Nearing completion, your opinion? (With pictures)

[carlarae]

So when I got my braces on, I did start a post in "Our Braces Stories", but I was just unable to keep up with posting those pictures online. I did continue taking pictures until my teeth stopped making major changes, but I just never uploaded them here.

Here's my current story:
3 weeks ago, I was told I'd have one more appointment (in one week), and then probably get my braces off 4 weeks after that! Maybe my ortho's mind will change when I go back, but I just don't feel done! I know I don't have to get them off if I'm not happy, but I'm just curious about other people's opinions.

My teeth are quite misshapen, I'm getting them all filed down next week as well. Maybe then I'll be happier with the result. It's hard to see the straightness when they're all weirdly shaped. The two front teeth especially. One is straight and one is curved.

My biggest concern is the arch on top and bottom. The bottom front left (your view) tooth kinda angles out and looks/feels too far forward, so if I run my finger along the the teeth, there's a jagged edge right there. Oh, and as you can see with a front view, the one tooth on the left (your view) is taller and further in than the others, so it doesn't make a perfect arch.

And on my top, the two front teeth, it's like one is angled in and the other is angled out. My ortho bent the wire last time to fix all these things, but it doesn't seem like it helped. Now my teeth are stubborn with moving?!

My initial treatment time was 18 months, and I'm on month 18, so now I feel like they're trying to just get me done ASAP. I didn't pay $5300 to have straighter-than-before teeth, I want them as PERFECT as possible! I even started questioning if it's even possible for some people to have perfect arches, because of how my bottom teeth are situated. I'm just feeling really down about the outcome so far... I really want them off too so it got me excited like wow, 5 more weeks?! But it'll probably be longer...

My intial treatment plan included filing in between teeth to make more room, and they said they didn't need to do that anymore. but now I've developed tiny black triangles between the bottom four teeth, so maybe with filing in between the bottom teeth at the tops, it'll create more space for those teeth to settle in. I've been waiting and hoping for the filing the entire time, and then was shot down when I asked about it. But now there's a reason to!

With flash, everything looks better... so I included both.

[mapleleafman888]

Hey well I can totally identify with your feeling of not having 'straighter than before teeth'... in my opinion there are a couple teeth of yours on top and bottom (judging by the arch pictures) which are still needed to be rotated inline to make the teeth even at the edges and make the arches 'round'. The edges are 'ok' I didn't notice them that much.

I'm in the EXACT same place you are, have been prodding the ortho fix all these little issues like uneven teeth and rotated teeth, not to mention a terrible bite---feel like all this time in braces is a waste for a sub-optimal result for $7000.

If I were you I wouldn't get them off until you are very satisfied with the result, and that sounds like what your doing so it's just a re-affirmation.

So go for a great result, it's your mouth, your money, not the orthos!

Hope this helps!

[MrsCharisma]

IMO it's one thing when you've achieved the best results possible for YOU --even if that doesn't mean "perfect" teeth. But, it's an entirely different thing when there's still room for improvement.

I had an 18 month estimate and like many, I wanted them OFF. I will be at just under 23 months when they are finally removed but I am so glad we persevered.

My ortho spent 6 months trying to get one tooth in position. I had given up and just wanted them removed. He asked for "one last shot" and whaddya know, that WORKED! So *now* my teeth are perfect (to me) and my braces are ready to come off.

[carlarae]

Great, thanks for your stories! Looks like I'll just keep going until they're perfect for me. I guess I was just kind of getting worried that the ortho would take them off even when they weren't perfect, almost like she can't see what I see and I'm being picky. I started thinking maybe my teeth are just stubborn and can't be straight. I would rather not hear a specific time they'll be off, because then it just seems like they'll rush to get them off asap and not fix them anymore. Hopefully they move more!