New to braces.... and headgear. Help?

[Awyrdo]

I just got back from my orthodontic consultation, where I was told to treat my underbite ( a class III malocclusion ) and to correct the spacing of my teeth I will need braces, a palatal expander, and facemask-headgear to bring my upper teeth forward. I'm 16, and really hoped to never have to deal with this. I'm feeling pretty bad right now. Any words of wisdom, advice, w/e?

[18monther]

You will have a great smile when you go out partying after reaching the age of 18?

No pain no gain. It sucks temporarily but the benefits will be forever.

Goodluck

[Denise]

I have to somewhat agree with the above post lol

At 16 it seems like these kinds of things are the end of the world - but boy howdy are you gonna be glad you did it now vs. when you're in your 20's, 30's, or 40's and 1) having to pay for them on your own vs. your parents paying, and 2) experiencing a lot longer treatment time and potential pain because of the fact that you're older.

We can all say this objectively because we're in our 20's, 30's, and 40's and are in braces. TRUST US when we say, relish the fact that you're 16 and getting this awesome treatment now because you're going to have a gorgeous smile when you go off to college!!

Congrats on getting your braces soon!!

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome Awyrdo!

Talk to your parents about making appointments for you to see another ortho or two, so that you can hear about different treatment styles that will correctly your bite.

If you do have to go with a face mask ... remember it won't be for long and your results should be fantastic!

[LatiasWindBlast]

Hai there Awyrdo, and welcome!
I'm 16 myself, too.
Don't worry too much about the braces, they're not that bad at all. It hurts a bit after an adjustment, but for the rest, you won't even feel that you have them. And trust me, it's totally awesome to see the progress!
In the end it all will be worth it, for sure.

Good luck with your treatment!

-Latias

[annabella]

Dear Awyrdo
As Sunny said it is important to consult with a variety of orthos. There are many different approaches to treatment. Also ask it the palatal expander will still work at your age. You are at the cusp of when the jaw bones fuse and it depends on your growth development. This is important to know since this appliance is used to expand the jaw. Also many ortho don't use headgear these days but it depends on each case and the severity. There are pros but cons to such forces headgear applies. Find out more and get your parents to get involved in looking at all solutions. Sorry many will kill me for saying this but you don't want to have treatment that could cause further problems as an adult. Personally as I told mydaughters ortho I want her to have a healthy mouth first then a proper bite and then if we get nice straight teeth great. I never wore braces and my teeth aren't straight and it never impeded me but I don't have any major issues. YouR situation is different like many great folks here on this site. And having a class III under can cause problems for you in the future. So all of this needs to weighed and balanced. And one way is to consult with a varity of ortho and get different options. Typically in the state consults are free so no cost to your parents. Ocassionally some charge I found them the same in knowledge as the free consults.
Good luck this is the hardest part becoming informed after that you'll be ready and have made a choice and it's a breeze well relatively.

[lauralea]

I agree with everyone here,
It may sound like a horrible thing to have to go though, however it is really not. It will be over in a short time, and think of all the positives of having treatment done now vs. later on in life!
Like Sunny also said, it may be good to get opinions from different orthos, so feel free to do that if needed.
Keep us posted!

[smylex]

I just got back from my orthodontic consultation, where I was told to treat my underbite ( a class III malocclusion ) and to correct the spacing of my teeth I will need braces, a palatal expander, and facemask-headgear to bring my upper teeth forward. I'm 16, and really hoped to never have to deal with this. I'm feeling pretty bad right now. Any words of wisdom, advice, w/e?

Hi Awyrdo,

My friend, trust me - once you get to age 30, it's like life is put in fast forward and you're going to be wondering why time seems to be going so fast. I find it hard to believe that we're already in the middle of April! In a few more months, I'll be turning 40! Get the picture?

When you're 16, dealing with something for 2 years just seems like such a long time, but in the scheme of things if you get to live to 80 or 90 years of age, this is but a mere drop in the bucket.

And, better to get this taken care of now before it starts causing you other problems later. I have an open bite accompanied with an underbite, too (8 millimeters at the age of 18) that can only be fixed with surgery. Here I am at 39, about to get braces put on to get set up for surgery. Had I known then all the information I know now to get this taken care of, I never would have waited and made my parents pay for it.

Just be sure to get several opinions from different orthodontists and go with the one you feel most comfortable with. In my case, despite hearing really good reviews about the previous orthodontist I visited, I've decided to go with another one as she works closely with the oral surgeon that will be doing my surgery, and she brought up some other issues that needed to be addressed that the other orthodontist didn't cover. Take stuff like this into consideration and don't be too stressed about it.

[katie1018]

Hi Awyrdo,

I got braces at 17 and got headgear a few months later. I don't have an underbite, I actually have the opposite -- so I can't comment specifically on the facemask headgear, but I definitely can relate to how you feel.

Don't worry, it's not as big of a deal as it might seem now. People are totally cool about my having braces, no one has given me a hard time about it. Braces can be a hassle but the pros really outweigh the cons. My teeth look a million times better, after only 8 months.

As far as the headgear goes, it's only for night time and when sleeping, so no one needs to see it unless you choose for them to. Only my immediate family and a couple of close friends have even seen me wear it. No one really needs to know. And yeah, it's a pain to deal with....but again, it's totally worth it. I look back to what my teeth looked like even a few months ago, it's so different.

[Awyrdo]

Hey all, thanks for the replies! I'm starting to feel better about the idea, still adjusting. The braces are to correct the spacing of my teeth, there's too much space inbetween them, although they're otherwise straight. I'll definitely have to ask whether the expander will still work. The orthodontist said the jaw often doesn't stop growing until 19-20, but he didn't say anything about the palate. The wierder thing is, the underbite seems to have occured pretty recently. I don't remember it being that way a few years ago, could it be because my jaw is still growing?

[smylex]

For males, the jaw continues to grow until about the age of 20, where for females, it tends to stop growing in the teens from what I've read. This is tied in to skeletal growth.

[Denise]

My sister got braces last April, 2 weeks after I got mine, and had a palate expander, at the age of 23. She had it for 3-4 months, something like that, and at the end the Ortho said it had done a pretty good job.

[Sunny]

Hey Denise at your sister's age, the expander would have been used to move teeth, not expand her jaw, as it would be fused. To get the jaw to expand after a person has stopped growing ... usually in their early teens, you need to have your palate surgically broken.

Expanders can still do a great job to move teeth, as long as the ortho keeps a close watch on whats happening, as you there's only so much bone in the jaw for the teeth to move in.

[Awyrdo]

Hey all, I just got back from a different ortho, to get a second opinion. This ortho says that they should be able to correct my bite using only braces with elastics (no headgear and possibly no expander ) They were actually surprised to hear that the other wanted to used headgear. Very relieved, the thought of braces alone really doesn't bother me. Have appt. to get them May 12. Thanks again for all the replies!

[Denise]

That is great news!! Congrats on getting your banding date, the sooner you get them on, the sooner they come off! Woo hoo!

[Sunny]

Fantastic Awyrdo!

Sounds like you found an ortho with an approach that is far more suitable for what you can live with.

Here's to your treatment going smoothly!

[Awyrdo]

Hey all, just got my braces earlier today. Full stainless steel uppers/lowers. Getting used to the feel, definitely different. A few of my teeth are pretty painful where I'm guessing they're already starting to move (the teeth where the wire has to go up/ down in order to meet the bracket). I guess that's to be expected though. Probably starting elastics in 6-7 weeks!

[Denise]

Wahoo!! Congrats, and welcome to the braces club! We are so glad you've joined us

There will probably be some pain and discomfort throughout your treatment, but just remember that we've all been through it too and we are here to help you and give you lots of encouragement. The hardest part is over, now you're braced and on your way to looking amazing!