Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm 40 and in braces. My bite has never been perfect but I got the braces purely for cosmetic reasons. My ortho told me that without major jaw surgery he wouldn't be able to do much about my bite but that he could definately make my teeth look straight with braces. I was fine with that. It's been a year now and my teeth look fantastic, very straight, but my bite is even worse. For instance, my teeth on the left side don't even touch when I bite down.

Sounds bad but thing thing is - it doesn't bother me one bit! I mean, it's just not a big concern for me - is that weird? Does anyone else feel this way?

I don't really care about my bite either. The only reason I wanted braces was to fix the spacing in my top arch. My ortho, on the other hand, is going to fix my bite whether I like it or not.

Wow, I have to say that my bite, which is now not touching due to braces is driving me batty! Eating, while very difficult due to soreness, etc., is now no fun at all and I find that I only eat so I don't starve.

Of course, each to his/her own but I'll be one happy camper when my teeth are again reacquainted.

That's understandable, Scalawaggirl. I'm sure if my teeth weren't touching then the spacing issue I have wouldn't be quite as important as my bite. Thankfully, however, I don't have that problem.

I hope your ortho is able to correct that super fast so you will be able to eat normally!

I don't really care about my bite, either. My teeth haven't touched since I got spacers two weeks ago, and braces haven't made the situation better. But really I wanted to do this for aesthetic reasons. I have to have jaw surgery because that's the only way any of this is actually going to get accomplished, and since insurance covers it the only concern I have is pain and recovery time.

Ah, but your BITE problems can turn INTO cosmetic issues..... if your teeth are hitting the wrong way, it can wear them down wrong... making you susceptible to more cavities, broken teeth, grinding, ...alll sorts of things. If its possible to fix a bite without too much trouble, its probably best to go ahead and do it.... of course, surgery might be "too much trouble" for a lot of us.

The motivation behind me getting braces was purely cosmetic - I want nice straight even teeth that look good.

My bite come second to that - in fact my ortho reckons my bite will never be 100%, but as long as my teeth look good, I don't really mind.

It’s important to get your bite straightened out because bad alignment can cause uneven tooth wear and lead to jaw problems. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it won't cause you trouble in the future.

My bite was part of the cosmetic reason for getting braces. Even though the main thing I want is my teeth nice and straight, I figure I've paid all that money so they might as well do the job right. I don't want to end up with any major issues with my jaw later because of a mucked up bite.

For me, correcting my bite was the entire reason I went to the ortho in the first place. I have an underbite and my jaw would pop occasionaly and has only been getting worse, they told me there is a good chance this will fix that. I have to have surgery to correct mine

ditto for me. The bite was reason number 1. If I got straight teeth out of it that was a nice side benefit! I am even willing to get these braces off if my teeth are not totally perfect, as long as my bite is. Funny thing is I think they straighten the teeth in general first and then start working on the bite.

I have some crossbite and overbite.

My teeth are getting much better now (more straight).
My ortho says my overbite is much less now. Don't know how this was done though as I have braces only. I noticed my bite has changed a bit..

But as long as my teeth are straight and white (later on), I'm not to bothered with my bite..

My ortho left it up me basically, though his recommendation was to skip the surgery if my reasons were purely cosmetic. I have no insurance so every expense comes directly out of my pocket. Ideally, I needed jaw surgery, gum grafts and braces. The gum grafts were essential as he would not put the braces on until I had them done. The grafts and the braces together cost $8,000. The jaw surgery would have added thousands more - my ortho was completely comfortable with me skipping the surgery and settling for a less-than-pefect bite. And my teeth look great. So I'm not complaining.

flowertowngirl,

I'm in my 40's also and that is what my dentist(my regular dentist is doing my braces) said about putting braces on without jaw surgery. But my insurance wouldn't cover it, so I went for just getting my teeth straight. And after 13 months they are a lot straighter, but I will still have a small overbite. My right side (bite) is the first to meet, but the left side is "catching up" and starting to meet more each day. I go to the dentist this Thursday and hopefully he will say it's time to take them off !!! I can only HOPE !

I am at the point to where I would also say that I don't care if they are hitting at the same time, but I would be worried that it would start to bother me later when the braces are off, and then I would be sorry that I didn't wait a little longer to get them even.

My bottom jaw still has a slight "curve", the bottom front teeth curve upward just slightly, but I would have to have jaw surgery.

If it really doesn't bother you, then don't worry about it! To most people it won't really matter. Its nice that your ortho left it up to you!

My bite is one of the many reasons I got braces and I really want to get it fixed. I have a sever overbite and a deep bite and it is really uncomfortable! My top teeth cover my bottom brackets fully!

Good luck!

-Hannah




Top braces: 4/28/04
Bottom braces: 11/16/05
Last Adjustment was 2/1/06 where they bonded a bracket to my cuspid, which was impacted!!!! OUCH!