Are Braces Worth It?

[remedys082]

Hey. I'm 16, and I went to an orthopedist less than a week ago. I have a decent sized (don't remember exactly what it is) overbite and overjet (as well as moderately out of line teeth I'm sure). I do not care very much about how my teeth will look. The orthopedist reccommended head gear and braces, and it will cost about $4000 (got a good amount off with my families insurance).
I asked my orthopedist a lot of questions but she only gave me vague answers. I'm sure she is very biased when considering these questions.
A concern I have is that many people get this treatment just for looks, and that is not what I want.
My questions are:
What is the likeliness I will end up having to pay over $4000 when I grow up because of not getting it treated now?
What is the likeliness that my problem will not be fixed after 3 years (think thats the longest they say it takes) and that I will end up paying signifigantly more $?
Obviously I'm not expecting you to be able to give me any real percantages, but some general idea (or even better would be a link to study's done on similar questions) would be amazing.
If you can reccommend someone who could better answer these questions that would be also be great.
Thank you very much,

-Tyler

[Sunny]

Tyler one of the important things to do at this stage is to consult with a few orthodontist's ... maybe at least three. You may choose to go back to this ortho for treatment due to the insurance break, but by consulting with others, you can compare treatment plans and answers to your questions.

Treatment is only worth it, if you consider it's worth it. If your bite is good and you don't have jaw problems and you're happy with your smile, then maybe this isn't the time for you. Ask the ortho's you consult with if they think your bite may cause problems in years to come. The main concern for bites that aren't good, is the wear and tear on the TMJ ... the joint of the jaw.

What is the likeliness I will end up having to pay over $4000 when I grow up because of not getting it treated now?

This will depend on whether you change your opinion about your bite/teeth. Sometimes as we get older the wear and tear on our teeth makes things look less pleasant, also our TMJ (jaw joint) may ache due to a bad bite. But ... this still doesn't mean you have to have orthodontic treatment. There are many millions of people in the world who can never have this option.

What is the likeliness that my problem will not be fixed after 3 years (think thats the longest they say it takes) and that I will end up paying signifigantly more $?

I wish there was a way of looking into a 'magick ball' for this question, but sadly there's not. Most people complete treatment between 18 months and 3 years. A few like me have teeth that just don't want to move ... and that means it will take longer. There is no additional cost for my treatment going so far over, so check that question out with the ortho's you consult with ... ie, do they charge more if treatment timie is extended due to your teeth. Obviously if you go over your treatment time due to non compliance ... well that's a whole different story.

If you can reccommend someone who could better answer these questions that would be also be great.

The best person to answer these questions are the orthodontist's you consult with.

Tyler also ask why the orthodontist is recommending headgear. We never prescribe this any more, due to there now being other way to treat people that are much more 'user friendly'.

Good luck with having further consults.