the perfecting of teeth according to some people... but is it on the same level as say some people really liking teeth that have no gaps, and say people liking teeth with gaps (eg. recent models now have gaps in their teeth because the fashion world like that look)?

And no... it wasn't a typo about my friend, unfortunately. Her teeth are lovely but yeah, they've moved and are crooked at the bottom, even though she has a wire retainer, has had jaw surgery and had braces for about 4 or 5 years.

Oh also - I've been told I am at the detailing.... So according to http://www. familyorthodontics .com .au /braces.html it seems that the detailing comes after the bite so I am assuming there is not a large issue with the bite, more about minor corrections which may not be so necessary if I don't notice a difference.

My suggestion is to wait. You should trust your orthodontist like any medical professional that you've chosen and heed their advice (assuming he's a good ortho and does good work). There are things they can see with their knowledge and experience that we may not see as people who are not trained.

I would never tell my ortho when I want my braces off, as the professional they should be telling me. I also had issues that arose through treatment just because of the way things moved and look, and how my bite adjusted to the changes. I think it's pretty common for everyone. Teeth move differently and adjustments have to be made. I agree with the above post, if you've already waited there's no harm in waiting to see how the elastics affect everything. I know my teeth were straight December of 2010 and it took them 5 months to ge all the detailing right with symmetry and how everything looked, and I am glad I waited. The smile today is worth it!!

I totally respect what you are saying.

It's just I can't shake off what I am thinking --- If my teeth look perfect to me as the way they are now, then does it matter if they aren't shifted that extra say 1 millimetre (complete estimation and made up example!). What I mean is if this stage is just to position the teeth 'perfectly' --- if the perfectly is according to what the ortho thinks looks aesthetically nice -- then 'perfect' is very subjective.
If this is the case, if he thinks my teeth would be better if they were shifted a little bit down etc, when realistically it doesn't matter too much because at this stage my teeth are good --- then I think I would prefer to have them off sooner than waiting 6 months longer.

If he is not talking aesthetics - if this process is for future prevention of teeth erosion or another factor, then I suppose I would reluctantly :P wait a little longer.

I can understand where eveyone is coming from and applaud your patience, but part of what I do in life is acting, and for 9 months I haven't been able to do much because of my braces, which is really hard because I love it so much.

It seems that you are quite fixed on having your braces removed. If that's what you truly want, no amount of forum posts saying "keep them on" or "ortho knows best" will convince you otherwise. If you want them off that badly, ask for them to be removed. I would also ask your ortho if things did shift what type if things could be put in place to fix/avoid that issue. You spent a lot of money on having your teeth fixed and you should insure that you have some sort of "warranty".

Personally, I would wait it out. I mean what is another (at most) six months. I paid quite a bit to have my teeth aligned and I want them to be perfect. Maybe your friends teeth shifted due to lack of retainer wear and relying solely on the permanent retainer...

Good luck in your decision. Only you know what is best for you.