Slight Bimaxillary Protrusion (My Unofficial Diagnosis) Treatment Options? (photo)

I had braces at age 13, but I've noticed recently that my teeth slant forwards a bit. I am now almost 19. Is it possible that my retainer (which I wear religiously) has held back my jaw growth, making it too crowded (I have wisdom teeth now), as well as smaller/narrower than the rest of my face (which it kind of is)? I assume some kind of jaw/arch expansion is necessary - do I need surgery, or am I young enough for orthodontic expansion? I want to avoid extraction of any non-wisdom teeth.

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1 Doctor Answer | Asked by healthanxiety

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How to fix protrusion

Don't let anyone tell you that they can expand your mouth and have it remain stable as an adult. Any expansion will just flare your teeth even more. To correct your protrusion you need to move the anterior teeth backward. To move all 28 teeth (not counting wisdom teeth) backward at the same time is basically impossible. To move them back a little you could do some slenderizing of the teeth (IPR), but to significantly move them back you need space in the middle, using... more