Facial changes with braces (not that happy)

[ItsFreyja]

Hi thank you for replying, Is it OK to chew gum with braces I thought it would get tangled with the wires? it is harder to chew at the moment, only my back teeth meet together due to the temporary open bite and im guessing its not going to get any easier when he puts elastics on to move my teeth back, I will work on practice chewing excercises. My muscles should build back up themselves then when I finally get these off, fingers crossed! I also wonder if the constant stress in your mouth and on your teeth can age people and all the worrying about it! Only time will tell,
I do try to avoid analysing my face now aswell but its hard to avoid because I have to look to brush my teeth!

I'm pretty sure it's on my ortho's naughty list, but I haven't had any problems chewing gum with braces. None of the brands I have tried have been especially sticky; I don't really let the gum migrate to the braces side of my teeth; and I'm no longer in the thin early wires that can be easily bent by food or gum. I have molar buildups so only the two built-up spots really meet on each side, so I know what you mean about the open bite! I hope that improves for you soon because I know how annoying it is.

There really are a bunch of elements that can affect our braced faces. When I got my braces I instantly noticed a worse case of "resting b*tchface" due to the way the brackets subtly affect how my lips rest. I also experience a bit of lip strain at rest that I never had before, I guess from a combination of the molar buildups artificially opening my bite, and from the brackets taking up space under my lips. I haven't specifically noticed facial lines from this but it wouldn't surprise me if it could cause them. I'm a petite, thin woman in my mid-30s and have definitely noticed the beginnings of facial volume loss over the last couple years. I'm hoping to look a bit younger and brighter when the braces come off, if only due to smiling more!

You touch on an interesting point about the worry, too -- I think that the psychological trauma of braces for adults is definitely underappreciated, even by our orthodontists. (They're so used to dealing with kids, whose brains are so much more plastic and able to deal with all the growth and change that's a normal part of their lives!) I have a supportive family and this awesome community here at Archwired, which both help with the self-doubt. Stick around and we'll all get through to the other side!

[Butterfly39]

Thanks for your reply,Its good to have this forum because I m probably boring my family and friends about it and try not to mention it anymore!

[UnhappyCamper]

Hi Butterfly. I'm so so sorry to hear what you are going through. I am in the exact same position. I had four bicuspids removed and retractive orthodontics which has destroyed my face. Again my orthodontists tried to claim it was "weight loss" however my medical records show this has remained stable. I have gone through a year of heartache over my changed appearance to the point where I am now getting it reversed in the New Year. To illustrate the changes I have experienced I found this image online which shows the effect of extraction/retraction orthodontics in twin girls which almost exactly looks like the changes I've experienced. http://www.tjspahldds.com/images/twins.jpg
Before treatment I had a wide smile and face (like the twin on the right) albeit crooked teeth. I now have a facial shape similar to the twin on the left, it is visually longer, narrower and I have lost all lip support. To say that these changes are caused by "weight loss" as my orthodontist claimed is laughable. My weight has remained stable throughout treatment and many years ago I lost a huge amount of weight over a break-up and my face remained the same.
I hope to start a thread here when I begin my treatment to help people going through the same thing. I only hope my face returns to how it was before.

[Butterfly39]

Hi unhappy I'm very sorry to hear this has happened to you too. I hope the reversal treatment is successful for you. I have to carry on due the gaps and open bite that treatment so far has given me. The hospital orthodontist I went to for a second opinion did mention lip support to me and how I will lose some when my open bite is corrected but the treatment is supposed to be putting them back to where they were before apparently so I may not have had good lip support before braces but hadn't noticed because I never used to analyse my face so much. I think at my next appointment I will ask my orthodontist to monitor it and correct it as much as possible without losing my lip support and then see an implant specialist about closing any remaining gaps in my teeth, this will be another £4000-£6000 on top of what I've already paid because implants are so expensive. I wish I could go back in time, the ironic thing is the two top teeth that stuck out on the top never really bothered me until an old dentist started recommending braces to me around 3 years ago!

[marie34]

[quote="UnhappyCamper"]Hi Butterfly. I'm so so sorry to hear what you are going through. I am in the exact same position. I had four bicuspids removed and retractive orthodontics which has destroyed my face. Again my orthodontists tried to claim it was "weight loss" however my medical records show this has remained stable. I have gone through a year of heartache over my changed appearance to the point where I am now getting it reversed in the New Year. To illustrate the changes I have experienced I found this image online which shows the effect of extraction/retraction orthodontics in twin girls which almost exactly looks like the changes I've experienced. http://www.tjspahldds.com/images/twins.jpg
Before treatment I had a wide smile and face (like the twin on the right) albeit crooked teeth. I now have a facial shape similar to the twin on the left, it is visually longer, narrower and I have lost all lip support. To say that these changes are caused by "weight loss" as my orthodontist claimed is laughable. My weight has remained stable throughout treatment and many years ago I lost a huge amount of weight over a break-up and my face remained the same.
I hope to start a thread here when I begin my treatment to help people going through the same thing. I only hope my face returns to how it was before.[/quote]
I'm so sorry you all are going through this. I too, am in the same boat. I even asked my orthodontist prior to treatment of the braces would change my face in any way, shape or form? He smiled and said "no". Well, here I am with a face I don't even recognize anymore. And honestly, I'm not 100% sure there is anything I can do about? I'm going to give orthotropics a gander and possibly, that may help get some of my facial features back? I would have never gone through with braces at 32 if I knew it could change your face for the worst. My friend and I both have the same orthodontist. We both got the same braces synthesized same time. Her face looks fine (it does loook longer and different, but not horrific like mine) She is a bigger girl though. So, she might have benefited feomnthe changes. I am very petite. I also have experienced erosion/tooth wear with the braces. Started almost immediately on front teeth right Unger every single bracket. I didn't put the wear/erosion together till later. I did bring it up bro my dentist earlier (months ago) and he said "oh, that's nothing to worry about, it's just your dentin showing through". Well, months go by and I noticed the erosion on all my teeth. Not just one now. ALL! Now, I have to have that reconstruction of that. Which, is a awful. Once you lose your enamel it's gone for good. I went to many doctors and specialists to see if the erosion and wear is from something other then braces (diet, acid reflux etc....). And there is only one explanation........BRACES! My roots of my teeth have also shortened. Not good. I just want this nightmare to be over with. I should of never got these damn braces. I should of just lived with my snaggle tooth. Ibwoukd give anything to have my pre teeth/face/bite back peiorbto braces. Oh, and my teeth are more screwed than before braces. I had an awesome bite. Comfortable, no pressure. A tiny tiny little bit of cross bite. Tiny!! Now, my cross bite is so jacked up my smile is : / literally. And I'm having a hard time eating and pronouncing some letters. Like s(s)and th sounds. What exactly are you going to do to correct the damage that's been done by orthodontic treatment?? Is it the orthotropics? Again, I am so so so sorry. I feel your sorrows. I truly do.

[octshio]

i may expect my cheekbones stick out a little bit after i wear braces

[Icandyhd]

[quote="orchid"]Thank you all for your replies. I didn't have any teeth pulled before getting braced, although I did have 4 molars extracted when I was 12 years old, to "make everything fit". I also appreciate the comments about maybe I'm a bit hypersensitive about this...

Well, I found a before shot. It's not straight ahead, but kind of. The right one is today. They are mirrored too. It's not the most flattering pictures and I do see the difference A LOT now. As you can see, my cheekbones stick out from my face and I'm also a bit hollow under them. I've never had this skeleton-like structure before. It's really disturbing to me and I'm really sad right now :(

It's not that I think that I was super attractive before, I just want to look like me and I think I don't.


[img]http://i58.tinypic.com/nmi0cg.jpg[/img][/quote]


I'm having the same exact issue. I made a side by side picture of us. Hopefully I do this right

[URL=http://s67.photobucket.com/user/areyoud ... .jpeg.html][IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h296/ ... image.jpeg[/IMG][/URL]

[Icandyhd]

[quote="Icandyhd"][quote="orchid"]Thank you all for your replies. I didn't have any teeth pulled before getting braced, although I did have 4 molars extracted when I was 12 years old, to "make everything fit". I also appreciate the comments about maybe I'm a bit hypersensitive about this...

Well, I found a before shot. It's not straight ahead, but kind of. The right one is today. They are mirrored too. It's not the most flattering pictures and I do see the difference A LOT now. As you can see, my cheekbones stick out from my face and I'm also a bit hollow under them. I've never had this skeleton-like structure before. It's really disturbing to me and I'm really sad right now :(

It's not that I think that I was super attractive before, I just want to look like me and I think I don't.


[img]http://i58.tinypic.com/nmi0cg.jpg[/img][/quote]


I'm having the same exact issue. I made a side by side picture of us. Hopefully I do this right

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h296/ ... image.jpeg

[Icandyhd]

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h296/ ... image.jpeg

[Icandyhd]

[quote="Icandyhd"][quote="orchid"]Thank you all for your replies. I didn't have any teeth pulled before getting braced, although I did have 4 molars extracted when I was 12 years old, to "make everything fit". I also appreciate the comments about maybe I'm a bit hypersensitive about this...

Well, I found a before shot. It's not straight ahead, but kind of. The right one is today. They are mirrored too. It's not the most flattering pictures and I do see the difference A LOT now. As you can see, my cheekbones stick out from my face and I'm also a bit hollow under them. I've never had this skeleton-like structure before. It's really disturbing to me and I'm really sad right now :(

It's not that I think that I was super attractive before, I just want to look like me and I think I don't.


[img]http://i58.tinypic.com/nmi0cg.jpg[/img][/quote]


I'm having the same exact issue. I made a side by side picture of us. Hopefully I do this right

[Icandyhd]

I got my top braces on in October of last year and my bottoms on in feb of last year. I wore an expanded on top for a few months. I didn't have no teeth removed expect wisdom teeth a long time ago. I had a lot of crowding and a small palette. I also struggle with the same issues that orchid has. Where the cheeks protrude out the sides and the cheeks are sunken in and the lower half of the face looks smaller. Someone in this forum said we could be our worst critic but this is not how I looked a year ago. I know I didn't age that fast. Something is wrong. I wasn't sure what was happening to me or why but now I'm seeing it in others who have braces in relieved but now I'm worried if this is permanent or some kind of metal allergy. I hate looking at myself in the mirror and all the time I'm looking up what I can do to fix this problem. I look so unhealthy.

[Icandyhd]

L

[Bronwyn]

I gave the same situation with facial changes. I have Invisalign. My cheekbones protrude like a skeleton, my face looks flatter, my cheeks are hollow, and the worst part is the lower part of my face has gotten shorter and squared off, creating jowls. I look ten years older. I am so unhappy about these facial changes that I'm losing sleep and have become depressed. My orthodontist says it is not from orthodontics. Of course it is! I haven't list any weight. The changes look exactly like those posted in your photos. I am also not happy with my orthodontic results so I don't even have that to be happy about.

Could it possibly be caused by unused masseter muscle? What can we do about this?

[EWUgal15]

Muscle atrophy can definitely contribute to your face looking thinner. Best way to build muscle up is to use it...you use the masseter to chew, so guess what? Most orthodontists recommend not chewing gum with braces, but I've read about a few who say its ok as long as its sugar free gum. There's a starting point. This would be tough to do with invisalign though as I don't think you could chew gum with aligners in. I know a lot of people don't like the hassle of cleaning after a snack so they cut out snacking all together. That can contribute, but most braces wearers often stick to a diet of softer foods as they are dealing with sore teeth, hardware that can break, and the loose feeling our teeth have as they're moving. Those are all things to think about.

Is muscle atrophy the primary cause? Probably not. It's probably a combination of things. Can't say for certain though, I'm not a dentist, orthodontist, or doctor.

[orchid]

It's been a while since I've posted here. Life with braces is getting kind of boring and I'm ready to get rid of them. Unfortunately my left front tooth is stubborn and not the right angle yet so I'm guessing maybe 6 more months or so.

My facial changes are still prominent, but haven't gotten that much worse. I notice some hollowing under my eyes with more wrinkles though... Kind of bummed that I look older, but after a year now I'm more used to this. The initial shock is gone and I can live with this. I don't have to hide my smile anymore and I actually thought about buying coloured lip gloss for the first time ever. And I've never wanted to enhance my lips before! Being that I work with people it's a relief to be able to show emotions so easily.

Yes, I look older.
Yes, my face is appearing longer.
Yes, if I lose weight I will gain the skeleton look even more, which scares me.
Yes, my fullness is gone.

But I can laugh and smile without being self-conscious. Maybe one day I will resort to plastic surgery to fix some of the things even though I readily condemn plastic surgery otherwise. Right now I'm okay with this, but I would like orthos to acknowledge this as an actual side effect of braces. As a customer and patient I'd like to make an informed decision. I was not informed of this, along with many others I've read about.