How obvious is my off center midline?

[veginess]

I got my debanding date today! 9/5/13 baby, oh yeah. I couldn’t be more thrilled. I have accepted that my teeth will not be perfect and I have come so far and am so thankful for what my ortho was able to accomplish. I find myself really distracted, though, by my off center midline. It will not be centered because I am missing a canine on my right side. Is it as obvious to everyone else as it is to me, honestly? When I have my braces removed, will anyone notice or will most people just see straight teeth and not pay that much attention to the details?

[altesse7]

I think your smile looks really nice. I don't notice that it's off.

[Hanka01]

Your teeth look great! We always notice things about ourselves that nobody else does.

[plugnickel69]

I got my debanding date today! 9/5/13 baby, oh yeah. I couldn’t be more thrilled. I have accepted that my teeth will not be perfect and I have come so far and am so thankful for what my ortho was able to accomplish. I find myself really distracted, though, by my off center midline. It will not be centered because I am missing a canine on my right side. Is it as obvious to everyone else as it is to me, honestly? When I have my braces removed, will anyone notice or will most people just see straight teeth and not pay that much attention to the details?

Hi veginess! Most people will only see straight teeth, but I clearly see what you mean. Personally, I am a perfectionist. If I were in your place, I would talk to my ortho about doing IPR on my left central incisor, which from the picture looks larger than the right one. Also possibly do some IPR on the left lateral incisor which also looks slightly larger than the right one. Then I would ask him to file down the point on the left canine and I believe it would straighten out the midline for the most part and no one would be able to tell that you're missing a canine. There may be reasons this can't be done, but if you never have the discussion you will always wonder if you made the right choice.

I'm very close to being finished and I had a discussion with my ortho a few weeks ago about the lengths of my four top incisors. He at first said, "They look pretty good to me. Show me exactly what you mean?" Then, using a mirror, I showed him. He did some measuring and said, "I see what you mean." He told me that my concerns were legitimate, agreed that it made more sense to intrude some teeth rather than file them down, and proceeded make some bends to address my concerns. I feel very lucky to be able to discuss my concerns with my ortho and have them addressed willingly.

Good luck whatever you decide. You can smile proudly.

[mapleleafman888]

First off, your smile looks amazing! I would not have noticed the missing canine! Ask your ortho how much it(midline) is off by...I guess the only thing that matters is if you are happy with your results. My midline is of by 2-3 millimeters ( 1/8th of an inch if your yankee!) and it is very noticable to me, people have said my nose looks crooked because of that lol but I swear it's just the midline. Lucky for you and your bebanding, I'm just getting started this month! Best of luck, have no regrets.

[jem]

Hi Veginess. I think your teeth look great. Your centreline is not noticeably off. I suspect if you look at most people's teeth, their centreline will not be 100% correct. I will be finishing ( top sectional brace only) in a couple of weeks and my centreline is slightly off but it does not bother me and could not have been corrected further anyway without full braces on both arches.

I had some IPR between my centrals,on my right central and on my right lateral coupled with a small powerchain on centrals and right lateral. The objective of this was to create more space for my left lateral, but it did also improve my centreline somewhat. So I agree that the suggestion plugnickel makes should help and since YOU are concerned about your midline, I would say try it so that you are as happy as you can be with your final result.

Good luck

Jem

[busy bee]

I think your teeth look fantastic! However, I also have an off centre midline, which was part of the reason I got braces in the first place. I know how distracting it is. Every time I look in the mirror I notice it and feel a bit annoyed. I think if it bothers you then you should ask your orthodontist what can be done. If you're happy with your teeth though, and they do look great, then don't worry about it! No one else will notice.

[rubywoo]

I don't think you can notice at all, looking great :)

[Snowglobe32]

I can see that it is off by a tad...but I think some shaping and IPR will fix that perfectly.

Will someone who hasn't had braces and hasn't stared/inspected their teeth for years notice??? Probably not.

I think you should do what will make you happy!

[Kipepeo]

Snowglobe makes the same point I would. The only people who will look at the detail of your teeth are you and your dentist, well and us since you gave a photo. The people you talk with on a daily basis will not be looking so close at them, unless of course you grin and ask them what they think.

I think they look great now. I doubt I would notice the midline is off if I was talking with you....and I'm hyper aware since getting braces.

[bmueller]

You are your own worst critic. I think your sparkling beautifully aligned teeth will distract anyone from a minor offset from the midline

[Anna5]

Your teeth are so beautiful now!!!!! I saw your before pictures, and what a difference, congratulations!
I don't notice that your midline is off, I only think: how beautiful and straight!!!!

[veginess]

You guys are awesome! Thank you for your reassurance and your honesty, I really appreciate it. My husband was getting real sick of me asking him to stare at my teeth every 5 seconds! Haha…

For those that suggested I ask about IPR, I actually have had all the IPR I’m going to have. I asked my ortho about using some more to even out my midline and he said that it would help but he does not want to move my teeth any more for several reasons that I understand and agree with. So, while the off center midline bothers me, extending my treatment is not an option either so this is how they will remain. I just wanted some opinions from you guys to see if this is something probably only I will notice from now on, and it seems like it is! I feel so much better now having read your thoughts!

[MrsCharisma]

I totally didn't nice until I went back and read the post title. You have a really pretty smile! Good luck on debanding.

[maralv]

had you not mentioned it i would of just noticed straight teeth.