I'm kinda freaking out here...

Message

#1 Post by **newsysuzy** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 11:57 pm

I know everyone has to do what's best for him/her and I've really tried to do my research and make the best decision for me, and I finally got the courage to proceed with this journey... but now I'm wondering if I made the right choice. AND IT'S KILLING ME. Before I got my braces I consulted with three orthos and my own dentist...and today I ran into one of the orthos (NOT the one I chose). It was a little awkward seeing him, as he treated one of my kids, but I told about my braces, he asked to see them and wanted to know more about my treatment. I told him about my Damon 3's, and that I had ONE tooth pulled because of crowding. (I'm a Class II) He was shocked...(he had recommended two teeth be pulled, one on each side; so had another ortho) said mine was an unusual plan that would mess up my midline bigtime, and that Damon 3's were just a big sales pitch I fell for. He wasn't mean, just surprised by the treatment plan.

Now I'M second-guessing it. Did I fall for a sales pitch? And after looking around this board, I'm wondering if I needed to have a tooth pulled at all. It seems there are others with worse crowding than mine who did not need any extractions. The whole 'tooth-pulled' thing is what freaked me out in the first place. It took me ten years to get started and now I'm afraid I didn't do enough, didn't ask the right questions before taking the plunge. I do plan to call my ortho Monday morning, but dread is setting in. And I'm only 13 days into this. Oh man.........

#2 Post by **momof2grlz** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 5:51 am

It could just be sour grapes or professional envy. I think almost everyone gets different tx plans from different orthos. That's why we get second, third, fourth ... opinions. Maybe your midline was already off in one direction and only extracting one tooth will open space to move it back. I don't know, I'm not one of the Docs. As far as the Damons "hype", I think all of the Docs on this board have basically said brackets are brackets and they all work about the same. It's the skill of the ortho that gets the job done.

Maybe you could schedule a short consultation with your ortho to discuss your midline concern before you get too far into treatment. Since you've already had 1 extraction, seems like the worst case would be having another extraction on the opposite side. I'm also pretty sure the Docs have mentioned that midlines can't always be perfect and are less important than other issues. Look at Tom Cruise sometime. His is WAY off!

Good luck.

Chris

#3 Post by **newsysuzy** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 9:45 am

Thanks, Chris...you're right. A perfect midline may not be the goal for everyone, and it's certainly not the highest priority for me. I will definitely talk with my ortho asap. And after re-reading a series of posts from Dr. Randall here...discussing extraction/non-extraction and, all things considered, he suggests it's not that big a deal if, in the end, a person's treatment is successful. I need to remind myself that that's what it's all about. Sometimes my anxiety gets the best of me....

Thanks, again, Chris.

#4 Post by **Infamy** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 11:47 am

I had only one extraction. My midline was off pre-treatment and I also had some mild crowdy on top.

I got my braces off on Wednesday and my midline is perfect.

Don't worry about it.

#5 Post by **newsysuzy** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 4:09 pm

Infamy/Jim, you made my day!!!

Thank you so much for sharing your story. And congratulations on getting your braces off... with a perfect midline to boot!!!

I've got a ways to go, but so look forward to the day mine come off. Stories like yours keep me going. Thanks again!

#6 Post by **Chris** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 8:23 pm

newsysuzy wrote: Sometimes my anxiety gets the best of me.... .

We've all been there. I had LOTS of different consultations before I took the plunge and I still second guess myself wondering if I chose the right option. We just have to wait and see and hope for the best.

#7 Post by **Dreamer** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 1:02 pm

Newsysuzy.. This was a huge discussion in my orthodontists office on my last visit. It does seem that many orthodontists don't believe the Damon's are any better and in fact my orthodontist said she will use them only if the patients really want them, otherwise she prefers the regular braces. She said they all do the work but it's the skill of the treatment that makes the difference. I guess it's kinda like cars, some prefer Toyota's some want Chevy's, ya know? But they all get us to our destination!