Regretting extractions, considering reversal

[Stargirlxx]

I first got braces at 17 to prep for planned lower jaw surgery to correct asymmetry of my jaw. I had minor crowding on the top and bottom and had a front bottom tooth extracted as well as my two lower wisdom teeth. At age 19, I decided against the jaw surgery (felt it was unnecessary,) and had the braces removed.

A year later I noticed my upper teeth becoming crowded again so decided to restart treatment again. Got the braces put back on at 21, but as my front teeth were straightened out again, a year later I realized my lower jaw seemed "shrunken" compared to the top, and the top teeth flared outwards and I had difficulty closing my mouth, and didn't have a functional bite. It looked goofy. So in October of last year the ortho had my two upper bicuspids extracted to pull back my top teeth to look "less goofy."

It's been 5 months and the extraction spaces are about 3/4 closed, and I am bitterly regretting the decision. I can close my lips now, but all upper support for my lip and facial aesthetics has been lost and my face looks saggy and gaunt. I already had a narrow face and delicate bone structure to start.

I've realized that my upper jaw was FINE before and that the problem was all the initial extractions on my lower jaw of my wisdom teeth and front tooth! Now I'm experiencing all kinds of problems, biting my cheeks and front teeth when I chew and talk, having trouble making room for my tongue when I sleep, and consequently even my posture of my head/neck/shoulders has been effected and I'm getting back pains for the first time in my life. I'm 23 now.

So I started researching the problems that come from extraction orthodontics and I'm beyond infuriated that these so called doctors are doing this kind of work on people despite all the evidence of lifelong problems it causes! I'm looking into the process of getting this reversed but am upset that after already having spent thousands of dollars and 6 years on this nightmare that I will be spending more time and money to attempt to have the damage undone or at least mitigated.

Is there a Facebook group for people going through the reversal process to undo extraction orthodontic damage, or another group? I see there are a lot of us asking questions online but it would be nice to consolidate our support and journey in one place.

[bmueller]

Aspects of your story sound very similar to mine. I had two upper premolars extracted and one lower one (to correct midline alignment). I went from a very full face with a good showing upper lip, to a very flat and long looking lower face. Turns out I had skeletal discrepancies that could have never been fixed with pulling teeth alone. My childhood ortho never told me this and just set me up for failure, as 15 years later, I had TMJ, joint damage and a very uneven profile, despite the fact that I thought my teeth had been fixed.

I am unaware of any way to correct this without undergoing jaw surgery. I looked for many different options but ended up settling on jaw surgery. I know that even that will never give me the "perfect" smile since removing teeth is a irreversible treatment.

Best of luck in your search.

[OldBikerBag]

Extraction can be reversed through expansion of the space and implant.

Stories like this make me so happy I held my ground on extractions.

Best of luck to you.

[isthistaken]

Me, too, Oldbiker. I heard extraction, extraction, extraction from various practitioners and I was prepared, sort of, for the possibility, but when my ortho said "no extractions" it was like, where do I sign.

[Brittx3]

Oh wow....This makes me very nervous at the idea of having 2 extracted!

Good luck to you Stargirl!

[Stargirlxx]

I hope others who are told they need extracti

[Stargirlxx]

Whoops. I hope others who are told they need extractions will really question that advice. The changes to my facial structure and comfort, and likely overall health in the future are devastating. Reading on other boards how many people have gone through this is quite infuriating and I hope by sharing my story people considering extraction orthodontics think twice. I'm looking into getting the spaces reopened and implants put in. Dr. Hang in California does this, but I live in BC so am first going to attempt to get my own ortho to undo his work before I look at other expensive options. I am not content to live with the effects of this poor judgement... Though going through expansion and implants will surely be no walk in the park either.

[sirwired]

Extractions can be mis-used, yes. If performed improperly, or not given the appropriate follow-up treatment, they can have unpleasant side-effects, both short an long-term.

But that certainly does not mean all extractions are bad. Some dental problems can only be solved with extractions, and it's wishful thinking to suggest otherwise.

Should you get a second opinion if an ortho suggests extractions? Sure! But refusing extractions entirely because other people (with different dentition, different dentists, different treatment plans, etc.) have had a bad experience is a bit of an overreaction.

If you get different opinions on if extractions are necessary, the correct thing to do is to ask the extraction orthodontist why they think it is necessary, and ask the other how he/she will get around the crowding that might otherwise call for extractions. The incorrect thing to do is to simply select the orthodontist that tells you what you want to hear... if you go in saying to yourself "I'll turn down any ortho that suggests extractions" you are denying yourself a valuable (and possibly 100% necessary) tool in the orthodontic toolbox. Even a clear extraction case will almost certainly be able to eventually find an orthodontist that will agree to do the work without extractions, and the long-term result will likely end up as rather unstable.

[angryhead]

I am undergoing extraction reversal at the moment!! I actually posted about this in another thread already, but I figured since this is relevant I'll repost here The following shots are before and after my previous braces treatment which involved bicuspid extractions:


Before


After

As you can see the result was dismal!! I was so depressed by how I looked afterwards. My face was noticeably thinner, longer, my profile caved in, my arch more narrow, my lips thinner when I smiled (due to lack of lip support), my teeth tilted in, I didn't have enough room for my tongue, and I had asymmetry. Just awful, if you ask me

To top it all off, my ortho was a huge douchebag and refused to see what my mom and I could so clearly see happening at the time - immediately after the extractions we started to notice the detrimental affect they had, but he told us to trust him, that it would be fine. I wish we hadn't!! 2 years later and that is what I end up with :/

Anyway, I hope for some of you this is a cautionary tale. Hopefully you will avoid the insecurity and heartache I experienced!

I'll keep you posted on any updates with my attempt at reversal

[Stargirlxx]

Angryhead, have you already started the reversal process? What will your treatment entail?

Mind is taking new records next week because I'm basically demanding he reverse what was done. I was not told about all the negative effects of extraction. All he told me was that I might lose a bit of upper lip fullness which he said would be minimally noticeable. Well, that is the least of my issues.

Good luck with your treatment, there is a lady on YouTube video blogging the process of her own extraction reversal. (Expansion and implants.) if there isn't already I think having a group somewhere to discuss the process and share stories would be beneficial. Like you, I hope that my case can also be a cautionary tale about extraction orthodontics.

The best info on this topic I'm finding comes from Dr John Mew and Dr Hang.

[kennyandrew85]

I think your results look great... your teeth tilt in before extractions also by the looks of that photo?

Your face does look a little thinner but it could be due to natural ageing? peoples faces will be changing all the time as years go by with or without braces.

[carlarae]

I'm glad I found this forum... All my consultations, the ortho said they would re-evaluate about halfway in and see if i like my profile. If I didn't, I could have extractions then to help my overbite. The ortho I chose didn't mention extractions at all... so I was kinda getting worried that I SHOULD be getting them, since I feel like I have a small mouth. But maybe I don't want them either way. At least I'll know what my profile looks like with all my teeth! I don't want something to go wrong that will cost even more to fix it... yikes. One ortho mentioned having the teeth shaved in between them, to make just a little more room... I think I'd rather do that, at this point! Since there are so many negative stories out there...

[isthistaken]

I had IPR, supposedly it is a pretty common procedure. It's a scary proposition for us who have been striving to save every scrap of our remaining precious teeth, but it may be a better alternative if it's doable.

[Stargirlxx]

I'm including images of my braces progression.


Age 16, before braces or ANY orthodontic treatment. (I got braces a few months after this photo was taken) My concern was crowding. Braces and jaw surgery were recommended to align my face/bite better.


Age 19, braces removed. I decided against the jaw surgery since I was extremely happy with my ortho results, and I had a newborn baby. Didn't want to put myself through the potential agony of jaw surgery.


Unfortunately, my bite was not stable and I lost my functional bite over the next 6 months. My retainer broke, and by the time it was replaced it no longer fit. I opted to be re-braced at age 21. This time the braces experience did not have the same effect as before, and I was increasingly concerned with the results. A year into braces I had NO functional bite, and my front teeth were flaring outwards. Here I am right before getting re-braced:


And here was my mouth two more years into braces, age 23:

As you can see, my results were NOT like before. My top teeth stuck out and I could no longer close my mouth! It also appears as though my arch has constricted inwards!! I was getting impatient because this time around I found that the quality of my teeth and gums were also deteriorating. Despite my oral hygiene being as good as always, regular cleanings, etc, my teeth were becoming increasingly sensitive and my gums inflamed.
The ortho said to address my "extruding" teeth, I had two options, jaw surgery, or he could extract two upper bicuspids. Not wanting to go the surgical route, I opted for the extractions, since he assured me it would only take 6 months to close the gaps and that the only potential 'negative' change would be that my upper lip wouldn't protrude as much and look a bit flatter. I figured that was better than not being able to close my mouth with my newly protruding teeth!! Sigh.

So here are my results 6 months after the 2 upper bicuspids were extracted:

as you can see, I can close my mouth again, but I've also lost all facial support. The skin sags around the mouth area, and because of the retraction of my upper teeth, my tongue no longer fits comfortably in my mouth, my lower jaw is retracted back, which restricts my airway so I can't breath properly anymore!! In the months following extraction I began to get tmj symptoms as well. Chewing is awkward. My ortho says his "hands are tied" now unless I get jaw surgery. I don't want jaw surgery unnecessarily, and I don't want to live with my decreased quality of life and health either. I am considering going to a better qualified ortho who will expand my palate and re-open the extraction sites for implants. ARGH. And he is in California, whereas I live in BC, Canada. I have already spent nearly 8 grand and the last 6 years in ortho treatment and I hate that I'm no better off than before. Actually, my health has deteriorated as a result of this last round of poor treatment.

[isthistaken]

It wasn't orthodontists telling me I needed extractions, sirweird, it was the all-knowing hygienists who did most of the dentists' work the last 20 years. And also a dentist. I did not ask for no extractions from the ortho, I did not bring it up. He volunteered that he would not need to do extractions. My point in saying "where do I sign," was that this made my decision to go ahead with orthodontics at my age--I am one of the older ones on here--that much easier for me.