Extractions & TMJ - I'm freaking out.

[jellybeans]

Hey everyone,

I recently turned 20 and after much fighting with a dad who thinks braces could do me more harm than good, I decided to go ahead with this metal mouth journey anyway.

I only consulted with 2 orthos, both of which said I would need 4 bicuspid/premolar extractions. Even the day before my extractions, my dad was telling me not to do it because of the millions of things that could go wrong - TMJ being one of the major possibilities.

Did anyone here who have had braces AND extractions - more the a decade ago - NOT experience jaw problems/sleep apnea, and the like? I plowed through this forum and found a few replies where people are regretting extractions because they now have TMJ..

I am seriously scared. If my ortho does his job properly, is there a chance that I will not get TMJ?

I want to look good, yeah, but I don't want to live with such a huge health issue later on in my life... I'm really scared...

If someone could please reply to this thread and give me some guidance on this issue, I'd really really appreciate it. I don't want to feel like I'm doomed for life when I get my full braces on this coming week...

[AlbinoPenguin]

I understand where your dad is nervous for you because your his child, but honestly the orthodontists know what their doing. i think your completely right to just go ahead and get the braces i think you shouldnt worry about a small slight chance of something happening. im rootin for ya! =]