Feeling hopeless; My story

[Mdoodm1000]

Hey everyone! I've posted a little here and there, but I would like to go a little more into depth about my situation and how much of a struggle orthodontics has been for me. I'm 19, I have severe crowding on top, moderate on bottom. Under bite, open bite, cross bites, and my upper jaw is extremely narrow. I have all impacted wisdom teeth, as well as an impacted canine. My teeth have been my biggest insecurity my whole life. Some of my family and friends don't even know I have bad teeth until I show them, because I have become an expert at hiding them. I begged my parents for braces from 6th grade up to 12th, and they just ignored it, and said that nobody was perfect. They had the money to do it, and our insurance would have covered it, but they did not even look into it. They would even get mad if I would mention my teeth. They thought I was just vain. I'm now 19 and got a job just to pay for braces. I was so excited to have straight teeth. However, othodontics have been a nightmare so far. The first ortho that I saw said that he didn't even want to speak to me until I saw an oral surgeon and he hadn't seen a case as bad as mine in years. I got one more opinion and this ortho said that he would try using an expander instead of surgery. I've had the expander for a month, and I have definitely noticed a change in my bite. my upper teeth don't seem to be nearly as narrow, and I felt like things were going well. However, today my ortho was checking my teeth out and he looked confused and said how old are you? and I said 19..he went and got my x rays and said "ok the expander is working, but you still need A LOT of expansion, So Ill see you in 6 weeks to get molds for another expander, and the again a month later to put it on." I've never heard of 2 expanders before. I personally believe that I am not even getting "expansion" I have always had a small gap in my front teeth and it has gotten no bigger since I started turning. I'm pretty sure all its doing is tipping the molars. Will I still be able to straighten my teeth if the expander does not fully expand? I cannot afford surgery, nor can I deal with the down time. I'm starting to second guess getting my teeth fixed after all


Thanks to anyone who read all this, and any comments would make my day! Thank you!

[joanne88]

Hey Mdoodm1000! Though I never had to wear an expander, I can somewhat relate to your story. I was almost 21 when I got my braces and my teeth has always been my biggest insecurity as well. It got to the point that people would always question why I don't show my teeth when I smile for pictures. My biggest advice to you would be to follow your orthodontist's instructions. Since your orthodontist was looking at your x-ray and saying that its working, at least you know the expander is working for you. Sometimes these things are hard to see with the naked eye. So the fact that your x-ray showed some changes, at least you know its doing what its supposed to do. It may just have to take some time before you can actually get braces. So don't stress yourself too much and wait for a few more months and see how the expander is going. But remember in the long run, it will be worth it!! Just imagine that in a few years, you'll have that perfect smile you've always been hoping for. If you are still worried, I suggest that you can give a call to your orthodontist. I'm sure he would be willing to address your concerns.

Best of luck with your treatment.

[Snowglobe32]

Hello,

Don't be discouraged! With your bite issues, it will be hard to see the expansion by just looking at your front teeth. Do you have any photos that you can use as reference? I had narrow arches and one ortho told me surgery was necessary, my current ortho said it wasn't necessary. I had a progress appointment last week, where I was shown my photos from the start to just about a month ago, there were major changes! Changes I wouldn't notice from just looking straight on.

You are also still in the early stages, there will be many changes along the way. The worst thing you can do, is stop treatment or second guess your decision to improve your smile. It will be worth it in the end, I promise!

[Mdoodm1000]

Thank you guys so much! You really did make me feel a lot better..I will be posting pictures very soon!

[sirwired]

Just an expander doesn't make the two halves of your arch part like Moses spreading the Red Sea. I would not expect the gap in front to get wider.

I don't blame the first OS for wanting you to go to a surgeon. He probably wants those wisdom teeth gone, and he may think you are a strong candidate for SARPE (Surgically Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion.) At 19, I'm actually surprised your 2nd ortho thinks he can get stable permanent expansion with appliances alone, as I thought your growth plates would be almost completely fused by now...

[TumbleDryLow]

While jaw bones are usually fused by 19 there is no hard fast rule. Everyone is different and averages don't always apply. You may be one of the "lucky" ones whose bone is not entirely fused yet. Maybe your ortho saw evidence of the jaw bone widening. All in all this is good news.

On the other hand, even if the expander does not give you true expansion, yes, you can still get a good result without surgery. I had a mess going on in my mouth as well and every ortho I went to strongly recommended surgery which I refused to do. I had severe crowding upper and lower, crossbite on both molars on both sides and and upper jaw that was 10mm narrower than average. My ortho placed an expander even though I was 35 at the time b/c it tipped my molars enough to get me out of crossbite. 4 extractions and 33 months of braces gave me almost perfect teeth even with a ridiculously small upper palate. So hang in there. I think you will be glad you did.

If you need some inspiration, here's the link to my photos: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=36436
Beware the "before" photos!

[Mdoodm1000]

I would bet any money that mine are 100% fused. One of my premolars is tipped so far out it looks like its gonna fall out of my jaw. I asked my ortho why and he didnt really give an answer. I think he forgets who i am because every time i walk in he asks my age and the same questions. Not at all trying to make him sound bad because he is really nice, but I think hes used to working with children that are still growing. Pictures should be up tonight!

[Mdoodm1000]

TumbleDryLow, My upper teeth are exactly 10mm more narrow than average as well lol your teeth look amazing! I don't need my teeth to be completely textbook perfect, i just want them to look normal. Also, I believe a wide smile just doesn't suit some people's faces and i feel like I'm one of them. A second expander seems very risky for someone who is done growing, but I don't want to sound like im talking down to a man who has been doing this for many years.

[TumbleDryLow]

Call the office and schedule an appointment to chat with the doctor about your case. Doctors don't have time to talk while you are in the chair. Perhaps he can go over his treatment plan with you and alleviate some of your worries.

[TumbleDryLow]

TumbleDryLow, your teeth look amazing!

And thanks! BTW. Yeah. I'm super happy I went though all this. Well worth it. I have so much more self confidence now.

[ArchWired28]

Mdoodm1000

it is very well visible on x-ray whether your upper jawbones (maxillary suture) are fused or not. I bet this is what your ortho was checking for on that x-ray. You can ask him/her straight if your upper palate have fused and he will be able to give you an answer.

However, from the fact that he/she ordered another expander I can guess that they are not yet hopelessly fused and some true expansion is possible. Don't get discouraged and just follow your ortho's instructions. They would not have taken you if you were "hopeless". Good luck!