Hi all! How long are you sentenced for and why?

[kitty123]

Hi guys,

I don't have my story in here, mainly because my pics aren't too good... actually not just "not too good", they're just terrible. blurry, pictures angled differently and completely useless. While I don't post much in this forum, I do read a lot of your stories and appreciate them very much.

I've had braces for 5 months, 3 weeks and 1 day now. 8 days to go till my six month mark!!! I am obviously counting down. Here's my story (with no pics sorry), if it looks too long, please skip to the end! (I won't mind)

My Story - feel free to skip the next four paragraphs

I was never self concious about my teeth, but my permanent canine teeth grew behind my baby ones. The right baby tooth eventually fell out and the tooth behind it came out. I was much younger then. Since my parents didn't really take me to the dentist, no one actually noticed that I still had a baby canine and the permanent one behind it. Since I am terrified of teeth being pulled, needles etc. I decided not to tell them. I assumed the tooth would fall out one day and the new one would push itself out . Needless to say, that didn't happen. So I turned 18, I was a little bit more mature enough to tell my dad about my tooth. He took me to the dentist who took one look at my teeth and said "she needs braces". Now braces I did not want. But given that I was afraid of the baby tooth falling out and the new tooth never coming out (yes, I am very vain) I decided to go with braces just for that.

I went to the ortho and was told I have an overbite, a severaly rotated premolar (rotated NINETY degrees!!!) and of course the baby tooth problem.

Initially I wanted lingual braces. After my dad talked to an ortho who does them, he told me they cost about $14000 and while he didn't quite say "no" he asked me if I really really wanted them. Since I felt bad getting him to buy them just because I am so stupidly concious of my appearance I said no it's ok and we went for clear self ligating ones (Clarity SL).

My ortho didn't quite tell me how long it will take, she said "The average is about 18 - 24 months". That's it. She's very nice though and my teeth so far are much better than what I started with. I am always just too scared to ask her how much longer it will take.

The end (sort of)

So... my question
how long are/were you sentenced for and why?

[staceyr2]

Hi.
Initially, I was sentanced to 30 to 36 months, but I have been in braces for 42 months as of now. I was told I had a very deep bite and every tooth in my mouth was crooked in some way. I have since found out that in addition to the deep bite, I also have an open bite on one side (premolar area) and a "gummy smile". I think its the open bite that's holding up progress right now. I have also had molars move when they weren't supposed to. Basically my teeth aren't cooperating with my ortho. I ask every few months if she has any idea of when they might come off, and she tells me to ask again later. Oh well! However, after our last discussion, I am hopefull that they may come off this summer or fall, only to be replaced with some kind of removable appliances to finish them off. The end is drawing near, I can feel it, but it is still somewhere beyond the horizon! Good luck and stay positive!

[donutpuffs]

Hello! I don't think you should be scared to ask anything about your own teeth and health to your dentist. It's your body, your mouth, your future so please don't hesitate to ask them anything!

I have a diastema, a heriditary large gap inbetween my two front teeth, along with spacing amongst my other teeth on the top and bottom. I recently got braces, so it has been just about 5 days since i've had them on! =) I don't wear rubberbands around the hooks yet but the my dentist tells me that i will have to use them.

I was told my treatement will last about 16-17 months. Then i will be put on retainers (24/7) for 1 year. After that, just night time wear.

[kitty123]

Hi guys

Thanks for the replies.

I've had braces for 6 months and 3 days now. My premolar is NOT budging sadly.

donutpuffs...
I am just scared to ask my ortho how long it will take coz i am afraid she might add another 6 months or something to the treatment time. So maybe i'll wait till 12 months to ask. But I think my dad's gonna come with me next time i visit her and I think he's already planning on asking her that.

Like staceyr2 said, I think my overbite is much better now but I do have an open bite on one side sadly. Maybe it's not a huge issue at 6 months. I wouldn't really know.

[staceyr2]

If you have an open bite, even on the side, they seem to take a bit more. My ortho told me in the beginning that there are a few factors that add to the length of time. I only know of the three that I have, if there are more, I don't know them. Age increases time, teeth may move as fast as kids do, but the bone material doesn't fill back in around your teeth like it does in children, hence the life time retainers. Mouth breathing increases time. Breathing through your mouth causes the gums to harden, making it harder to move the teeth. And apparently smoking slows down movement, but I don't have a good explanation for why.

[Phoenix461]

I just got top & bottom braces yesterday and was told that treatment would probably be 18-20 months. Hopefully it will be less.

[changes09]

I am sentenced to 13 months in bracs. I have an open bite, cross bite and under bite. And gaps like you wouldn't beleive. My ortho said that most of my time in braces is to close my gaps, and then i'll have surgery, and then i will have the braces to perfect my bite and he said at first it would take 18 months....then i got the good news that i would have my braces off between october and december. Of course that could always change. But as for now 13 months is my sentence

[sdawdy]

I was told 18-24 months, well its almost 28 months. However, my teeth are very stubborn and wont move like my Ortho wants or would like. So just remember the time frame they give is just an estimate if you are compliant and your teeth move on average speed.

SD

[Andromeda]

I've had mine for almost 15 months and will get them off in 2 weeks I got them at age 23 because my two top canines were raised up about a half tooth too high and pushed out from my arch more than the rest. Also some minor crookedness in a couple other teeth.

[missymoo]

Helloo!!

I am braced for a left canine that didnt decend as expected due to the
arrival of wisdom teeth which defeated the idea of having my left pre-molar removed in childhood in order that the canine would drop into the gap. So I have had a right premolar removed, with a power chain on the right canine which went too far left in the end to bring it back to its right position also all wizzie teeth removed. I am braced top and bottom for good measure!
My ortho advised a treatment time of 18 months, before if he can, and he is really going for it!! My teeth have moved massive amounts in the 5 weeks that I have been braced, hurt like hell but oh my!!
I would ask your Ortho about time frames, its best to know now rather than be dissapointed, then you have a specific date to aim for.

Good luck. xx

[jesspenguin]

I have my braces for the exact same reason you have yours! My top left baby canine never fell out because the adult tooth was laying perpendicular to the root of the baby tooth instead of coming straight down. I avoided the dentist for years and years because I didn't want to deal with pain/needles. Once I finally started going I realized that I needed to have something done about it. A few more years of stalling and I finally got a referral to see an orthodontist.

In addition to the baby tooth not coming out, it was also loose because the adult tooth was cutting away at its root. I also found out that I had an overbite that needed to be corrected. I had the baby tooth pulled and the next day got my braces on. For a few months I got to wear a spring coil that pushed my front teeth way over to make a large gap so that the adult tooth could move down and swing into its correct parallel position with the other teeth.

My original sentence for braces wasn't really a set amount of time. When I asked my ortho how long I could have them, his answer was "years." Right now I'm 6 days away from 15 months and 5 days away from having them off!

[Lela]

And apparently smoking slows down movement, but I don't have a good explanation for why.

I would think it might have something to do with the reduced bloodflow to the gums that smoking causes.


I got braces to correct a crossbite mainly. I had a couple of cosmetic issues too but they were not enough to motivate me to spent the money. The health of my teeth and gums was though. Straight teeth are just an added bonus

My estimate was 14-18 months. But my teeth have been very cooperative and its looking like I will be done a little sooner then expected.

[kitty123]

I haven't been able to come on this site for some time.

u guys sound luckier than me.

jesspenguin, i got very excited when i read ur post lol

But well... had adjustment number 6 last monday, she said my rotated teeth (mainly my rotated premolar) will take a while to fix
My canine has come out and my overbite from what i can see is much better.

missymoo, you are right. But I just the thought of her saying "another 2 years" makes me feel depressed!

[staceyr2]

Thanks Lela,
I knew there was a reason, just not the specifics. Makes sense though, I know they say that if you have a broken bone and smoke, it takes longer to heal. Maybe has something to do with oxygen levels in your blood or whatever, SMOKING IS BAD, but so hard to quit. Advice to anyone: if you don't smoke, GOOD, don't start either. Not only is it expensive, bad for me, and stains my teeth, but it slows down tooth movement. Maybe that is why I am 6 months past my original "sentance" with no "release" date yet. (well, combined with mouth breathing and un-cooperative teeth, but that could probably be connected to smoking too).

[browneyedgrl]

My initial estimate was for 12 months for relaspe and bite issues. I'm due to have them removed tomorrow after almost 17 months.

B