Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi, I'm new here. I just got my braces off. I should be excited right? I’ll admit I didn't want to commit to wearing braces for a long time as an adult, I'm 28. I decided to do short-term ortho, which is a 6 month deal to only visually correct a smile, but not change much with the bite. This seemed like a good idea at the time since I was not a candidate for Invisalign. I now think that this may have been a bad idea. It cost me $4500 and I’m not happy with the results at all. At first I thought I just had to get used to it, but I've been up all night thinking about it. When my new smile was revealed for the first time, I wasn't happy like I should have been.

I’m freaking out now, I haven't slept thinking about this. I feel like my facial structure has changed with my new teeth. I noticed this over the course of my treatment, but I attributed it to weight loss. I think my smile looks really fake now and sticks out. It looks like I have an overjet, which was not there before. Granted my teeth were crooked and crowded in the front before, I considered the general aesthetics of it to be very nice, with the way my lips covered my teeth and how my face looked. In flash photography I couldn't even tell, my teeth looked fine. My hope was to have the same smile only straighter. I had no idea that the esthetics of my face be compromised so much. I think I look like a horse and I don’t feel pretty at all when I smile now. My teeth seem too long or something and really big. They aren't even perfectly straight, my lateral incisors seem to be angled out instead of being turned inward. My entire face looks more caved in.

I’ve been driving myself crazy taking photos and comparing them with old ones. I need advice from anyone that can help, please. If money was no object I’d be willing to undergo the full two year treatment with regular braces, teeth pulling and all if I have to, but this was something I had ready struggled to finance, because I wanted so badly to have a nice smile to go with my pretty face. I cut expenses and made sacrifices in order to pay for it. I feel like it wasn’t worth it. I didn’t like my crooked teeth, but I don’t like my new smile either. I feel really stupid now and mad at myself. If I want this fixed, can it be done? Is it possible to achieve this expectation of “my old smile, but better?” I don’t know what to do at this point. I considered the option of getting my retainers off and let my teeth move back into their original position, would that even work?Please look at my before and after photos. I appreciate any feedback, good or bad. I want an honest opinion. Thank for reading my long post.

Here is
BEFORE:




AFTER:




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I am answering because you asked for opinions. I think they look beautiful! I hope mine look that good when I get my braces off.

I hope everything works out!!

I also think you smile looks great. I don't see a "fake" smile at all.
Your teeth look straight and you have a wide smile I don't see any changes to your face. Give it some more time, you just had them off so everything is new still.

Also, do you have bite issues? Or was it strictly the appearance you were trying to change?

Hey CuteSmile,
I have to agree with Bekah and Snowglobe. I see an improved visual of your teeth and a nice looking smile - no need to persue it further. But I agree with Snowglobe in asking, do you have any bite issues? That would be a case for a longer treatment because then the overall health of your teeth would be compromised. That's my predicament - teeth that look straight, but have damage related to bite issues. Be pro active & make sure your bite alignment's ok Good Luck

Your teeth look fine to me! I would be happy with your results!

I think your teeth look awesome now! Maybe give it some time and you'll adjust to the new change?

Your new smile looks great, even perfect, to me. I agree with others that you need to give it time- it is just different for you and you will adjust to it in time. After getting braces recently I notice peoples' teeth a lot more and if I saw yours (new) I may wonder who your ortho was and hope it was the same one I am going to!
I didn't know about 'short term ortho'- I may have been interested in that:)

I think ur new smile is fantastic!!! Although i dun find any problems wif ur old smile.. i wudn't have gone for any treatment but nevertheless ur new smile is great!! not fake!

Your crazy if you think your smile isn't pretty! I love your new smile and it's perfect now! I WISH my teeth were larger... mine a teeny tiny and I'm affraid that when my braces come off that my smile will be all gum and no teeth!... so be proud that you have nice large teeth to fill that pretty face

Hi There,
Your teeth look beautiful! Don't stop wearing those retainers! Your teeth will never shift back into their original position if you stop wearing them. Some will shift, others won't. I'm back in braces at 30 years old because I didn't wear my retainers the first time around. My top teeth stayed perfect, but the bottom teeth shifted and crowded a bit. My Ortho had my photos from before I had my braces put on the first time and there was a big difference between the way my bottom teeth looked before I had the braces the first time and the way they looked before I had them put on the second time. My bottom teeth were really not crooked before, we were mostly correcting my bite. After not wearing the retainers and having them shift, they did become crooked and looked worse than they did before I ever got braces. Please, keep wearing the retainers!

Your photos show what looks like quite a bit of weight loss in your face. In the top pics, your face is filled out nicely and in the bottom ones, it looks like your face is narrower in general, which makes your mouth and eyes look bigger, as the sizes of those things don't change with weight loss and may seem out of proportion. To be perfectly honest, I think gaining back some of the weight would make all the difference.

Regardless of what you decide to do, your smile looks terrific! You don't have a reason in the world not to be proud of it!

Oh my GOSH! You look GORGEOUS! I love your new smile!!!!!