is my face ruined for life?

[gwarlek]

i'm sorry if this is not understable and really vague, i'm not a native english speaker, anyway, about a half year ago when i decided to stop wearing my retainer (after two years) my front upper teeth started to tilt slightly inward (also my arch has become much more narrow), it was very weird and certainly something new for me since all my life (before wearing braces for overbite, after taking them off, and between braces because i had them a few times for a couple of years each time starting when i was 12, i'm 22 now) i had teeth slanted definitely too much forward and it was kind of my main characteristic, because of this i always had full lips that i really liked and your average looking face without anything weird going on... now i look worse than ever, my face seems longer, it looks flat, i always look sad, my facial expressions are off, i just look weird, my lips are flat and thin, my chin slants backwards and looks very small, my face looks birdish and bizzare from the profile, i'm devastated, i don't look like myself anymore, i look like i've been punched in the mouth... my question is, will it change with some more time given since it always has eventually, or if not, is there anything that doesn't require surgery that i can do to move my teeth forward again and to have my old look back? how does that even work, i don't understand why this happened, i expected everything, anything but not this, maybe i did something to trigger this, or my orthodontist did something wrong, or it's just the way it is and was supposed to be?

(i didn't have any extractions but it was recommended, i imagine i'd look even worse now if i had agree to them)

the quality of pictures is bad (also the fact that they're selfies so the face is slightly distorted) but i can't upload better ones at the moment, maybe they'll still help to tell what's wrong, thank you though it is probably a question that i should ask orthodontist or a surgeon, but who knows maybe some of you had similar experiences or have knowledge of that sort, doesn't hurt to try

WARNING these pictures are kind of disgusting, close ups to my shiny forhead, acne, mustache and some saliva. view at your own risk
https://picsurge.com/g/jDofWd
password's the same as my username

[Tubb]

Just see your orthodontist..should've worn that retainer

[verso]

I don't see the problem. You look good to me and still have beautiful lips.

[mmkay]

You sound a bit BDD ish. That aside, to me it looks like you perhaps could benefit from a lefort 1 maxillary impaction (gummy smile, long midface). You need expert advice, people here can't help much.

[Pixelada]

You are very pretty and have nothing to worry about your face. If your chin bothers you, you can always get a chin implant, but you don't need it. We're always our worse critics, but the rest of the word does't see the "flaws" that we find in the mirror.

[Welshrarebit]

I don't understand. I think your mouth and teeth looks great!

Your 'resting b*tch face' is downward pointing (giving you the 'sad' expression you describe) but hey - so does nearly everybody's!!! Just smile more often, you look very pretty.

I don't mean to dismiss your concerns but I honestly think you are looking at yourself very harshly.

Perhaps some before/after photos would allow us to compare and give you better feedback but from what I've just seen I would say focus on the fact you have straight teeth, full lips and a great smile. I remember being 22 too though, and I know how easy it is to obsess about a particular part of your looks. Just remember that NOBODY views you as critically as you do, they see the overall face - and yours is lovely.

[sirwired]

I don't see any issue with your smile (at least, not one that I'd go through the trouble, expense, and risk of correcting); your teeth look fine to me.

That said, it may be a good idea to have a new retainer made; I'd see an ortho and figure out if further movement might occur without retention.

"Defects" that are obvious to us (and to an orthodontist) may be completely invisible to others. For instance, people often obsess about midline discrepancy, but research has shown that unless the midline is off by a whopping 4mm, it's simply invisible to casual observers. My chin is, on x-rays, almost comically shifted to the right; but until I got those x-rays I honestly had no inkling (though it did answer the question as to why I had such a hard time trimming my goatee straight!)

[gwarlek]

i found that thing i had once, you can screw it (i don't know if it's the right word, sry) and it becomes wider, i was wearing that some years ago and been told to do it every week i think but then i decided with my orthodontist i'll be wearing braces again so i stopped using this, it still fits when i "unscrew" it entirely, do you think i can start wearing this again to widen my arch? what will happen with front teeth if i do so? will they slant even more inward and i'll regret this? unfortunately i can't get in touch with my orthodontist and i don't know who else could help me with all this, i mean who will give you braces when you have straight teeth...?

https://s3.postimg.org/byr49h8pf/IMG_20 ... 202154.jpg

[sirwired]

I would not just fit your old palatal exapnder in and call it a day.

Any orthodontist can fabricate a new retainer for you; you don't have to work with your old one. (Heck our general dentist made a new retainer for my wife...)

[giamia101]

Wow! Your teeth are actually perfect. You are nit picking at yourself a lot which is understandable since you probably look in the mirror everyday. However, to regular people who do not know you as much as you know you, there is nothing wrong. Just wear your retainer and ask your orthodontists if there are any actions you can take to better your smile.

[Lovespain5]

Your result is great and you don't need any additional treatment. Don't worry! You can easily hide your gums with facial exercices as your smile isn't extremly gummy.

[gwarlek]

can i post a link to a topic on a different forum or is that forbidden?

[Ziggy]

All I see is the face of a very pretty girl. That said, you are the customer and it's your right to be satisfied so I would see your ortho. THAT said, every guy I know would go out with you in a heartbeat, if that's what you're worried about. Try not to be so critical of how you see yourself in the mirror. It's often far from the way others see you. All the buildups in my mouth have opened up my bite. At first I though it made my face look weird, but now I think it makes me look a lot better. I'm hoping it stays that way.

[gwarlek]

[quote="sirwired"]I would not just fit your old palatal exapnder in and call it a day.

Any orthodontist can fabricate a new retainer for you; you don't have to work with your old one. (Heck our general dentist made a new retainer for my wife...)[/quote]

i think i could get a new expander but i'm worried that widening the arch will make my front teeth move even more backwards and my face more "flat" which is already a problem, what do you think? i have no idea how it works... i'm sure i won't leave it like it is now though, no way, i'm either getting a new expander or braces again because it looks horrible and not at all what it used to look, i guess you can't tell from the pictures (or maybe it's because you don't have comparison) but it's really bad, my head is huge and my face is really long but my mouth and teeth are so tiny (it's amazing that i was being made fun of when i was a teenager because of my huge "horse teeth," it changed so much) i look like a cartoon character, it also makes my nose stick out more, ehhh

[sirwired]

You just need a consult with an actual orthodontist. We are just a bunch of random people on the internet, and we can't devise a proper diagnosis (if any) or treatment plan (if any.)