THINNING of face during braces

[supermarine]

kennyandrew85 you dont even know what are u talking about.Braces do change the face shape unfortunately.And u know why?because they cant control the vertical movement of the teeth.Not to mention the teeth retraction that is very risky.People with malocclusions and crooked teeth very often have jaws that are too far back but orthodontists prefer to extract teeth.Then you end up with flat cheeks,retracted lips,bigger nose and your bite is messed up.Not to mention that the result its not stable;you will have to wear a retainer.What bothers me more is that they(orthos) dont even tell you about these problems when u start the treatment;u pay lots of money to damage yourself.This is not marketing,its the truth,because its happening.We are the proof:-)
(excuse my bad english)

[ashesgap]

*Everyone one has to wear retainers.

Kenny makes a good point. It is very easy to find unhappy people.

[kennyandrew85]

Supermarine, of course they can control vertical movement, how do you think they bring teeth up or down?
I feel sorry for the people who've had bad experience, but I'm 8 months into extractions now and my face has barely changed, if anything at all, my lips have moved in so I look BETTER.

[chocolate1978]

My lips have moved in as well and I do like that result. However, I have certainly noted a thinner longer face and I am a little unhappy about this. Wish I had been warned about it. Maybe it is not permanent but I do believe that this is caused by extractions.

I will have to find a pic of before and after braces just to show you guys what I am talking about. But it does exist and I do miss my rounder face.

[maxhammer]

This is a complex issue.

Scientifically, it's not possible for a jaw to elongate once you're an adult. So it is definitely not longer. Now, could other changes be giving that illusion? I'd imagine so.

There's so much going on...natural aging process, diet, exercise, stress, braces, possible body dysmorphia disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, etc. Without solid before and after photos it's impossible to say objectively. But, if you think something has changed for the worse mention it right away. I did this with my ortho, and we're now moving the back molars up 1mm to close the remaining space because I thought my profile had been retracted enough.

I'll let you know how it goes. I'm nervous, too, like you all. You get used to your old face; it's hard to accept change.
The people I really feel for are those who had small, flat, or inward lips to begin with--they should never get extractions, and if they have to get extractions to have braces, they probably should not get braces. Luckily my lips are full and protruded so I had some room for error, yet I still think it's retracted a little too much. My profile has definitely improved, though. If the ortho can move these back teeth up to fill the space I think I'll be content (assuming moving back molars forward doesn't affect the face). Though, the one thing that makes me nervous is how the braces themselves give support. It makes it hard to trust what you see. I had linguals before changing to standard, and the great thing about linguals is you can see your lip support in real-time. It's their second biggest advantage after being discrete.

Let's all cross our fingers for one another.

[pidgiepops]

Well i have read every message in this post and have to say I am now terrified

Iv only had my braces for 3 weeks, had 3 extractions (would have been 4 but had a missing tooth already) My ortho did not mention any possible facial changes at all and I guess i was too excited to have "perfect" teeth to ask. I am now worried I have let vanty ruin my looks!!

My teeth were not really that bad to start with, on my top teeth, just my front right tooth overlapped slightly, bottom were pretty crowded, i did mention my concerns on the amount of space being created on my top teeth when to me only a little room was needed but I was reassured that this was so my top teeth fitted perfectly over my bottom in the end.

I will just have to wait and see but with an already thin face Im worried I will look worse in the end, how silly I may have been!!

I have been told my face looks thinner but then I havent been eating much so have lost a few pounds.

Lets hope some people come on to say they have had great results so I cvan sleep a little easier lol xx

[chocolate1978]

Well here are some pics for comparison. It didn't happen if it wasn't documented. Well here's proof for you all not meaning to scare you all but it does happen.

[supermarine]

They cant control vertical movement for all the teeth without tads.Thats why faces will end up looking longer.When they take back the upper teeth,the mandible will be forced to move down and backwards. At the end of the treatment orthos will say that your profile improved but thats not true.They move your maxilla backwards to meet your retracted mandible(in class ll malloclusions).
kennyandrew85 im glad that you`re happy with your treatment,im not. As i said,what really bothers me is that my ortho didnt notice me about the side effects.He said that my face will never change its shape.

[whiteswan]

Wow, chocolate! That is a drastic change. You look like a different person now. Both face shapes look beautiful but completely different. How long ago were your extractions?

[chocolate1978]

The upper extractions where at the beginning of treatment in June of 2010. I started noticing the difference in September or so. The bottom ones where April of 2011.

Just wanted to show the proof that yes, it does happen. Not all a myth. Don't truly know if I like it as I miss my rounder face, but on the other had I like my side profile much better. So I guess, you win some and lose some.

[tdawg7669]

the pictures are not taken at the same distance from the face.

That makes a BIG difference with pictures. If you take it too close to your face it will be distorted. Not to mention the fact that you can see more of your face in the first picture also will make it seem like it is a different shape.

You need to take a photo with the camera the same distance from your face as in the first photo. Only then will we be able to accurately judge.

[chocolate1978]

the pictures are not taken at the same distance from the face.

That makes a BIG difference with pictures. If you take it too close to your face it will be distorted. Not to mention the fact that you can see more of your face in the first picture also will make it seem like it is a different shape.

You need to take a photo with the camera the same distance from your face as in the first photo. Only then will we be able to accurately judge.

Ever heard of editing pictures so they can fit on a computer screen? Are you kidding me? Magnify the first picture above then if you don't buy it. No matter which way I take the picture, the evidence is there. Not to mention my friends and family see it too. I don't really care what you believe because your logic makes no sense.

[kennyandrew85]

I can see a change, no doubt.
But the result is exaggerated due to the distance and angle of your face (looking more down).
Your nose looks different, yet I highly doubt it has changed due to braces etc.

I'm not saying you're pics are wrong, just a bit inconsistent to give an accurate idea of how much effect braces have had.
Not only that but there are many other factors which affect change shape, body weight/age/diet/exercise can all change the shape of a face.

[Nasser]

I had extraction but not sure if did change my face, though I dislike it. I think after extraction for braces it resulted in fat cheeks in my case and round face which is strange as people here saying they experienced thinner face ^^!

[Nasser]

I had extraction but not sure if did change my face, though I dislike it. I think after extraction for braces it resulted in fat cheeks in my case and round face which is strange as people here saying they experienced thinner face ^^!