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VA5 wrote: My orthodontist thankfully is very aware of facial aesthetics and is constantly telling me how she wants to avoid a dished in face and thinned out lips, and has that in the back of her head with every adjustment she makes. I'm very thankful for that! And thankfully, my lips are very full to begin with, so I am fairly certain that I won't have that dished in look anyways, unless she goes bonkers retracting and she will not b/c she is very aware of that "side-effect".
So yeah, get a good orthodontist and most of the time you won't go wrong.
Did you get extractions? Just curious because I did, and now have that "dished in" look, which has made me self-conscious about the way my face looks.
I'm 10 months into my treatment, and have approximately 8-10 months left, so I'm left wondering, are there ways that a dentist can adjust the teeth so that facial side-effects such as the long face can be reversed? I'm not sure how to phrase it... does that sense?
Just wondering about your experience with that since I am going to see my dentist next week, and am really anxious about bringing this topic up.
So your face got lengthened w/extractions/braces? My face is already long to begin with, and I have to admit it does look thinner. However it has nothing to do with extractions. i lost both my last molar on the top before being braced, and am now undergoing implants so that the thinness in my face can be corrected. I have read that braces can lengthen teeth which will make your face look longer. i have addressed this with my ortho and she says it won't happen. i can tell that the bottom teeth are actually being shortened a little bit to match the molars in the back, so .. so far so good. But i can understand these concerns. I would ask your ortho if there is a way to shorten your teeth as they retract. I believe they can do it somehow.. maybe another ortho on this board could explain better.
Yes I did get 4 extractions very early on. My mouth had that really protruded look and then on top of that i have big lips so i was always really self conscious of that. i'm so glad that it's being corrected. only the bottoms have been retracted, but i can see the difference already. the top ones, she's waiting to retract b/c some of my teeth are not leveled out yet.
if you have that dished in look, and you have that much time left... i'm pretty sure there must be a way for her to draw the teeth out a little, or even just tip them out. my orthio mentioned she will do that for my bottom teeth b/c they are actually learning into my mouth now.. but i have no clue how she'll do it. i just know she can, so if you have the dished in look, i am sure she can tip your teeth out a little bit so that it improves your profile.
so did you get extractions and then retraction for a protrusive profile, like me? or did you have other work done?
VA5 wrote:
So your face got lengthened w/extractions/braces? My face is already long to begin with, and I have to admit it does look thinner. However it has nothing to do with extractions. i lost both my last molar on the top before being braced, and am now undergoing implants so that the thinness in my face can be corrected. I have read that braces can lengthen teeth which will make your face look longer. i have addressed this with my ortho and she says it won't happen. i can tell that the bottom teeth are actually being shortened a little bit to match the molars in the back, so .. so far so good. But i can understand these concerns. I would ask your ortho if there is a way to shorten your teeth as they retract. I believe they can do it somehow.. maybe another ortho on this board could explain better.
Yes I did get 4 extractions very early on. My mouth had that really protruded look and then on top of that i have big lips so i was always really self conscious of that. i'm so glad that it's being corrected. only the bottoms have been retracted, but i can see the difference already. the top ones, she's waiting to retract b/c some of my teeth are not leveled out yet.
if you have that dished in look, and you have that much time left... i'm pretty sure there must be a way for her to draw the teeth out a little, or even just tip them out. my orthio mentioned she will do that for my bottom teeth b/c they are actually learning into my mouth now.. but i have no clue how she'll do it. i just know she can, so if you have the dished in look, i am sure she can tip your teeth out a little bit so that it improves your profile.
so did you get extractions and then retraction for a protrusive profile, like me? or did you have other work done?
Thanks for that bit of info. Never heard of teeth shortening/lengthening. I got 4 extractions (2 on top, 2 on bottom) just prior to getting braces. I had an underbite, high canines and crowding on my lower teeth, so I was told that extractions would shorten the time that I had to wear braces. So far my dentist has been fixing my underbite. My bite is now corrected and it looks ok for the most part.
I've been documenting my progress, and there has been a notable change my chin, face length and the way my jaw line looks. I, too, had a long face to begin with. It seems the braces are pushing the lower half of my face down and inwards, especially on the left side of my face, which makes the sides of my face uneven.
VA5 wrote:
So your face got lengthened w/extractions/braces? My face is already long to begin with, and I have to admit it does look thinner. However it has nothing to do with extractions. i lost both my last molar on the top before being braced, and am now undergoing implants so that the thinness in my face can be corrected. I have read that braces can lengthen teeth which will make your face look longer. i have addressed this with my ortho and she says it won't happen. i can tell that the bottom teeth are actually being shortened a little bit to match the molars in the back, so .. so far so good. But i can understand these concerns. I would ask your ortho if there is a way to shorten your teeth as they retract. I believe they can do it somehow.. maybe another ortho on this board could explain better.
Yes I did get 4 extractions very early on. My mouth had that really protruded look and then on top of that i have big lips so i was always really self conscious of that. i'm so glad that it's being corrected. only the bottoms have been retracted, but i can see the difference already. the top ones, she's waiting to retract b/c some of my teeth are not leveled out yet.
if you have that dished in look, and you have that much time left... i'm pretty sure there must be a way for her to draw the teeth out a little, or even just tip them out. my orthio mentioned she will do that for my bottom teeth b/c they are actually learning into my mouth now.. but i have no clue how she'll do it. i just know she can, so if you have the dished in look, i am sure she can tip your teeth out a little bit so that it improves your profile.
so did you get extractions and then retraction for a protrusive profile, like me? or did you have other work done?
Thanks for that bit of info. Never heard of teeth shortening/lengthening. I got 4 extractions (2 on top, 2 on bottom) just prior to getting braces. I had an underbite, high canines and crowding on my lower teeth, so I was told that extractions would shorten the time that I had to wear braces. So far my dentist has been fixing my underbite. My bite is now corrected and it looks ok for the most part.
I've been documenting my progress, and there has been a notable change my chin, face length and the way my jaw line looks. I, too, had a long face to begin with. It seems the braces are pushing the lower half of my face down and inwards, especially on the left side of my face, which makes the sides of my face uneven.
Well the extractions will draw your lower face in.. and I'm assuming your chin is more prominent now too b/c of it? That interesting you're seeing the changes more on one side than the other. I just know that it's really hard not to be self critical during the process, but remember it is a process, and while you have your braces, your ortho is still trying to achieve many things, more things than you probably anticipated. I didn't appreciate that until now, and I'm halfway through my ortho treatment. I bugged my ortho to death b/c I was so anxious about everything and now I can kind of see where she is going and I'm pretty happy right now. I can see it all coming together and I'm really looking forward to the end result!
I would definitely mention anything you're wary of, to your ortho at your next visit. I'm sure he or she will tell you what is in plan to fix those things.
I'm trying to be as patient as I can and just let the ortho do the work...I know there is probably a list a mile long what he has to do in my mouth so every time I start freaking out about something I just remind myself I have at least a year and a half yet to go! (estimated time, 2 1/2 years).
At the end of a year and a half I'll start freaking out about anything "wrong" I'm sure haha.
i bitterly regret getting two of my teeth extracted. my teeth are too far back in my mouth now and when i smile you hardly see any teeth at all! it is horrible!
i still have the 2 teeth that were extracted.....this is a complete long shot,but does anyone know if they can be put back in your mouth again,or will the teeth have died??
themagician wrote:i bitterly regret getting two of my teeth extracted. my teeth are too far back in my mouth now and when i smile you hardly see any teeth at all! it is horrible!
i still have the 2 teeth that were extracted.....this is a complete long shot,but does anyone know if they can be put back in your mouth again,or will the teeth have died??
you cannot put them back in your mouth.. you would need implants. it's like taking a plant out of the ground, and the roots dying, and trying to regrow the plant again, it won't work.
i'm curious, why did you get your teeth extracted?
thanks for the info,i thought that might have been the case.
i got extractions done in preparation for my brace,which has now been taken off. i had an overjet and was told that by taking 2 teeth out this would be corrected.
however,now the arch of my teeth is too small to nicely fit my mouth.i am tempted just to stop wearing my retainers and hope that everything reverts back to the way it was before! and if i have spaces,so be it,ill get implants.
themagician wrote:thanks for the info,i thought that might have been the case.
i got extractions done in preparation for my brace,which has now been taken off. i had an overjet and was told that by taking 2 teeth out this would be corrected.
however,now the arch of my teeth is too small to nicely fit my mouth.i am tempted just to stop wearing my retainers and hope that everything reverts back to the way it was before! and if i have spaces,so be it,ill get implants.
dont know what to do!
please post pictures!!! it'll help us to give you advice.
I don't remember if I posted in here or not, but I had 4 teeth extracted and my face looks just fine. And I have a very thin face to begin with, so any changes would be VERY obvious. Personally I was buck toothed anyway, so if a bit of recession happened, it is what was SUPPOSED to happen; your teeth should not be pushing your lips out.
Here is a 60 Minutes (Australia) segment with the twins. Very interesting...it highlights a growing corner of orthodontists that question traditional treatment methods.
youtube< . >com/watch?v=VvqndYJRniI
I had been researching whether to get invisalign or damon clear as my ortho couldn't/wouldn't explain to me how the results would differ between the two. Did some research and found a whole host of treatments/devices that I'd never even seen or heard of...just conceptually different from what you normally hear about, and the aims higher as far as what kinds of problems they're trying to prevent/treat. Ideal jaw/skeletal development, airway blocking, correct dental "posture", etc. were just some of the factors that are being considered..things I had not ever heard mentioned or ever brought up by any dentist/ortho that I had seen. It's eye opening because so many ortho sites just have the company sales videos for whatever brand of braces/aligners they use...it's nice to get thoughtful, serious information (by comparison) that has a more specialized and individual understanding of what's being treated besides crooked teeth. (Really, I was just trying to find whether arch development using invisalign was equal to damon).
I would have liked to have found all this info before I started (and paid for) treatment. Actually, ideally when I was much younger... Probably going to go with damon clear (currently in a carriere distalizer), but have an appointment with a different doctor for second eval before.
Another video:
youtube< . >com/watch?v=6m38j2x4SbI&feature=player_embedded#!
some search terms (would have saved me a few hours):
orthotropics, dentofacial orthopedics
themagician wrote:i bitterly regret getting two of my teeth extracted. my teeth are too far back in my mouth now and when i smile you hardly see any teeth at all! it is horrible!
i still have the 2 teeth that were extracted.....this is a complete long shot,but does anyone know if they can be put back in your mouth again,or will the teeth have died??
The teeth can only be inserted back within one hour after the accident or removal. Possibly 2 hours but no longer. You will have to get braces again to reopen spaces and have implants or bridges done. However, this option is not flawless and does not always work, plus it is expensive and time consuming. However, if you concerns are purely cosmetic, I think there is an option to get veneers or crowns on the front teeth to make your arch look bigger. It is a suboptimal option too, but depends on how badly you hate your smile. Could be a viable option for you.
Had full mouth metal braces for 21 months. Debonded April 2013. Now wearing clear plastic retainers every other night.
I have no formal dental or orthodontic education. Hence, all opinions expressed by me on this forum are those of an "informed consumer" and by no means intended as an expert advice.
I have had 2 extractions (on my uppers) and will be getting the 2 lowers extracted soon. I've had my upper braces for 3 months now and see absolutely no difference in my face. But I guess it's early days.
I had to to get extractions. My teeth were so crowded that there was no possible way it could be done without extractions. My ortho even said he always prefers taking the non-extraction route and only extracts teeth if it is a must. He is also monitoring my profile throughout the treatment (he takes photos at every visit) to make sure it turns out okay. He doesn't seem to think my face will change very much anyway. So I am hoping all will be good! :/
I don't regret my extractions at all...
My profile looks better, I feel more confident, no more lip incompetence so no I don't regret them for a single second. I'm a success story, as are many other people on here who have had extractions and are happy with the result.
There's always going to be I guess 'bad' cases of any treatment...and as the media is so GOOD with BAD news it's going to get advertised a lot more than the good stories would, that's how media works and that's not ever going to change.
It's also up to the individual...we all have our own perceptions of perfection, and as someone has rightly stated on here already, if you look at yourself in the mirror long enough you are going to find something wrong.
For me, I wish I had gotten them because now my gums have receeded and I have gaps between my teeth. Extractions are supposed to help the gums stay healthy and minimize recession during braces for adults who have thin gum bone.
Now I need to see a periodontist after my braces, and so far treatment is over 10k and counting (braces and jaw surgery, including insurance cover!!)
Extractions do not inherently make gums healthier. What they (and other surgeries) CAN do is allow for a more functional and stable post-ortho bite, which in turn can create less stress on gums and bone.
