Advice please?

[mooandcookies]

I am 17 years old and 5 months.
I am a mouth breather and have a high palette. (Don't know if that affects anything.)
I've been two two orthodontists. One says its too late for an expander and i may need jaw surgery before i get my braces. Another says I dont even need an expander. He says the right side of my mouth is perfect but for some reason my left side isn't. I don't have braces and cannot get them until later this month or as late as october. I was hoping for some advice. I want to try invisalign but our insurance may not cover it. Right now it covers 100% but it may change in october to 75%. My insurance is Golden Dental now but may change to Blue Cross. My mother is also out insurance holder and may be losing her job october the 1st. I've been pushing on my teeth hoping to get them into place (somehow!) but to no avail (obviously) From your viewpoint, will surgery correct the problem or will i still need braces? With an expander this late in my growth work? Do I need an expander? I realize you have nothing to go by but two small pictures, but I was hoping for a grain of advice.

[mikeg]

I don't think you need the expander either... Too Late? I had it on at 26...

I would go with metal braces as your teeth don't look bad and i'm sure they will get you the results you are looking for...

Work out a payment plan with your orthodontist...

[mooandcookies]

: ) Thank you mike.

[Zoso]

My advice is to seek at least one more professsional (in person!) opinion - it's just not possible to make a diagnosis based on a couple of photographs online like this - even for an ortho. That said, if you backed me into a corner, I'd have to say that I fancy I see a little bit of a crossbite, and whether that could be addressed with braces alone, I could not say.

[Sunny]

Definitely get another opinion, maybe another two or three.

From your photos it's very difficult to tell what your diagnosis would be, plus it takes more than photos to make one. Just from looking, I'd agree with some of what the second person says, as your left side looks great from the angle of your photo and your right not so great ... but the next pic you might show, could show something totally different. Photos just aren't enough ... and it's experts who need to advise you.

You may find that ceramic brackets followed by some months in invisalign is best for you ... or maybe it's brackets followed by surgery, followed by a short time in brackets again ... or maybe ...

Good luck with your research!

[Stephanie]

yes more opinions do not hurt....

[heidimarie]

We seem to share the same misfortune, only my messed up side is the right, and my left is perfect. I think you have a crossbite like me too. I really find it unlikely that you would need surgery! That is for like really really severe cases. But I'm no ortho, so who really knows. I'd take everyone else advice and go get a few more opinions. I decided to just go with one of the first orthos I went to in area, I kind of wish I would have shopped around a bit more.
If you do decide to get braces, unless you are really set on getting invisalign (which I was at first) consider ceramic braces. I have them on, and no one has noticed, unless I bring it up that I got braces. Also, I was told by a few orthos, that invisalign wouldn't fix my crossbite, which is my main concern, and it would cost a lot more! Good luck with whatever you choose, and it will be worth it in the end for a beautiful smile!

[mzkimx3]

Just figured I'd chime in here as you are in the same situation i am in. I'm 20 and getting an expander on my top jaw becuase it is more v-shaped then u-shaped. My surgery to activate it is the 2nd of november they said it should be painful just alot of pressure. My dentist recommended me to a ortho who also worked with reconstructive surgery I'm not sure on what but he said in the case i need it i won't have to find another. And as said in last post if you do have a cross bit invisalign may not help i was going to ask about it and my ortho recommended cermics. As for insurance I know your pain there too my insurance is no longer covering me they said before 18 i would be fully covered after that it is nothing