Extractions..was it the right decision?

Message

#1 Post by **anniev2** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:58 pm

I have had linguals on for about 2months now and I recenlty got 4 teeth extracted to begin the process of correcting my overbite. I didn't have to do this and could have acheived some nice results if I didn't. I'm starting to regret my decision.

i'm most concerned that it is going to dramatically change the shape of my face. I have grown used to my upper lip being pursed (sp?) a little bit and even my fiance thinks its sexy. Should i be concerned? now that the teeth are actually out and I see the space that my teeth are going to move back it seems like the size of the Grand Canyon. Here are my biggest concerns:

* Sunken Face
* mouth will be smaller and i already push my tounge against my teeth at night....will i run out of space in my mouth.

Your thoughts?

#2 Post by **ohiomatt** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:11 pm

From what I hear on here, it seems like everyone with linguals has teeth extracted. Is this part of how they work? I think it will give you a nice arch though. just my thoughts

#3 Post by **lionfish** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:26 am

anniev2, as those teeth have gone they're not going to come back. Speculating about what might otherwise have been doesn't serve any useful purpose. If you have concerns about how you're going to look when treatment is completed, though, you should discuss this with your ortho.

ohiomatt, I don't think it's true to say that everyone who has linguals also has extractions. Linguals work the same way as any other bracket system, the only difference being that they are on the back of the teeth not the front.

#4 Post by **rolo** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:15 am

Sorry you are feeling unsure about your extractions. Although, it's scary and permanent, I guess your ortho thinks it will get the best result. If you hadn't had the extractions and lived with a nice but not perfect result, you may have looked back and thought what if I'd had them? You tend to hear more about the times when things have gone wrong. Since I have told my friends about my braces, I have discovered so many of them had extractions (and then braces) in their teens and now have they great teeth and profile, because all went well, they never talk about the work, and I just thought they were blessed with naturally straight teeth.

Hope you are happy with the end result.