Hi I'm 18 and my orthodontist told me that it's too late...

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#1 Post by **promises144** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 6:34 pm

Hi, I'm an 18 year old male and I have a slight overbite (my chin is pushed back). I'd like to fix this, but an orthodontist told me it was too late since they have stopped growing. This guy, though, is known to be an sweetheart and liar, and said a bunch of other stuff that has since been falsified.

So can anybody who knows what theyre talking about tell me if this is true or not? I'd really like to fix this as it bothers me. Thank you!

#2 Post by **promises144** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 7:17 pm

Please if anybody knows, reply

#3 Post by **Ice** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 7:58 pm

Well I'm 16 and I have an overbite of 5 mm, and my ortho told me that my chin will probably grow a bit more, but not enough to correct my bite.
To fix it, I am having two teeth from my upper jaw extracted and my top teeth will be moved back, and using springs my bottom teeth are going to be pushed forward slightly.

Hope it helps

-Matt.

#4 Post by **promises144** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 8:00 pm

thats exactly what my orthodontist wanted to do to me... I said no, I figured that would make my nose look bigger and my face generally disproportionate. I dunno, can';t they simply move the lower jaw forward?

#5 Post by **Ice** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:04 pm

wait, perhaps it would make my face look strange.. I think I'll post another topic about it..

#6 Post by **geekgirl** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:19 pm

I'm sure what your ortho meant was that he couldn't fix the bite to be 100% perfect with just orthodontics alone. When you're still growing, they have all sorts of nifty tricks to change how your jaw grows to make the perfect bite. When you're older, there's no changing your jaw orthodontically, and surgery is the next option.

That doesn't always mean that they can't do anything with just orthodontics, it just means that they can't do as much as they need to to make your bite perfect.

But if your orthodontics is a liar, why even bother with him? Go to several consultations with various orthos, and find one you like, respect and can trust.

#7 Post by **dr.j** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 9:07 am

I agree with GeekGirl. If you are 18 and a female - with a "pushed back lower jaw" you cannot expect any further meaningful forward growth of the lower jaw. Orthodontics and lower jaw surgery usually gives the best esthetic and functional outcome.

If you do not like or trust your orthodontist go see someone esle. There plenty of options out there.

Dr.J

#8 Post by **promises144** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 12:40 pm

Well another ortho told me to forget about correcting my overbite (and just straighten my teeth). My teeth are generally OK, need abit of straightening. My overbite really isnt that bad, nobody even realised I had one until I was brought to an ortho.

So, if it requires surgery, its out of the question for me. I don't want to remodel my face, I'd just want to bring my bottom jaw forward.

#9 Post by **geekgirl** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 12:50 pm

promises144 wrote: So, if it requires surgery, its out of the question for me. I don't want to remodel my face, I'd just want to bring my bottom jaw forward.

That's exactly why surgery is needed - you can't alter your jaw position without surgery once you've stopped growing. All you can do is move the teeth.

By the way, are you talking about an "overbite" (where the top teeth overlap over the bottom teeth, i.e. they're too far down), or an "overjet" (where the top teeth protrude outward, away from the bottom teeth such that they're too far out)?

#10 Post by **promises144** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 4:58 pm

An overbite. Is an overjet easily noticeable in the mirror or by picture? I mght have a bit of that as well, but I don't think so

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Hi I'm 18 and my orthodontist told me that it's too late...

Hi I'm 18 and my orthodontist told me that it's too late...

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