Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello everyone, im 29 and got ceramic braces 13 months ago, my uppers look all straight and my ortho hasn't changed wire in 7 months, however my lowers still need 3 teeth moving and i know its going to be at least another 8-12 months before they are sorted as ive worked out according to future booked appointments, anyway i was wondering is it possible to have upper brace removed and have fixed retainer whilst carrying on with my lowers? my confidence has got to the point of severe depression, since having braces im on antidepressants and anxiety meds, i gave up my job just so i can hide away from people, i never go out with friends, i hate talking or smiling to anyone (even family) i just cant stand them any longer, i think the ceramics are the worst choice i could have made, at least with metal people look see you are braced and thats it, with ceramic people look and wonder whats wrong with your teeth, cos they stick out and it looks like i have teeth on top of teeth, i think if my ortho agreed to removing top that it would really improve my confidence as my lowers are not very visible when i speak, i just feel like my life is on hold till the day i can finally get them off, i do nothing but stop at home all day, im so bored its unbelievable but i just cant bring myself to interact with other people, i would just really like to go out and be with friends and make new friends and have hobbies and all that as im very lonely, these really are ruining my life, if i could i would just demand to have them removed as id prefer my crooked teeth before to what i look like in these, which is why im wondering about having uppers off before lowers, cos surely a fixed retainer would keep them in place, any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks!

I suggest make sure you are brushing you're teeth very well with mouthwash, you're orthodontist should change the arch wire every adjustment so he can apply more pressure to the arch wires which makes the teeth move. I would say speak to you're ortodontist and tell him to change the arch wires. It is very important to keep you're gums clean whilst on braces.

Some people see results later than others as adult teeth move much slowly than adolescent. I just got my lingual braces 2 weeks ago and my ortodontist said I should see major results within the first 9 months.

I think you should ask your ortho to remove the uppers. If he is just waiting for the lowers to catch up and you are depressed, he shouldn't have a problem doing just that. Unless there is another reason for the upper braces.

I honestly look so awkward and avoid people too but there is nothing I can do. I talk to people for living so I just have to suck it up.

Maybe you can have an open, honest, private conversation with your ortho regarding your life situation right now. He/she really might have a solution that will work for you. You shouldn't be suffering so much--and he/she really should be aware.

I really hope you get some relief soon!

If it's within your budget have you considered talking with a therapist or counselor about it? Orthodontists are trained on the movement of teeth and yours might not have experience with a patient who is so depressed that it has become debilitating. Therapists deal with depression every day and might have techniques or advice that could help you.
As for being self conscious, I'm sure you're aware that many people have braces and it's definitely not something that other people will judge you for. There are probably people with crooked teeth who can't afford braces who would be envious of your situation. Having braces communicates to people that you care about your teeth and that you're able to afford to go to the orthodontist. That's a good thing!

Speaking to your orthodontist would be the best way to find out what can be done to help ease your anxiety. If you are nervous about doing this; you mentioned you are on medication so I presume you are seeing a psychologist/psychiatrist/mental health professional of some sort... just ask them for advice on how you could approach your orthodontist so you don't end up dwelling on the conversation for a month leading up to your next appointment as that will make you feel worse (this comes from a regular dweller!) Our mental health professionals are there to help us; I am prone to depression too and am in treatment and only after three sessions I'm already seeing that yes, I think I can control this!

Having said that, does who you are seeing know you are this anxious about your braces? If you aren't seeing someone you can talk to, it might be a good course of action to do so. If you don't like who you are seeing, see someone else. You can shop around for your mental health too.

Prepare yourself for the fact that you might have to keep them on for some time still for some reason that you can't see but the ortho can. You want nice straight teeth with a bite that doesn't cause any pain or dramas in the future... you want to be able to get through this and put the braces journey behind you and only see the wonderful results when you look in the mirror each morning.

This is controlling your life at the moment; if another human being was making you stay inside and be self-conscious about your braces, keeping you away from friends and your hobbies (i.e. emotionally abusing you!) you'd get out as soon as you can. It's the same when depression and anxiety grips you; its using you as a little vehicle to get around the place for free, ask for a little more help to get rid of them and be who you want to be. You aren't your anxiety.

I hope that helps somehow, and hasn't made you more upset! You have reached out a little bit, that is a big step. xox

The ortho won’t change arch wires at every adjustment. Each arch wire has a job to do and some of these jobs take longer time than others. Some might go months with an arch wire and this does not mean that your teeth don’t move, because they do. There are limits to how much teeth can move each month and some arch wires have so many abilities that they stay very long in our mouth to work wonders .

I would be skeptical to an ortho that changes arch wire at every visit through the whole treatment. We won’t change arch wires at our clinic before the teeth are ready for the next step. In the beginning there is a lot of movement so arch wires are more often switched but after a few months it’s time for the “slow” process and you start to have the current arch wire longer .

Don’t have depression but I have anxiety specifically towards braces so I can understand how much impact they can do on our lives. If you feel that they take away your ability to enjoy your life then it might be best to remove them. I almost had to remove my braces because of this, it was terrible, but wanted to give a second try. Right now things are going very well and I’m glad that I did not remove then but at times the best thing might be to just remove them.

I wish you all the luck whatever you choose to do. If you want them off your ortho will take them off. He won't force you to do this

Hi and thanks for all your replies i appreciate each and everyone of them, and to pellepee your example of if it was a person making me stay inside and depressed etc has really put things into perspective for me, in that my emotional health comes first and i need to take action so thank you so much.

My ortho does know how i feel as 6 months ago i asked to switch to lingual braces but he looked at my teeth and said they were too far gone (moved) and if i had lingual my teeth would switch back to original crooked positions in the 6 weeks it takes to order them so wouldn't do it, he reassured me and i just stuck with theses, my next appointment is in 3 weeks time and im going to ask him about removing uppers and having fixed retainer, and if thats a no no then i think i will demand the lingual for my uppers and pay out to have retainer just for the 6 weeks it takes for them to be made, i see no other option otherwise my depression will linger with me for the next 8-12 months and im not going to put myself through that, i have already given up so much of my life, ive been a recluse for 13 months and i get to the point of almost giving up on everything, i know im probably just over self conscious but when it takes all enjoyment out of my life then i see no way but to remove the problem and slowly regain myself back again, plus i would really like to go out with friends and socialize again, for now im not living im just merely existing, so thanks once again for all replies it good to actually interact with people and especially those that know what im going through, im very envious and proud of all of you who accept yourselves and can enjoy life regardless of braces!

If you are happy with the way your uppers look, and believe you will be happier with the removal of the upper braces, then tell your ortho this and ask him/her to remove them. No one is making you wear them, so if they are making you this unhappy then you really need to do something about it ASAP. Remember, the ortho works for YOU, not the other way around. Nothing is more important than your physical or mental health, and you seem to realize this but it bears reiterating that the way you are living now isn't healthy. Braces are definitely not fun, and I hate to read that they have put you in a reclusive state. Life is too short to live that way. I hope you yet some relief soon. Best wishes.

There should be no problem to remove the upper braces if your bite is correct already , I ve asked my ortho the same thing, because I feel what you are saying at least removing the upper braces will do a relefi ,and he totally understand that, he said that if the upper arch is already fixed and settled then it can be removed while you continue the treatment of the lower arch.

Sorry to hear that you feel depressed about wearing the braces , I guess all the adult feel the same , for some days I look in the mirror and say in my next adjustment I will ask my ortho to remove it and that I don't want to continue , but then it just go away and you have those ups and down.

Sorry to hear your braces are making you feel so down. I understand how you are feeling as I have suffered with depression for 12 years and I have experienced how it can take over your life.

If you say you have about another 8-12 months to go then maybe more work needs doing than just the 3 lowers you mention? If so then this might mean you wont be able to have the upper brace removed because if you did, the movement that happens with your lower teeth over the next year could throw your bite right off. At my first consult the ortho wanted to give me upper braces only (for a stupid reason... in his own words "because no one will see the lowers" but still wanted to charge me £3500!) and if he did my bite would have been absolutely terrible.

Do try and speak to your ortho though and ask about the removal of your braces to see what they suggest. If they can't remove them for the above reason then definitely ask about the linguals idea.

I hope you manage to get something sorted