Have a brace date but still trying to decide.

[parsleysage]

So even though I have a consult tomorrow which I am still going to, I really like the 2nd orthodontist I went to, so today I went ahead and scheduled a brace date. Thursday, April 24th at 9:15am! TWO WEEKS! YAY! I am sooo excited!

Except... I am still really nervous about beginning treatment. As you may know from my previous posts, based on my cephalogram (http://imgur.com/G8IQ2qd) I have been recommended as a surgical patient. The ortho I scheduled the appt with has said he will try it with rubber bands but doesn't think it will work. Over the last few weeks since I found out I have been getting used to the idea.

On some days, I feel like it's definitely the right choice. I've looked through this forum for hours, watched YouTube vids, read blogs, and visualized the results and the benefits it would have for my teeth. I've done research on my insurance, whether the surgery is covered and what the requirements are, my financial options, and my disability benefits through work for taking off recovery time. I've talked to my dentist, my boss, my boyfriend (who lives with me so is my main support), and my mom.

On other days, I am a little bewildered at myself for even considering it. After all, I declined getting braces as a kid and never wanted them until recently. My face isn't hugely impacted by the issue (though ever since my ortho pointed it out I can definitely see my chin prominence in pictures), and because my teeth are protruding out to meet in an edge-to-edge, I can chew pretty much normally. It will be the braces themselves that straighten my teeth into an underbite. Therefore... if I don't get braces, there will be no need for surgery.

Ultimately the choice comes down to getting braces and surgery, or not getting braces at all and leaving things the way they are. There are pros and cons both ways, obviously. But that's why I'm so nervous about getting braced... because I know it will change the way my bite is now and I will need to get the surgery to fix that. It's like tipping the first domino of the line Can't take it back!

I wish I could wait until I was more sure, somehow. Unfortunately I had a tooth extracted recently, so I can't exactly leave the gap open. (Especially since I already have wide spacing! I can imagine my diastema doubling in size, lol.) From that perspective, now is the perfect time to do orthodontics. If only I could be sure I am making the right decision!

I know it's ultimately up to me to decide, but any words of advice?

[parsleysage]

Just in case anyone finds this in the future, I am going to tell the orthodontist I want to go ahead as a surgical patient but ask for a referral to the surgeon for a consult and hopefully get that squeezed in before I get braced. Thanks for reading!

[c2steph]

My case/issue sounds a little bit like yours. I have a slight under bite, but once the bottom teeth are strengthened, it will create a worse under bite. Surgery was recommended for me. Another ortho who has not seen my x-rays (yet) recommend to remove two teeth at the bottom to correct the underbite. I also have diastema naturally at the top, but it has widened because I had a couple teeth removed (at the top).

I would love to follow your treatment/progress as it my help me in making my decision.

[Hostet25]

My surgeon advised me leaving my teeth where they are...(slight underbite, top and bottom teeth touch almost edge to edge) it would cost me in the long run. Broken teeth, cracking, cavities, gum issues, tmj (already have that) and a whole bunch of other things i forgot! And the crazy part is ive been done with invisalign for about 3 months now..i just wear retainers at night and i see that my top front tooth has already worn a groove into it from my lower tooth hitting it! Basically he showed me on my impressions that teeth are meant to touch down on each other at certain spots and since our jaws are very strong and teeth endure a heap of blunt force all day everyday that having your bite off can really damage your teeth...and lets be honest...teeth are expensive...even with the best dental insurance! In the long run i think it just seems like the only way to go! but hey thats just my opinion! 2 1/2 weeks till surgery ive taken the leap!

[mameem]

Im in the same boat with decision making now!

[deathorglory]

I have an overjet of about 8mm, but it never really bothered me except for the one snaggletooth I had in front. I went in for a consult after asking my dentist about invisalign, but was told that to correct everything, I'd need traditional archwires. Apparently, my molars are pretty tilted inwards and I have a few more spacing issues that I was aware of, but then again, I'm not an orthodontist so I don't notice these things on the everyday

I was given the option to do just braces (with extractions) to try to fix stuff (I believe she said "MOSTLY everything") or I could do braces and surgery to fix everything. I figured, if I was going to put the time and the money in to fix my teeth at all, why not get it all fixed and done so that I don't regret my decision later?

I'm obviously in a different boat than you folks are... once my dentist/orthodontist pointed out how far my overjet was, I couldn't get it out of my head. But I also wanted other things fixed. I suppose that if you're ok with your situation and won't change your mind in the future, then don't do it? But then again...if it never bothered you to begin with, why did you go in for that consultation...? Hmmm...