Metal Mouth Message Board

So when I got my braces on, my ortho told me about 18 months, and if I wore my elastics constantly when I got them, it could knock months off of it. Haven't even got elastics yet...
So I went for a cleaning at my dentist the other day, (not ortho), and he said, typically for adults it's 18-24 months, and his guess is mine will be 26-28 months!!!!! I'm super frustrated. I am almost 7 months in, and am COUNTING down the months.....to 18!!! Has anyone else been taken back like this and it's way longer than anticipated? I feel like 18 months, maybe less....to now, maybe 26, is a BIG difference. I'm NOT impressed. I'm seeing my ortho in two weeks, and if he says the time frame has changed I'm going to be beyond upset. Had to vent.

when i first got mine on my ortho said typically 18-24 for a 'case like mine'.
I'm now at the 20 month and praying to get them off by the 24 month mark.
I haven't asked when i will be getting them off - but if its after the 24 month mark i will be super annoyed!

I guess you just have to think its better to keep them on and have a straight, healthy bite than have them taken off and sacrifice that.
thats what i keep thinking anyway - i just keep picturing how bad mine looked before and how amazing they will look after

I wouldn't get too upset over this right now...it really is hard to know exactly how long/short it will take. That is why we are given estimates...not written in stone.

But in my case, my estimate was 22-24 months...check out my tickler....hoping they will be off by Christmas! But I can say, my teeth look great! If I had gotten them off at the 24 month mark, who knows what they would look like!

Edited to include: It really does depend on your case. I had a bad cross bite and I had a few teeth that were extracted long before braces. If you case is a "simple" one, it might end on time or even earlier.

My ortho says mine are on track to get them off at the projected 24 month mark in the spring. I have read so much on this site about people who go beyond their expected time that I'm not counting on it at all. Also that way, if I really am on track and get them off, I will be ECSTATIC!!!!!

I was given an estimate of 32-34 months, but ended up having them for 39 months.

I was told 2 years and that was recently changed to 3 years,as I will be needing an appliance called a carriere distalizer

A couple of things:

1. The estimated treatment time is just that. It should not be looked at as an absolute. They are given out based upon an average of similarly treated cases.

2. Your dentist, not your orthodontist gave you this "increase" in treatment time. Speak to your orthodontist. You may very well find that you are still on track.

Hope that helps .

I am not going for total perfection, just basically OK bite and get rid of overjet, and I got my first appliance back in like, March, to help us find where my teeth should meet instead of how I would pull my lower jaw back to force them to meet, and we were hoping that for January my overjet would be corrected and my teeth reshaped and bleached, with just some molar extrusion going on in back. But the bite part took a while, and then it took time fabricating my current expander so I had the first one in there just maintaining for 3 weeks. We won't start working on the overjet until Nov. 14 at the earliest, so I don't know how I will have that fixed by January (I am a performer and wanted to go to Los Angeles for pilot season in January and February).

I hear what your saying... I was originally told 16-18 months, then the accountant person called me back and told me 14-16 months but now the ortho is saying probably more like 24 months....sigh. I accept I will be in braces until I'm not anymore lol.

I was told 24-28 months..

24 months would be April 14th 2013
I get married in July 2013...

I think I'm progressing well but still have 2 extraction gaps (one top left and on bottom right).

My estimate was 6-9 months. I will be over 11 months by the time of my next adjustment and don't expect to get my brace off then. But my ortho always made it clear that an estimate is no more than that and that some people's teeth can take longer. I am getting there slowly and I would much rather have the best possible result than finish on time with but unhappy with the outcome. I am one of the over 50s on this board and suspect that older teeth may take longer to move.

Jem

ellieb wrote:I am not going for total perfection, just basically OK bite and get rid of overjet, and I got my first appliance back in like, March, to help us find where my teeth should meet instead of how I would pull my lower jaw back to force them to meet, and we were hoping that for January my overjet would be corrected and my teeth reshaped and bleached, with just some molar extrusion going on in back. But the bite part took a while, and then it took time fabricating my current expander so I had the first one in there just maintaining for 3 weeks. We won't start working on the overjet until Nov. 14 at the earliest, so I don't know how I will have that fixed by January (I am a performer and wanted to go to Los Angeles for pilot season in January and February).

I'm with you. I'm not demanding perfection. I'm happy with how it looks now, but my ortho is not.

I understand my ortho's position. He's a professional. I'm paying him for a service, and he's going to do it to the best of his abilities, which is a perfect bite. I get that. It just sucks when you're told 12-16 months, and I'm at 19 months, and I'm still a month or so away.

I was quoted 2 years and it's been 4 and a half years so I know the torture.

Last time I saw my ortho she told me we were right on track with the 20 months estimate. I have heard about some extreme extensions but on the other hand there were a lot of cases when people finished right on time and some even earlier.

For sure ask your ortho, not your dentist about your progress.

I was quoted 24months and it has been 31 months and they are not coming off anytime soon. It is really frustrating as I feel like I got lied to. I have heard of cases where patients have their braces treatment extended to an extra 6months all so, but a year is just too much. If he initially told me 36months, then it would be fine as I would have expected it but no, he gave me a very different quote.

I feel you pain