Do rubber bands work on adults?

[ugotismail]

Hi, I am a 21 year old male and I recently went to the ortho to get my teeth checked out. I already knew i needed braces, but I also have a class 2 occlusion, the ortho said that I would need surgery to correct my overbite, and that if I got braces with no surgery, i would look like bart simpson. I havent gotten a second opinion yet, because I know my insurance wont cover this surgery, but do the rubber bands not work at all on an adult? I think right now my overbite is at 7 mm, and honestly, im content with it, as long as my teeth are straight, if the rubber bands can move my jaw to make my overbite less than 7 or keep it at 7 then im fine. Have any other adults been able to just use rubber bands with braces to help with their jaw?

Thanks in advance.

[catgyrl]

Hello there

Do you mean overbite (where your upper teeth cover your lower teeth so that you can't see them) or overjet (where your upper teeth protrude outward and cause a big gap between your upper and lower teeth)?

I'm exactly twice your age (plus one year), and started out 14 months ago with a 6mm overjet. With the help of elastics over the past 5 months, that overjet has been reduced at least in half, and I still have a long way to go. The elastics move your teeth, not your jaw. They do actually pull your teeth back so you do not look like Bart Simpson. (So funny you say that... that's exactly what I told my orthodontist I did NOT want to look like after I got my braces on, since I thought my overjet plus my brackets would cause my upper lip to stick out. Didn't happen...)

Elastics most definitely work, if you wear them according to your orthodontist's instructions.

-Cathy

[MCOMarkhamOrthodontist]

Elastics work in adults, but do not expect any skeletal changes. The movements will all be dental in nature. The acceptability of the result will depend on your initial expectations as well as whether your problem was dental and/or skeletal.

[abbaker]

I have an underbite that is currently being treated with elastics. My ortho said that surgery would mess up my appearance, and he is confident he can bring my lower jaw back using elastics (going from the front of 2 bottom teeth to the back of 2 upper molars). I've had one adjustment so far and apparently I have been making progress I know you're an overbite/jet but I thought I'd let you know that it is possible to change your bite w/ elastics. Of course each case is different though. Definitely get more than one opinion! I consulted with an ortho that said surgery was the only way (and I was only 16 at the time!). I'm almost 23 now and my bite is improving. Good luck

[ugotismail]

Actually, i think it as an overjet, i remember him saying it, i thought overjet/bite were the same thing, guess not. He said I had an overjet, and if i were to get braces id look like bart simpson, because of the reason you mentioned catgyrl, but i see that the rubbers band will still help? He made it seem like surgery was my only option, I asked about the rubber bands and he said they wouldn't work because im too old for them now. He did give me another option, where i extract the teeth behind my canine and let my other teeth fill out the spaces, but I dont really want to do that. You guys have been a lot of help to me, im glad there seems to be an option other than surgery, because that is something i really want to avoid.

Thanks again guys

[catgyrl]

As abbaker stated, each case IS different; and there may be other reasons why your orthho does not feel elastics will work, but the reason you were given about being "too old" for elastics to work is rubbish. Many, many of us in here are much older than you, and have had great results with elastics. I did actually have one tooth extracted (upper left) to make room for bringing my upper teeth over because they were really pushed off to the right. But even to my untrained eye, I could see that was necessary.

Here is a link to my blog post from February 2011. By this point, I had been in braces for 10 months, and only in elastics for one month. But in the first and 4th collage, you will see my overjet progression from the beginning. My teeth stuck out so much, I could hardly fit them in the pic. LOL And that progress was done mostly with braces. The elastics have helped even more.

http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/b...ky-times-1500/

If I were you, I would get another opinion. Yes, the whole Bart Simpson thing is kinda funny, but in all actuality, your lips will automatically find a way to fit themselves over your braces. I don't think that was a very nice thing for him to say. I've not heard of very many orthos who push surgery over at least trying braces first.

Cathy