Closing all these gaps, finally! - Madison, WI

I was born with alot of diastemas. Our family was big (5 kids) and poor. We barely went to the dentist. I expressed desire to get braces as a young teen but alas it was purely cosmetic so my parents didn't let me. Burn! So, I lived my youth and into adulthood hating my gaps when apparently everyone else seemed to think they were "cute" or " mysterious". "Setting me apart from the rest". I never agreed.
I didn't make much of myself financially and married for love not money which means no extras. 3 kids and a decade later I've decided to just do something for myself for once and perhaps turn my dream of loving to smile into a reality.
So, 5 years ago I got one of my few molars pulled due to it having a cavity and being baby tooth. After that I went to place offering free consultations for Invisalign. Not orthos, regular dentists, not my own regular dentist who doesn't do that stuff. I was told that it'd be 9 months, $5,000 and they'd leave little spaces between each tooth instead of large ones since I have few molars and alot of space. I decided against it.

So now I'm revisiting the idea but this time with a board certified orthodontist. This is what he told me at the free consultation last week:
4mm diastema, low frenulum, moderate spacing between other teeth, pulled molar and only 3 (12 yr) molars, no wisdoms.
Disproportionate big jaw/small teeth.
Mild overbite, mild overjet, misaligned midlines, perfect bite.
So.... he said I could do invisalign or traditional braces. My teeth are all straight, no crowding, no crooked, easy. However.......... since I have a lot of space to close my molars would be moved alot as well to keep the bite, creating more space in back. His concern was that when I would smile, there would be dark shadows in the corners ( cheeks) of my mouth, since I am missing the usual molars. I am getting an implant eventually for the missing one on bottom that was pulled, later. Anyways, he then thought I could do braces then bonding or veneers to build up the teeth to minimize dark shadows in corners. He is worried I'd go through it all just to end up not liking how my new smile would look. He thinks it will look too narrow for my jaw and face. Thus the bonding idea. So he suggested coming in for an xray/ virtual imaging of how I'd look with my "new" teeth before deciding. And suggested seeing a cosmetic dentist to get perspective before the course of braces are determined.

So, it all seemed complicated and overwhelming. As if he didn't want to do it because ny teeth are super healthy and my bite and functioning are all perfect. It seemed like he wanted me to explore every nook and cranny of options before starting braces. He is one of the best in my area and I know what he means but I feel annoyed that it has to be so complicated. I told him that I think I'd be ok with a " narrow smile" and not to cosmetic work. He said to think about it and explore my options. Jeeeez, I didn't think my mouth was that hard to fix up. Makes me lose hope. I just want ceramic braces (not invislign). I am planning on doing that xray/ computer mock up ($320) to see how I could look. I'm nervous now!

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Hello all you lovely people! So, since I've written, I have gone back to the ortho to get the x rays and impressions. I chatted with the assistant and I decided to not get impressions for the invisalign. I just don't want them nor like the idea of trays. I don't like the idea of me being in charge! Haha... So, we discussed damon braces with SureSmile. They will do clear damon on top with traditional non-damon metal on bottom. (I think that's weird they wouldn't do metal damon on bottom.) So I had my follow up scheduled but they called me later and said that they needed to have me go to my regular dentist for a check up for the OK to do orthodontic work before I meet with Dr. Bird about my treatment plan. So I went to my dentist this past Monday, got an excellent report! No cavities, excellent bone/gum health. My dentist was excited for me about possibly getting braces. So it was encouraging! So now I need to call the ortho to schedule my follow up. I haven't decided to do anything yet officially because I'm worried that he will tell me my teeth are too spaced. I definitely have decided to not do bonding or veneers. So I hope what Dr. Bird offers me for a treatment plan works with that choice! I'll let you know soon!!!! :-)

I went to the ortho yesterday for the follow up after my impressions. I was super nervous that he was going to tell me that my spaces couldn't be fully closed and wouldn't work and that I'd need bonding or veneers, too. So I thought if he said that then I would suggest leaving a gap only in the middle. I even brought pictures of models with a small gap for reference.
However, he didn't say any of that! He said that because of my lack of molars,and my "perfect lip profile", he doesn't want to pull my front teeth back for fear of making my lips roll in too much which in my case wouldn't look right. He also said that he will create a very small tooth sized space between the two premolars on the top on both sides in back, in order to move my teeth towards the front. I have so much space and a wide arch with not enough teeth, so this was the only way we could make it work. Also, that way I can choose to put implants there some day but I don't need to for a long time. I also don't need a frenectomy! Yay! The bottom arch he said is a no brainer and he'll leave the missing tooth open for an implant there, too.
So, my first braces app for the impressions is on July 3. I get my actual braces on July 17!
I'm still waiting to hear back from them about the exact appliance that he will be using. However, I know we'll be using ceramic "damon-like" braces on top. Not sure what the bottom will be yet. The assistant told me most ppl don't care or ask because they've not done as much research as me, haha!!! :-)
I'm so excited!!!!