Metal Mouth Message Board

I just scheduled an orthodontic consultation for August 21st with a highly recommended ortho in my area and am having my records and 3D scans sent from my oral surgeon. I had jaw surgery due to trauma (bike accident) in June, and the oral surgeon says I will need braces to finish the work. I'm not 100% convinced of this since I don't require cosmetic perfection, but I respect his opinion. I had braces at age 12-13 and am 56 now...quite a change in the technology since then!

My bite still feels a bit off (and my midline doesn't match up top to bottom), but I think a lot of the weird sensation is due to the fact that 1/4 of my mouth (lower left) is still semi-numb and tingling from nerve damage from my accident. It has improved since then (April), but not 100% yet. Apparently that can take up to 18 months to resolve. My bite feels much more stable now than it did a month ago, when I got my arch bars from the jaw wiring off. It's like things have been "settling" over the past few weeks. A month ago, I was sure I would need braces, but now I'm questioning that....

To complicate matters, I also have a dental appointment scheduled on Aug. 22 for a cleaning and check-up. I will see if she thinks I need braces to get a second opinion, since I think the ortho will certainly say I do, given that it is $$ in his pocket. I am worried about the dentist, though: I'm afraid she'll try to sell me on a huge program of dental work as many dentists do when you are a new patient. I have a lot of crowns already and several root canals, but unless she finds something really wrong, like a loose crown from my accident, I do not want a "program" of expensive (and especially cosmetic) dental work as long as my teeth and gums are healthy enough -- just clean my teeth and let me move on! I don't have dental insurance, so the price of all this is a factor -- especially assuming I need braces.

We shall see. I will be a nervous wreck that week with the two back-to-back appointments, I'm sure!

Emily

I just want to encourage you to consider the ortho's advice carefully. Braces aren't for just cosmetic purposes. If your teeth are misaligned, your bite will be off and the teeth may continue to move. This can cause further issues down the line. Getting a great smile is just a nice benefit to fixing bite and alignment.

I just want to encourage you to consider the ortho's advice carefully. Braces aren't for just cosmetic purposes. If your teeth are misaligned, your bite will be off and the teeth may continue to move. This can cause further issues down the line. Getting a great smile is just a nice benefit to fixing bite and alignment.

I agree, Pammy. I knew that I most likely needed braces, but I just wanted to be 100% sure before I paid the large amount out of pocket, as I have no dental insurance.

Both the dentist and orthodontist think that braces will help my bite. Straightening out my teeth at the same time will be a nice cosmetic side benefit.

I get my braces on Monday!

How are things coming along?

Ellay4402 wrote:How are things coming along?

Pretty well, I guess! Only two months in, but I can already tell that my bottom teeth are straighter. Top teeth seem to be a bit slower to move. He has not really started working on my bite yet, but what I gather is that they use elastics closer to the end of treatment, after straightening the teeth. Even though I didn't care as much about having perfectly straight teeth as improving my bite, I'll take straight teeth as a side benefit!

Thank you for asking!