Deep Bite..Can't Chew

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#16 Post by **Geri** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 7:18 am

Yes, fins, I don't remember my ortho mentioning 'buck teeth' to correct my deep bite. It would have given food for thought for me too...but I would still have gone ahead with it. What were these 'metal bars' across your teeth - I haven't heard about them before...and are they part of the deep bite correction?

#17 Post by **fins** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 12:31 pm

Yeah- they were the first step. I wore an appliance before being braced. Are you getting a lot of gaps between your teeth now?

#18 Post by **Chris** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 5:49 pm

Fins...how long you been in braces?

What did the metal bars do?

#19 Post by **Geri** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 8:48 pm

I'm not getting any gaps really....anymore than I already had that is! I already had gaps from my four extractions as a teen. I should explain....I grew up in the UK and the dentist there decided to extract four teeth and put me in braces (which were more like retainers I now know) for two years - which did not do anything more than straighten one canine tooth. I still had a gap between my front teeth and the other canine was wonky (but not as bad as the one 'treated'). I also still had extraction gaps which he never attempted to close. I remember him saying they would close naturally over time. Well, I am 34 now and they are still there (although the gap between my front teeth did close a fair bit). I don't remember ever being consulted about this work or thinking, until a long time afterwards, that he didn't finish the job. I was just glad to get them off at the time...I think now it was just NHS shortcutting. Sooo, I feel better for that mini-vent....but a bit off-subject...sorry. Hope that answers your question fins!

#20 Post by **Gigabite** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 12:32 am

Wow, Geri! Your story is almost the same as mine.
I had four teeth extracted and a retainer when I was thirteen. The ortho (he trained in the UK btw) assured me that the gaps would close, my wisdom teeth would come through and everything would be fine.

Fast forward fifteen years and I have a 110% overbite and front teeth that angle inwards (very similar to your pics).

According to my current (fabulous) ortho, the gaps from the extractions didn't close so my front teeth decided to retreat back.

#21 Post by **Geri** » Sun Nov 13, 2005 12:07 pm

Ahh, Gigabite, so that's why my teeth angle inwards (although not so much now after 1 month of braces - yay)! We do have amazingly similar stories. Hope your ortho journey is going well, and it's great that you have a good ortho you can trust (I do too)!

#22 Post by **fins** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 12:45 pm

The bars were part of the appliance and moved as the teeth moved. I'm hoping that by this time next year I have a debanding date.

#23 Post by **hannah164** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:19 pm

I think I'm in the same boat as you guys! I had a deep bite and my ortho said I would need turbos but I didn't when I got my bottom braces because only my two front teeth touch my bottom ones!

None of my back teeth touch at all! It is the hardest thing in the world to chew! I'm not sure how this is going to be fixed either!

Does anyone know?

Good luck everyone!

-Hannah

Top braces: 4/28/04
Bottom braces: 11/16/05

#24 Post by **Geri** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 2:12 pm

Hi Hannah164. Sorry to hear you still can't chew....I hope it gets easier soon. Your teeth are moving slowly in the right direction and will get there one day! I really don't know how the elastics work to fix a deep bite althouth I know the process...flare the front teeth to an overjet, then use elastics to pull things into the right alignment....but of course that is horribly vague and I would love to know the details. Anyone?

When I position my mouth so that I don't have a deepbite (just to see how it might one day be) my molars are about 1 cm (10mm) apart on average! Quite a gap to close!

#25 Post by **Chris** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 6:43 pm

Sounds like we are all in gap city with regards to our molars.

You have the right idea, Geri, about the stages. The elastics phase should bring our back teeth together. At least I'm praying for that event in my lifetime.

Gee, Hannah, you had to wait a long time to get those bottom braces on. How come so long? Did it take a long time to get the tops moving?

#26 Post by **hannah164** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:44 pm

Actually Chris My ortho doesn't communicate well with me at all so I'm not quite sure why it took so long for me to get bottom braces! I assume its because of my impacted cuspids and deep bite!

He says I'm one of his most complicated cases!

If you had a deep bite before bottom braces and now because of where your bottom brackets are only your front teeth touch your bottom teeth what can they do to fix that? I guess I now have an open bite in the back?

Its really hard to chew!

Hopefully my ortho will start to fix that soon!

-Hannah

Top braces: 4/28/04
Bottom braces: 11/16/05

#27 Post by **fins** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:33 am

Hannah- I understand the problems with chewing while fixing the bite. I still don't eat much steak but when I have a reasonable bite I do try to eat it if at all possible. I found I had to adjust my diet a bit and even resort to using the food processor for meat. My bite is a work in progress and is ALWAYS changing. I think fixing the bite can be really difficult and is time consuming. Just hang in there, it will be changing throughout the treatment and I get the feeling I won't see it settle into the final position till the very end of treatment, but I could be wrong.

The elastics seem to work very well for me, I will probably go through the entire treatment with powerchains on the uppers.

#28 Post by **hannah164** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 8:52 pm

Thanks guys for the advice and responses!

Its actually becoming a little easier as time goes by to chew!

Its still really awkward but hopefully at my next adjustment my ortho will start to fix my bite( elastics I guess?)

I've heard from my friends that my ortho thinks elastics can fix anything so I assume I'll be in those for a while!

Oh well... if it fixes things I guess its worth it!

Does anyone have any before and after or now pictures that show how their deep bite has changed?

THanks!

-Hannah

Top braces: 4/28/04
Bottom braces: 11/16/05

#29 Post by **Chris** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 3:13 pm

Do you all find that your gums behind your front teeth are sore or irritated because the tongue keeps "pushing forward" to wear it didn't before the flare??

#30 Post by **Geri** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 9:08 pm

Hi Chris, my front teeth felt loose last week and I kept pushing my tongue against them to feel that strangely satisfying click/grind feeling as they move forward. They feel more solid now so it's not happening as much but I guess if I didn't keep telling myself not to do it last week then I would have eventually gotten sore gums. Is this what you mean?

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