Can non-extraction treatment improve lip protrusion and convex profile?

[christineli]

Hi, I'm 29 and seriously hoping to get braces next month. I have a pretty convex profile, my lips are protruding, because of my overjet. So far I've seen 4 orthodontists, 2 of them said i didnt need extractions and they could still pull my teeth back (where are they gonna go? provided that i have moderate crowding), while the other 2 said they wanted me to take out 4 teeth to make room. I'm confused, of course not extracting teeth is much more comfortable and the treatment time will be shorter, but I dont want to have straight teeth but still a quite convex profile. i have 32 teeth including my wisdom teeth that are not causing me problems. So there hardly is any room for all those teeth. Honestly i look OK from the front when i smile, but i hate my profile! I just wonder if it's true that you can pull back front teeth and retract lips without extractions? And will you show more gums after extractions? Thanks!!

[BB86]

I am 26 and have probably seen 8 orthodontists by now... I also have a mild crowding and bimaxillary protrusion... I like myself when I look in the mirror frontally but if I put a mirror behind me and look into another mirror in front of me.... That's the bit I don't like... I am so exhausted from looking around and waiting and would like to go ahead but everyone I see tells me that whilst they can guarantee great results in terms of smile, they cannot predict the effect that will have on my entire face...

What I would like to achieve would be a bit more of a concave mouth.... with my upper lip covering my teeth and gums a bit more and a more prominent chin (I know the nose will unfortunately stick out a bit more)... Today I went to the umpteenth specialist at a well renowned clinic and he almost convinced me to go for the extractions based treatment... saying that i wouldn't achieve a big change otherwise.
I am really tempted to proceed but I fear I might repent it.. and then it will be too late to change...

What do you think?? Have you decided what to do yet?? Looking forward to hearing from you!!!

[alliyahalex]

yes this is possible

[alliyahalex]

The esthetic impact of the soft-tissue profile might play a major role in deciding on premolar extraction or nonextraction treatment, particularly in borderline patient

[BlondeAddiction]

Yes its what I'm currently fixing too. No extractions and yes they're pulling my teeth back (overjet) with the combination of braces, elastics and powerchains. Moving teeth back is more than just that, they'll widen your arch which will widen your smile and even create gaps you never had. Then they'll close the gaps with powerchains and pull them all back with elastics. I have tons of progression pics here as well as monthly blogs with pics too. I had such an overjet I could never even close my mouth. I think it was around 7mm and I never thought id have a flat profile in my life. Now I'm 10mos in, and down to about 3 or 4. I have 5mos left and my Ortho is just gonna try and pull them back as much as we can. Ideally is 1-2mm in orthodontics but being we're adults we *may* not be able to get *as* close as we would have as a younger patient. However, he said 2 or 3 should be do-able and trust me, I'm floored with them now!

If you click my last blog you'll see my side profile pic updates

[josie]

Yes, it is possible for many, but whether it's possible in your individual case only an orthodontist can say - since it depends on bone structure and whether there is space there to support all the teeth and fit them all in.

As you've had 2 orthos who've said it is possible, I'd go with them. After all, if you're not happy with the results, you can always then have the extractions - but you can never go back and put teeth back in again once you've had them removed.

I too have all my teeth, including 4 wisdom teeth, and they are all still in my mouth and fit just fine!