Will I ever be happy

[damien10]

So yesterday I went for another consultant, straight away she sed this was a tricky one and when I asked her if she could help she replied with 'I can't make promises I can't keep' she didn't sound to optimistic. From this moment I just found myself staring outside in disappointment and I was deep in thought. Will I ever be happy, the thought of never having this 7mm overjet my whole life makes me feel sad and lost. I will never be able to express myree
ree self like I would like to due to having no confidence. I also have a bridge at the front which doesn't help. This bridge is on lateral incisor and the cainine, it's the incisor that's missing.

We have taken xrays and had moulds taken, where do the moulds go, she wants to see me back in 4 weeks when they return?

I'm looking for hope, do I have any is what I'm here looking for...

[djspeece]

You always have hope -- and of course while it is disappointing not to hear the magic words that all will be well, you of course appreciate your ortho's candor. Perhaps the entire overjet cannot be eliminated, but perhaps that is not required for you to feel good about things. Hang in there, and let's see what she has to say when all the results are in. Are you a surgical candidate? Best of luck to you. Orthos can work some serious magic these days. Let's hope.

[damien10]

You always have hope -- and of course while it is disappointing not to hear the magic words that all will be well, you of course appreciate your ortho's candor. Perhaps the entire overjet cannot be eliminated, but perhaps that is not required for you to feel good about things. Hang in there, and let's see what she has to say when all the results are in. Are you a surgical candidate? Best of luck to you. Orthos can work some serious magic these days. Let's hope.

Thankyou for the positive words, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all day and I imagine the next four week is going to drag. I'm not sure about surgical treatment, how would I know. I'm In England. Can you tell me who the moulds go to?

[djspeece]

You always have hope -- and of course while it is disappointing not to hear the magic words that all will be well, you of course appreciate your ortho's candor. Perhaps the entire overjet cannot be eliminated, but perhaps that is not required for you to feel good about things. Hang in there, and let's see what she has to say when all the results are in. Are you a surgical candidate? Best of luck to you. Orthos can work some serious magic these days. Let's hope.

Thankyou for the positive words, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all day and I imagine the next four week is going to drag. I'm not sure about surgical treatment, how would I know. I'm In England. Can you tell me who the moulds go to?

They generally send molds to a lab to make some sort of plaster replica of your mouth -- I assume that helps in planning the approach. I have a set in my drawer, they are a bit scary looking. As far as a surgical option, your ortho would have likely recommended a consult if she thought it was necessary. I am assuming you have had multiple consults with dental specialists, if I am understanding your post correctly.

[sirwired]

During my first consult (for ortho to arrest further bite-induced gum recession), the ortho simply stated, "I could treat you, but it'll be long, complicated, expensive, and I don't think it'll work." Needless to say, I did not sign up with that Dr.

The second one said, after staring at my mouth for about ten minutes: "Okay, usually by this point you are on your way out the door with a draft treatment contract and you'd be seeing me next week to get braced. I think I can make it work, but I'm going to have to take molds and x-rays, take them home, and probably spend about four hours figuring out what the best plan is."

I went with the 2nd Dr, had treatment (which included surgery), and just yesterday (a couple years after finishing treatment) my General Dentist asked me to bite down so he could check out my bite and said: "I just LOVE looking at those things; that's such good work!"

There is hope, even in difficult cases! You just need to find an ortho that you are confident in.

[Ziggy]

I think orthos are like any other professionals. Not all of them have the same skills, and while some are looking for challenges others are looking for easy jobs just to make a buck. I would definitely look for another ortho, maybe even two or three just to get different opinions. Keep us posted on what happens.

[MetalMouth77]

Keep us posted. Remember, 90% improvement is better than you feel today. No ortho should promise you perfect! There are so many factors they cannot control.

[WonkyIncisor]

My Dentist didn't think that braces could do much since I had a difficult case too. She suggested I pull four teeth on the bottom and two on top and get a two bridges. She said it wouldn't be perfect, but it would save the pain of braces and disappointment. I was all for it besides the immense cost.

After discussing with my husband I had a ortho consult and luckily my Orthodontist was up for the challenge. I'm nearly seven months in and I love my results too and so does my dentist. My Orthodontist is pickier than I am, so I'm sure I will be 100% satisfied since he's a perfectionist. As it is I feel like I'm 75% satisfied now and once we fix my wonky incisor I'd be happy to end it there, although I won't.

[sizzletasticlily]

I'm in a similar boat with two teeth one of which I could live with. The other is terrible and giving problems. I'm upset thinking it won't get better. Faith, that's all I have. My best of luck.

[damien10]

Good news, I will he in braces very soon!

I'm having two extractions from a crowded top, one on each side and both teeth with big fillings so no healthy teeth are being pulled. Top and bottom are being braces I'm opting for the Damon Q and the treatment is going to cost me £3100. The other option was the all metal Damon and that option was £2800. So happy now and just want to get it started. I'm just waiting to get a filling done from my dentist.

*EDIT*
I will be in treatment for two years she estimates.

[djspeece]

Good news, I will he in braces very soon!

I'm having two extractions from a crowded top, one on each side and both teeth with big fillings so no healthy teeth are being pulled. Top and bottom are being braces I'm opting for the Damon Q and the treatment is going to cost me £3100. The other option was the all metal Damon and that option was £2800. So happy now and just want to get it started. I'm just waiting to get a filling done from my dentist.

*EDIT*
I will be in treatment for two years she estimates.

Congratulations and full steam ahead! Best of luck to you.

[damien10]

Good news, I will he in braces very soon!

I'm having two extractions from a crowded top, one on each side and both teeth with big fillings so no healthy teeth are being pulled. Top and bottom are being braces I'm opting for the Damon Q and the treatment is going to cost me £3100. The other option was the all metal Damon and that option was £2800. So happy now and just want to get it started. I'm just waiting to get a filling done from my dentist.

*EDIT*
I will be in treatment for two years she estimates.

Congratulations and full steam ahead! Best of luck to you.

I want to thank you and all the others here who gave me hope, you made the wait more bearable as I kept the positive comments in mind. You had a huge impact on my happiness during the waiting time. All I can say is Thankyou!

Words can't describe how I feel about fixing something that's always held me back in life.

[carrieann]

Congrats to you! This site is full of wonderful and positive people, they helped me through my rough first week. Keep us posted on how you're doing.

[damien10]

I just had two top extractions yesterday, i'm in so much pain and haven't been able to get much sleep. Its one tooth from each side so I have found myself not having anything to eat in the last 24 hours because i'm scared of the pain when chewing. Looking in the mirror and seeing big gaps scares me and I am already asking myself, will it be worth all this pain in the end or will I just regret it.

EDIT:
I get my braces on the 9th August so it's really close to the start of the journey.

[djspeece]

Congratulations on those extractions, I think this may well be the toughest part of the whole thing. Not saying it is going to be a cake walk from here on out, but I know after I had my two extractions -- which took 90 minutes because (a) I have long roots and (b) dense bones -- braces were not such a big deal since there was no bloodshed involved with braces. The extractions were horrible, though. Even the dentist doing the extractions said they were the toughest he had ever encountered. Great. But I digress. The extraction sites will start to get better with some time, just follow the post-op instructions on what to do and avoid. Hopefully you're not as careless as me and once the pain gets better you forget about them and then bite into something the wrong way. Big ouchy and bad words. Very bad words. The whole orthodontics thing is an adventure, putting it mildly, but you'll get through it. I saw one of my colleagues in braces the other day and it was like she and I were part of a special club or something. My braces are off now but we did have a nice chat. My big advice was to eat fearlessly.
I am hoping that in two years' time you will really feel that you have accomplished something special, because you will have. You know there are going to be good days and bad days and that sometimes things will get worse before they get better. That surprised me for some reason, at the time. I recall sitting in my office when I first realized it, performed my patented "eye roll" and sighed "Oh boy here we go, dumba**!" About that time I found this site and found reassurance that my teeth weren't going to pop out of my mouth or something.
Best of luck to you!