Adult Class III, Flared Front Teeth, Crowding, Crossbite to Be Treated with Damon, IPR, Acceledent, Possibly TADS - Bloomington

I am a 32 year old woman who has never had braces and in the past few years have developed jaw pain (and clicking at times), gum recession, and the beginnings of tooth destruction from grinding/clenching and a bad bite. Besides a bad bite my teeth are also very crooked and the bottom are crowded. I've wanted braces for years but it hasn't been an option financially until now.

I recently had an orthodontic consultation and am a little uncertain how I should proceed. We seem to be in agreement that if my teeth were straightened then I would actually have an underbite. I would be using elastics, of course, to help correct this, but I'm worried that my jaw joints won't be able to handle the pressure from the elastics. I might just be overly neurotic and it could be fine, but I don't think my concerns are unfounded. He gave a few other options in that case-- IPR (which he might do anyway, and I'm not sure I would want that); removing a bottom front tooth and pulling in my bottom teeth (wouldn't have a good midline then, not that i do now); or TADS.

I am VERY concerned that my profile is going to be even worse than it is now. If my lower teeth are pushed back then my mouth will look completely sunken and I will be very unhappy. Right now my upper jaw is sunken/small and ideally, I think, I would have my upper jaw surgically pulled forward, since I'm happy with my lower jaw pretty much, but I don't think surgery is an option for me financially. I wanted Damon braces because of the purported arch expansion, however I don't know if my upper jaw could even physically accommodate having my top front teeth pushed forward anymore. I haven't had xrays yet to determine the state of my skeletal structure (for braces, I've had them at the dentist of course), so the orthodontist doesn't know, either.

I have scheduled my records appointment for next week (where they would take the scans and xrays) and then the braces would be put on the middle of August.

I'm not sure what to do. I am in school and want my braces put on before school starts so I have some time to adjust, however I'm worried that non-surgical treatment won't give me the results I want. What I want is 1) a good bite; 2) a good midline (at least on the top, I might be able to live without it on the bottom); 3) no more shrinking of my profile, and ideally pushing the upper jaw forward a bit.

Should I have a consultation with a surgeon, even though I'm pretty sure that isn't an option for me? I'm happy with the ortho, they have great reviews and my consult went really well (in terms of time spent, their willingness to answer questions, etc), so I'm not inclined to go to another ortho for their opinion.

What do you think? Might I be happy with non-surgical treatment?

I've scheduled to have my braces put on August 14! They took my x-rays and did a digital scan of my teeth (instead of taking impressions, which was an interesting and long process!). Apparently my x-rays didn't show anything bad/surprising since no one said anything (about my skeletal development, bone density, etc).

The bottom braces will be metal Damon, top will be half metal half clear (front 6 are clear). I debated on whether to get all metal, but decided that the potential risks of the clear (breakage, staining, harder to remove at end of treatment, etc) were worth the possibility of having less noticeable braces.

I'm REALLY nervous to have them put on and to be committed to them for up to 2+ years! I hope the Acceledent really makes a difference in reducing my time in braces. I'm worried about it hurting when they put the brackets on (my teeth are sensitive, especially to blowing air) but that is such a small part of the treatment I shouldn't worry about it. I feel I can handle "regular" pain (abrasions, etc) much better than "nerve" pain, though (like from air, cold, fillings etc).

I got my braces on Aug. 14th and so far so good! I was so worried about it hurting (sensitive teeth) and making me want to gag when they put them on but it was totally fine! The tech was so careful and used warm air and warm water, and lots of suction so it was fine.

Once the wire was placed I felt it immediately. At first it was a "good" pain (like a healthy pain) but then it got more insistent. It wasn't too bad when I wasn't eating but I had pretty bad pain when I chewed on the right side, so I chewed on the left. I never had to limit myself to liquids or mush, though. The pain spread to the left side, too, after a few days but then quickly started to fade so that now I don't have real pain at all just some general discomfort when chewing. It's a weird feeling, it's like I can feel every tooth when I chew and they all feel pointy! Weird.

I've been using the Acceledent daily and I'm not sure if it's doing anything but maybe that's what made the pain go away (or I'm just getting used to the braces).

My mouth is very dry and nothing seems to help it. I'm hoping I just have to get used to the braces and that I'll go back to normal soon. Having dry mouth makes the wires stick to my cheeks, makes it more difficult to talk and even eat. The only good thing about it is that it makes the Acceledent easier to use since I have no spit! The first few days I used the Acceledent it was really gross there was so much spit.

I'm finding that keeping my teeth clean is pretty easy, flossing isn't bad at all it just takes time and patience. I haven't gotten any sores but if my mouth continues to be dry I probably will :( . I used wax at night the first few days in hopes of avoiding sores but I haven't used any lately.

Very few people notice I have braces! It's pretty cool and I'm not very self conscious about them. I haven't really eaten in public yet since a lot of food does get stuck and it's annoying.

I keep looking to see if my teeth have moved but I know it's too early. My 1st adjustment is the middle of September, I hope there's some movement by then!