A bit about my story. I was offered braces by a dentist at about 14 but I turned them down as I didn't want to go down the train track route. The dentist and my parents were not pushy at all and that was the end of it.
I have had years and years of insecurity about my teeth which has actually finally began to subside now that I am married with a couple of children and my social life has significantly reduced. Nonetheless it has always been at the back of my mind. I am always the one of family photos with a close mouth smile and I generally look awkward in any photo as I seem to tense my jaw.
My problem is that I have spacing between my teeth (which has reduced through the years). My upper teeth point down at an angle, one tooth sits in front of the others and my central line is off centre by about 5-8mm.
I sat down with my dentist recently and decided now was the time, as I turn 30 in a couple of months. I was offered three options; Invisalign, 6 months smile or traditional orthodontics. I was told that the one one which would correct my central line would be orthontics with a couple of extractions and would take 18-24 months. I accepted this and had moulds and x-Rays taken.
Upon my second consultation I was told by the dentist that due to the shape of my jaw (back teeth are lower than front teeth) I would also need has alignment which could require breaking my jaw. At this point I started to think is this really the route I want to go down. Subsequently I have decided to have the 6 month smile which will correct all bar my central alignment. I will decide if I want to Persue this after my current treatment.
I have been taking regular photos on the 3 days since getting my brace and it has really hit home just how bad my teeth actually are. I have a faint hope that once they are all pointing in the right direction, the central line will be a non-issue for me. But time will tell.
Has anyone been in a similar situation?
A couple of photos:
