Should I get braces for the THIRD time?

[fosterp]

I understand the people in this thread are trying to be constructive but if you really don't know what you are talking about, you should really keep the comments on "how to improve" to yourself. You are potentially causing irreversable damage to this persons self-esteem for no reason at all by suggesting anatomical problems that do not actually exist.

For example, stating this girl has a weak chin is an objective statement that is clearly incorrect. I don't know where you people are getting the idea of a weak chin from but you can clearly see on the profile that the chin is of normal proportions.

To understand what is required to address the aesthetic problems that a person has about themselves requires delicate knowledge of human anatomy that only experienced doctors even come close to knowing. And even then doctors are not always correct in their judgements. Nonetheless, in order to make a truly objective judgement about what would and would not change this persons appearance in a desirable fashion needs knowledge of the situation that cannot be provided on an internet forum.

That said, OP get a consultation with an orthodontist, preferably more than one, to express your concerns.

[RedDress]

I understand the people in this thread are trying to be constructive but if you really don't know what you are talking about, you should really keep the comments on "how to improve" to yourself. You are potentially causing irreversable damage to this persons self-esteem for no reason at all by suggesting anatomical problems that do not actually exist.

For example, stating this girl has a weak chin is an objective statement that is clearly incorrect. I don't know where you people are getting the idea of a weak chin from but you can clearly see on the profile that the chin is of normal proportions.

To understand what is required to address the aesthetic problems that a person has about themselves requires delicate knowledge of human anatomy that only experienced doctors even come close to knowing. And even then doctors are not always correct in their judgements. Nonetheless, in order to make a truly objective judgement about what would and would not change this persons appearance in a desirable fashion needs knowledge of the situation that cannot be provided on an internet forum.

That said, OP get a consultation with an orthodontist, preferably more than one, to express your concerns.

what you are basically saying, is that the person should not have come to the forum to seek oppinions

[RedDress]

Some jaw surgeries are far more intrusive then some plastic surgeries, what would you say to that?

I would say that jaw surgery cases have actual deformities and that while it does provide an aesthetic benefits, it also provides a functional benefit as well.

To compare her case to somebody who needs jaw surgery is foolish.
Anyway, my opinion is quite clear so that is all I have to say on this.

And 99% of people who resourt to jaw surgeries do it because of aesthetic benefits. Now what is really foolish is to say that plastic surgeries are all evil because Michael Jackson is dead.

[UGHBRACES]

Now what is really foolish is to say that plastic surgeries are all evil because Michael Jackson is dead.

LMAO I didn't say plastic surgeries are evil because Michael Jackson is dead(but hey now that you mention it, I am sure all those botched surgeries did contribute to his mental state which contributed to his drug addiction).
I did say plastic surgeries are bad because of what he looked like and what many of those fake people walking around Hollywood look like. Its terrible.

Anyways.. if plastic surgery is such a minor thing to you, you should probably look into something like an upper lip lowering. In your pics you show an excess of gums. Now I am not advising you to do it, just trying to be constructive.

[VA5]

Now what is really foolish is to say that plastic surgeries are all evil because Michael Jackson is dead.

LMAO I didn't say plastic surgeries are evil because Michael Jackson is dead(but hey now that you mention it, I am sure all those botched surgeries did contribute to his mental state which contributed to his drug addiction).
I did say plastic surgeries are bad because of what he looked like and what many of those fake people walking around Hollywood look like. Its terrible.

Anyways.. if plastic surgery is such a minor thing to you, you should probably look into something like an upper lip lowering. In your pics you show an excess of gums. Now I am not advising you to do it, just trying to be constructive.

You know, that is kind of an unnecessary comment, and kind of mean. Reddress didn't ask for your opinion regarding that, I don't believe. Jadore on the other hand was very specific in saying that she didn't like the protrusive/rounded appearance in her profile pictures. The original post and subsequent advice is addressing exactly that. Some of us don't see what her issue is, and some of us do. The purpose of this forum is to ask questions and discuss, and we're not all going to agree on the solution. Nor do any of us claim that we are professionals and nobody, if they are smart, should follow any of our advice exclusively. That was be, to be very frank, stupid. There is a reason we have orthos working on our teeth and hopefully we're all smart enough to know that the ortho should be the one who makes the final call where our teeth are concerned. We're here to jump in with our advice as best as we can and anybody who is going to get plastic surgery just b/c it's presented as an option, probably shouldn't be allowed to go on the computer at all in the first place. It's not our place to be judging whether or not the original poster has enough sense to know better than to jump off a bridge if I tell her to.

[VA5]

I don't agree with the advise that if somebody has an issue with their body, they should fix it through plastic surgery. I think the issue runs deep in their own mind and can be resolved through less drastic measures. Plastic surgery can make things worse. Perfectionists can really be their own worst enemy, just ask Michael Jackson.

You know, that's the another thing... how different is getting braces from plastic surgery. Besides the danger of infection from plastic surgery, I don't see a huge difference. Unless you are getting braces for only health reasons, but I am pretty sure most of us are here b/c we want our teeth to look better, first and foremost. How is that different from getting your nose fixed? Or your chin enhanced? Or, your jaw expanded, or your jaw pulled forward? To me, they are pretty much the same thing.

[fosterp]

You answered your own question - because there are health reasons.

A lot of people do what doctors advise them to because people want to remain in good health. I would bet if any, there is only a small minority of people with braces that actually went for a consultation with an orthondontist without the suggestion being first brought up by a dentist.

If people were being advised by mental health professionals to get a nose job done to cope with their self-esteem issues then you can bet the plastic surgery industry would see a boom.

On that same token, just about anything we do to address our aesthetic appearance can be seen as a health issue. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and improving appearance is one way to address self-esteem issues. Of course psychologists will probably tell you that plastic surgery is only addressing the issue at the surface, it still is addressing the issue in some fashion instead of ignoring it.

The root of the problem regarding issues of self-image and mental health is due to pretty much society in general, but you can't just go and ask society to stop placing so much importance on appearance to accommodate a minority.

[fosterp]

I understand the people in this thread are trying to be constructive but if you really don't know what you are talking about, you should really keep the comments on "how to improve" to yourself. You are potentially causing irreversable damage to this persons self-esteem for no reason at all by suggesting anatomical problems that do not actually exist.

For example, stating this girl has a weak chin is an objective statement that is clearly incorrect. I don't know where you people are getting the idea of a weak chin from but you can clearly see on the profile that the chin is of normal proportions.

To understand what is required to address the aesthetic problems that a person has about themselves requires delicate knowledge of human anatomy that only experienced doctors even come close to knowing. And even then doctors are not always correct in their judgements. Nonetheless, in order to make a truly objective judgement about what would and would not change this persons appearance in a desirable fashion needs knowledge of the situation that cannot be provided on an internet forum.

That said, OP get a consultation with an orthodontist, preferably more than one, to express your concerns.

what you are basically saying, is that the person should not have come to the forum to seek oppinions

Thats not what I said.

I said people should not be making suggestions that only qualified professionals should be suggesting.

As she has already made clear that she issues with her appearance, someone suggesting things to "fix" her which may be wrong may only lend to increase her insecurity. Additionally, suggesting problems with her that don't even exist, such as a weak chin, only further damage her self-esteem.

[VA5]

Well I could be wrong but I think the vast majority of us are braced for aeshetics first and foremost. I for one will be the first to admit it. Although, my ortho did tell me that the health of my roots would be compromised b/c of the angle of my protrusion. I'm not going to sit here and lie and say THAT's why i got my braces though. I don't see a lot of people here saying, oh, I'm so excited for my braces to fix my root problem! Or, I'm so excited that my braces will prevent my tmj from worsening! WOOT! Most of us mainly talk about the aeshetic results from braces. Like I said, maybe I'm wrong but that's how I see it.

[VA5]

I don't understand that statement fosterp.. that we shouldn't be making suggestions that only qualified professionals should be making. I mean, almost every post in this board involved a question that we are not qualified to really answer. We're all here just to give our input based on the experiences we have had, or simply just to give our opinions flat out. Whether or not the poster follows our advice is at their discretion, but I think most people know better to know that we are not trying to act like their orthodontist or any other professional. If I see a weak chin, and you do not, then that is all the more reason for her to see a professional if it continues to bother her. It's obvious we are not professionals but I am merely giving her my layperson's advice based on the limited information we can garner from a simple forum.

[UGHBRACES]

You know, that is kind of an unnecessary comment, and kind of mean. Reddress didn't ask for your opinion regarding that, I don't believe.

Yeah, after what you two have been saying about this girl I am the mean one.

Reddress said I wish somebody just said it plain to me:
Yes your teeth are not great, and I CAN NOTICE IT.

So I was just figuring if she had wanted people to tell her that her teeth are not great, well then she'd probably appreciate somebody saying the same about her gummy smile(which actually does exist).

What you two are saying about this girl's chin however, is false. Her chin is normal.

[sadpanda]

I mainly got braces to decrease the amount of headaches I have gotten for 21 years and have treated with everything available. So, some people don't get them for aesthetic reasons. Having nice-looking teeth is just a perk for me and my teeth were not very crooked to begin with. But my huge overbite and jaw misalignment are causing a lot of pain. If I got them mainly for aesthetics, I would not have gotten braces, because I already have a lot of debt. However, I could not imagine the rest of my life with near-daily migraines. But I also have nothing against people getting braces for aesthetics. After all, perfect teeth are healthy teeth.

[VA5]

You know, that is kind of an unnecessary comment, and kind of mean. Reddress didn't ask for your opinion regarding that, I don't believe.

Yeah, after what you two have been saying about this girl I am the mean one.

Reddress said I wish somebody just said it plain to me:
Yes your teeth are not great, and I CAN NOTICE IT.

So I was just figuring if she had wanted people to tell her that her teeth are not great, well then she'd probably appreciate somebody saying the same about her gummy smile(which actually does exist).

What you two are saying about this girl's chin however, is false. Her chin is normal.

You completely miss my point. She was the one who posted about her issue and I am merely responding to her post with my honest opinion. How is that mean? Weird. Anyways, it was the way you told reddress about her gummy smile, and not even in the correct post, that was the low blow. You know you were trying to pull a low one too, so don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.

I'm only expressing my opinion and that is that her chin is probably a little weak which makes her lips and that area feel more round than she perceives is normal. My point is that I don't think it's really so much her teeth that is causing that effect. What is the problem?!

[VA5]

I mainly got braces to decrease the amount of headaches I have gotten for 21 years and have treated with everything available. So, some people don't get them for aesthetic reasons. Having nice-looking teeth is just a perk for me and my teeth were not very crooked to begin with. But my huge overbite and jaw misalignment are causing a lot of pain. If I got them mainly for aesthetics, I would not have gotten braces, because I already have a lot of debt. However, I could not imagine the rest of my life with near-daily migraines. But I also have nothing against people getting braces for aesthetics. After all, perfect teeth are healthy teeth.

Thanks for your stance with this. I definitely don't think everybody gets braces for only aesthetics. But in my life, everybody I know who gets them is for appearances first and foremost. The dozens of people I know in real life. So, maybe for every few dozen there is one, perhaps, that gets it for only health reasons. This is my experience and mine alone. Which is where my statements and opinions come from.

[RedDress]

You know, that is kind of an unnecessary comment, and kind of mean. Reddress didn't ask for your opinion regarding that, I don't believe.

Yeah, after what you two have been saying about this girl I am the mean one.

Reddress said I wish somebody just said it plain to me:
Yes your teeth are not great, and I CAN NOTICE IT.

So I was just figuring if she had wanted people to tell her that her teeth are not great, well then she'd probably appreciate somebody saying the same about her gummy smile(which actually does exist).
.

I made it clear enough that I wanted people to tell me that 15 years ago, so that should have started my treatment earlier. There is no point of telling it now to me.

VA5 - thank you for your support.
I have not seen pictures of your teeth. Seems like we have similar issues. Although I am not sure you would want it to post any pics now .