Do orthodontics even work?

[tmesis]

My dental story is a long one, but even as I am coming to grips with my dental phobia I can't seem to shake the idea that for some people, orthodontic treatment can do far more harm than good. I'd always had overcrowding in my mouth, and at the tender age of 8 I had several teeth extracted under general anaesthetic at the dentist's. This was fine: the real problems started when I was 11.

I had an accident and split my front right tooth in half, causing enough damage to the root that it needed to be extracted. The extraction was traumatic. I was then referred to an orthodontist who decided to try and straighten all my teeth and shift the right incisor to the gap at the front. I had fixed braces for three or so years, enduring a hell of a lot of pain as the teeth shifted. My horrible smile also hugely affected my confidence and I was badly bullied. I also had another operation to remove 3 or 4 adult molars beneath the gums that were moving in wrongly.

When I was about 14 my bottom braces were removed and I was given a retainer which I wore religiously; after about a year it was taken away as my bottom teeth were judged okay. I wore the upper retainer for much longer: it was adjusted continually with a false tooth to fit the new gap. My gums behind my front teeth swelled up so I had an operation to shave them down when I was about 17. This is when I stopped going to the dentist.

The trauma of 6 years of extensive treatment and no noticeable result other than immense amounts of pain, humiliation, discomfort and a considerably worse smile left me unwilling to complete my treatment. I cleaned my teeth obsessively, thinking that I could put off further pain by just taking care of what I had.

My teeth were a mess: I don't have any photos as I never opened my mouth in line of a camera. As the years went by my phobia heightened and it was only when I'd written off my mouth completely that I went to the dentist.

In my absence from the dentist I got a tartar build up, severe staining and a cavity in my top right wisdom tooth -- all of which have been fixed in a couple of weeks of painless treatment. (Hurrah! Love my dentist. ) BUT, my teeth are now more crooked than ever before. At first I thought this was because of the wisdom teeth coming through, though I have read that this is unlikely to be the reason. Seems my teeth just *like* to be crooked, and nothing can be done long term.

I have worn my retainer on my top teeth 24/7 for 12 (twelve!) years, yet still the left incisor and right front tooth have twisted, and now there is a large gap between the left incisor and both teeth either side. My new dentist is quite honest with me: I will never, ever have a Hollywood smile, but we can at least try and keep my teeth healthy. I'm okay with this, but I wish I'd known it sooner. Never in those several years of painful treatment when I was younger did my orthodontist EVER explain what she was doing and why, or how it wouldn't actually make ANY difference long term. I'm assuming she didn't know: every patient is different, after all. But my mother and myself were given the strong impression that in at most 3 years it would be worth it.

Maybe for a lot of patients it is worth it, but it wasn't for me. If I could go back I'd just get them to bridge the gap there and then. I'm not anti-braces, necessarily, but I wish I'd been given some kind of explanation as to why 6 years of orthontic treatment made my smile look progressively worse.

I take full responsibility for my role in all this: I ran away from my problem and it grew. But I honestly believe that if I was given information about what was being done and why, or offered second opinions, or asked for my or my mother's consent and understanding, then I could have avoided a lifetime of pain and embarrassment.

 

[brit]

It sounds to me as a layperson, as if your orthodontist was maybe somewhat incompetent and overambitious. Usually orthodontics progress is apparent as you go along and this keeps you going, as it were. Sorry you had such a hard time with it. Is an implant not a possibility to bridge the gap at the front?
Hollywood smiles are not real smiles anyway.

The world has gone mad basically

 

[tmesis]

Is an implant not a possibility to bridge the gap at the front?

Yes, but I will have to save up for it. Fortunately I can get the maryland bridge free on the NHS at the moment and still put money aside for more long lasting work further down the line.

You might be right about my particular orthodontist just making an error of judgement. At the time I trusted her like kids do, but looking back I can't really agree with the treatment she provided.

 

[jaded0622]

This is just my two cents on the subject, but I had several stages of braces throughout middle school and high school. My senior pictures were ruined because I refused to smile with my mouth open. Anyway, the last time I was at the dentist I expressed the concern that one or two had moved ever so slightly (not noticeably) and I wondered if 10 years down the line all my work would be "undone". He said in my case probably not. However, after being a dentist for many decades he's noticed that orthodontists are primarily concerned with getting one's smile to be "picture perfect" at all costs. They never tell you that as you grow things shift and bone and teeth sometimes essentially do what they want.

 

[starladustangel]

My teeth turned out well from braces. They did shift a bit but I'm still able to get my retainer in after a decade so not that much. I hated having braces though.

 

[Jaylah]

Coming in late to the discussion here. That's me....always a day late and a dollar (pound?) short....

I wore braces for about 3.5 years in what is now called middle-school (throughout grades 6-8 and got them taken off just before I started grade 9).

I had four pre-molars extracted before the braces were put on because I had a very severe overbite. The idea was that the front teeth could be pulled back into the spaces left.

I hated every orthodontist appointment. My teeth would be so sore for several days after that eating jelly (what we here call "Jello") was just about the only option. I spent about half of the 3.5 years in "headgear" (which, fortunately, you never see anymore), making me look like I was wearing a bridle. Talk about the best possible way to totally humiliate a person of that age!

When they finally came off, I wore my retainers faithfully 24/7 for a full year, and then every night for several years after that, until I eventually lost them. My orthodontist's recommendation was full-time for one year, followed by night-time wear for a second year. After that, it "wouldn't harm anything" if I wore them occasionally, so I obviously exceeded the recommendation.

And here I need to get a bit off-subject. I have been told that most people either have "acidic" mouths or "alkaline" mouths. People with acidic mouths tend to have difficulty with tooth decay. On the other hand, people with alkaline mouths usually don't get many cavities, but have more trouble with gum disease. I have an alkaline mouth. I had about 4 cavities when I was about 8 years old, and have never had a cavity since then. I have, however, battled gum disease since my late teens.

What I have had to deal with regarding teeth, however, is having faces of molars sheer off. Since I was about 38 (I'm 57 now), I've had this happen 3 times (two upper, one lower), resulting in having to have the molar ground down and crowned. And I blame this on the fact that I'm certain my teeth have shifted over time, which caused my "bite" to come out of alignment, which then causes abnormal stress on the face of the molar.

Although my upper teeth are still pretty straight, I've noticed that my bottom teeth have shifted considerably back to their pre-braces places. This has caused my two bottom, front teeth to get crowded and they've sort of shifted into a V as a result.


On balance, I'd say I'm pretty much split 50-50 about the advantages of orthodontics. It is true that teeth badly out of alignment can cause jaw problems over time. And, had I not worn braces, I could have have "picked the seeds out of a slice of watermelon through a picket fence." But I think that, in order to really get the benefit from them, you need to resign yourself to wearing your retainers at night for the rest of your life. And replacing them as needed. Because, if you don't, they will eventually start to drift back, and that will cause problems as well.

I just wish I'd known what would happen back when I lost my retainers, and I'd have insisted my parents get me new ones.

 

[kittykat]

I have to say I'm a person that thinks it's all a scam. I was forced against my will to have braces and all I remember is a lot of pain and suffering and embarrassing photos. Then, I got them off and my dentist showed me the before and after pictures and said "Look at the improvement!" and I said "They look exactly the same..." I also would only wear the rubber bands on the day of my appointments and my dentist would say "Wow, I can see the improvement!" Also, when I was 13, I asked why I was getting bottom braces if they were already perfectly straight, and the best answer I got was "Because it just works that way." No one would tell me anything other than that, which made me seem like they had absolutely no idea (and they probably didn't have a clue!) And then what's with the deal about wearing retainers for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? Seems a bit sketch to me...

 

[kittykat]

In addition, all I got out of braces was a clicky jaw that occasionally locks up!