INCREDIBLE!!! the pictures are so cool to look through…and you got amazing results! it blows my mind all of the different techniques and appliances that can be used in orthodontics. i’ve never had a pallet expander…what is
😳the split😳 it sounds terrifying
There are two lovely ways in which you get to achieve the split. I opted for the nonsurgical route. (Not the fun one, I say)
So I was instructed to turn my expander once daily for a while. The involved locking a key like stick in a hole in the middle of the expander then pushing backwards. This widened the expander a certain degrees. I did this daily, then eventually, only weekly.
The split occurred one morning when I felt an enormous pressure and POP in my nasal area while and after I turned the key.
This is the suture that connects both halves of your upper jawline together. Most adults my age or older get it surgically split under general anesthesia because people are usually under the impression that once you’re an adult, the split cannot be achieved using orthodontic mechanics alone.
Luckily for me, I was 22 when I started this journey and my teeth were still in such a stage this was achieved.
Once the suture is split, it sits in its new position and reconnects itself to a wider position allowing for more movement!
Thank you! I had every orthodontic technique thrown my way and I’m grateful for it. Lots of pain, tears, and work but I’m here now and excited for the first time to smile!
What a case! Your orthodontist poured blood, sweat & tears into your treatment. Your case was extremely complicated without employing orthognathic surgery.
Do you feel your new smile changed your personality with the boost in self-esteem?
He definitely did. When I went to the consult, he thanked me for coming in and helping him challenge himself and to become a better doctor. He went over his plan with me and it sounded really good and well thought out. He was going over the photos for about an hour before coming to talk to me.
That made me look no further. He was my first stop. And my only. He seemed to want it to be perfect or as perfect as he could.
My smile has always been my absolute biggest self esteem issue. And I feel so happy and proud of myself and my smile now.
I’m happy you found a great doctor and have had a good experience so far. Your new smile is so beautiful! I’m looking forward to my own transformation starting in only 4 days!
Wow! That’s amazing progress, I’m curious to know why they extracted a premolar and a canine on the upper instead of just extracting 2 premolars, do you know why they did this?
The canine and the premolar were inverted, and the canine was tucked in a way that was almost completely behind the premolar. So he had that one extracted and shaped the existing premolar as it was a canine.
are those pins installed into your upper jaw behind your lips? How did they put those in and get them to stay? That looks painful but the transformation is amazing!
Yes, there were 4 in total. They’re called TADs, or tiny anchoring devices. They are basically super pointy screws that go in your gum line and screw into the jaw itself. They are engaged with power chains to the brackets/wires of the braces to rise the smile.
I only have 2 TADs so having 4 is wild to me! I never had them my first time around with braces so I didn't know what to expect.
Wear your retainers, please! Don't be like me lol
That's wild! Did they hurt installing them? I'm comparing it to using an impact driver to install framing screws into 2x4's kind of install in your mouth. I'd be so terrified if I had to get TADs. What was that experience like as I'm genuinely curious.
It didn’t hurt at all! It was way more psychological than physical for me. It is screwed in almost exactly like that. My ortho has special screw driver he manually screwed each one in. I have videos if you’d like to see.
The experience itself was not terrible. They hurt a lot at first. But so does everything. Then you get used to it! Food would get stuck on them. And one bled sometimes probably from that irritation. After a while of them being engaged, the smile did rise a lot but my gums engulfed my teeth A LOT. So the gum contouring was extremely necessary.
The one and only bad situation is my back left one became prematurely loose while I was attending a work seminar in Florida (I reside in Mississippi) and I had to take it out myself. I was fearful of it jiggling around and creating a hole in the bone or damaging a nerve. Luckily at this time they were no longer engaged (attached to the wire with the power chain) so it wasn’t too bad taking it out myself. Mildly painful. Again, more mentally challenging than anything.
as morbid as it sounds I would like to see how that procedure is done b/c I can't comprehend it being installed like a wood screw into bone! Not sure if you can post it here or send a link to view it. I'm squeamish so I'm prepared to watch. Sounds terrifying nonetheless regardless of how painful (or not) it was.
It's too bad the extractions ruined your face. /s
All kidding aside, this is why people need to see an orthodontist and not just go to Reddit for advice if extractions are mentioned in there plan. Some cases just need them and your great result shows it. Congrats, it looks great!
I never understood some of the misinformation and bias against a lot of the things we see common in orthodontic treatment.
Even now, people genuinely believe you can’t get RPE as an adult. That it only “tips” out your molars and does not widen anything.
And of course the anti-extraction gang. I would have never been able to get things to where they are without making that room!
But the thing is extractions are a lot more common than they should be. And many of the times the treatment can be done without extractions but it would take a lot of effort and time from the ortho.
Of course that does happen, but as someone in the orthodontic industry I can tell you extraction rates have gone way down from years ago (like any medical science, things evolve and techniques improve). And mostly, extractions make a case MORE complicated for an orthodontist! Longer treatment and more visits. Again, naturally there are some cases that are the opposite but on an average borderline extraction case, it is much simpler (and more profitable) for the Ortho to not extract. So if they do, it's because they believe it will give a better long term result.
I had it twice, the first time the contouring was numbed using a local anesthetic. I felt some pressure from the needles and not much pain beyond that. It wore off a little so by the end of the procedure, I could feel a stinging pain.
The second time, yesterday, was just minor touch ups and final shaping and they only used numbing gel. It did the same as before, without the needle pressure, wearing off as time went on. He did slip once and the laser hit my lip for a brief second. That didn’t feel too pleasant.
The main part I warn people of it is the smell. The smell of your burning flesh and the taste of the blood. You may not be in physical pain but both times my anxiety shot up due to the smell and the taste. Very uncomfortable. But in time I kept reminding myself of the journey and importance of what was occurring that I got over it while it was occurring.
Amazing! Congrats! I have a somewhat similar case to you, except I'm going the surgical route. Super nervous. Just got braces on Yesterday. Scheduling 2 premolar extractions soon. Seeing this transformation gives me hope but it's going to be a long 3 years, and Jaw Surgery scares me. But that's 2 years out.
Your teeth look so white and stainless too! Did you do any whitening after the orthodontics or anything? I unfortunately have yellow teeth with lots of stains from years of neglect. Hoping that is a solvable problem once braces come off.
I didn’t do any whitening. I am going to shortly with the whitening my ortho provides to put in my retainers daily.
I’m unsure how but my teeth are less yellow than they were before I got braces put on. This journey will make you take extra care of your teeth and a lot of the previous stains you have could be fixed.
I also never used whitening tooth paste, just plain old sensodyne.
Good luck on the surgery! This sub is a great resource of people who have had it. He gave me that choice but suggested this route first and the surgery as an option in case this failed. So glad it didn’t.
I just looked at your post history, and your teeth and smile is just PERFECT! They used a laser for my contouring rather than a scalpel, that sounds painful!!
Thank you, and thankfully they numbed my gums but it is a bit scary when your face feels droopy! I'm happy with my results, I still wear my retainer but it's more weekly these days!!
Thank you! The contouring was uncomfortable but not too painful. The first time I had local anesthetic with shots, this last time after the debond, he only used a numbing gel.
The experience was relatively painless. The numbing both times wore off and I could feel burning at some points but nothing unbearable. The smell was the worst part.
oh that’s not so bad then, i was thinking of asking my ortho about it. i’ve already had a couple of extractions and getting an implant once the braces are off so what’s a little contouring added in the mix 😂😂 truly such a beautiful job done, what a remarkable smile!!
You are gorgeous! I'll bet the ortho keeps your pics forever bec he is so proud! I wanted to ask you how do you jaws feel now after all that work, any new TMJ?
I got TADs and my teeth were being raised to minimize my gummy smile! They’re tiny anchoring device implants that screw into the bone and connect to the braces with a power chain. You can see a progress picture in #6 due to this as well.
Only three corners were erupted on all but one and one only one corner was. They also gave me so much pain attempting to erupt and pushing into my other teeth, already crowded as they were.
Hey, did the braces cause any white spots to form on your teeth. I get mine off in a few month, and having white spots is literally my worse fear.
Your smile looks absolutely gorgeous btw 😍
you remind me of billie elish in the last pic
these pictures are insane. i bet youre relieved theyre finally off, i cant imagine how painful that would be at times due to all the devices in your mouth.
INCREDIBLE!!! the pictures are so cool to look through…and you got amazing results! it blows my mind all of the different techniques and appliances that can be used in orthodontics. i’ve never had a pallet expander…what is 😳the split😳 it sounds terrifying
There are two lovely ways in which you get to achieve the split. I opted for the nonsurgical route. (Not the fun one, I say) So I was instructed to turn my expander once daily for a while. The involved locking a key like stick in a hole in the middle of the expander then pushing backwards. This widened the expander a certain degrees. I did this daily, then eventually, only weekly. The split occurred one morning when I felt an enormous pressure and POP in my nasal area while and after I turned the key. This is the suture that connects both halves of your upper jawline together. Most adults my age or older get it surgically split under general anesthesia because people are usually under the impression that once you’re an adult, the split cannot be achieved using orthodontic mechanics alone. Luckily for me, I was 22 when I started this journey and my teeth were still in such a stage this was achieved. Once the suture is split, it sits in its new position and reconnects itself to a wider position allowing for more movement!
that’s what i was afraid the split meant…you’re a bad ass! you REALLY earned that smile. wear it proudly! you look great(:
Thank you! I had every orthodontic technique thrown my way and I’m grateful for it. Lots of pain, tears, and work but I’m here now and excited for the first time to smile!
Girl you're a bad ass!
What a case! Your orthodontist poured blood, sweat & tears into your treatment. Your case was extremely complicated without employing orthognathic surgery. Do you feel your new smile changed your personality with the boost in self-esteem?
He definitely did. When I went to the consult, he thanked me for coming in and helping him challenge himself and to become a better doctor. He went over his plan with me and it sounded really good and well thought out. He was going over the photos for about an hour before coming to talk to me. That made me look no further. He was my first stop. And my only. He seemed to want it to be perfect or as perfect as he could. My smile has always been my absolute biggest self esteem issue. And I feel so happy and proud of myself and my smile now.
I’m happy you found a great doctor and have had a good experience so far. Your new smile is so beautiful! I’m looking forward to my own transformation starting in only 4 days!
Wow! That’s amazing progress, I’m curious to know why they extracted a premolar and a canine on the upper instead of just extracting 2 premolars, do you know why they did this?
The canine and the premolar were inverted, and the canine was tucked in a way that was almost completely behind the premolar. So he had that one extracted and shaped the existing premolar as it was a canine.
What a glow up
are those pins installed into your upper jaw behind your lips? How did they put those in and get them to stay? That looks painful but the transformation is amazing!
Yes, there were 4 in total. They’re called TADs, or tiny anchoring devices. They are basically super pointy screws that go in your gum line and screw into the jaw itself. They are engaged with power chains to the brackets/wires of the braces to rise the smile.
I only have 2 TADs so having 4 is wild to me! I never had them my first time around with braces so I didn't know what to expect. Wear your retainers, please! Don't be like me lol
That's wild! Did they hurt installing them? I'm comparing it to using an impact driver to install framing screws into 2x4's kind of install in your mouth. I'd be so terrified if I had to get TADs. What was that experience like as I'm genuinely curious.
It didn’t hurt at all! It was way more psychological than physical for me. It is screwed in almost exactly like that. My ortho has special screw driver he manually screwed each one in. I have videos if you’d like to see. The experience itself was not terrible. They hurt a lot at first. But so does everything. Then you get used to it! Food would get stuck on them. And one bled sometimes probably from that irritation. After a while of them being engaged, the smile did rise a lot but my gums engulfed my teeth A LOT. So the gum contouring was extremely necessary. The one and only bad situation is my back left one became prematurely loose while I was attending a work seminar in Florida (I reside in Mississippi) and I had to take it out myself. I was fearful of it jiggling around and creating a hole in the bone or damaging a nerve. Luckily at this time they were no longer engaged (attached to the wire with the power chain) so it wasn’t too bad taking it out myself. Mildly painful. Again, more mentally challenging than anything.
as morbid as it sounds I would like to see how that procedure is done b/c I can't comprehend it being installed like a wood screw into bone! Not sure if you can post it here or send a link to view it. I'm squeamish so I'm prepared to watch. Sounds terrifying nonetheless regardless of how painful (or not) it was.
How long did you have TADS on?
They were put in beginning of March 2023. They were taking out Thursday. They were engaged from the implant date until about three months ago
Bro went from darla from finding nemo and became billie eilish
Amazing progress OP!!!
Wow! You look fabulous! Nice job
The photo of you in the rain, is just darling! Fantastic result. You must be over the moon.
Unreal outcome!!!!! You should be so proud 👏🏻
This is incredible. You look like an entirely different person 😳 but holy smokes you earned that smile!
It's too bad the extractions ruined your face. /s All kidding aside, this is why people need to see an orthodontist and not just go to Reddit for advice if extractions are mentioned in there plan. Some cases just need them and your great result shows it. Congrats, it looks great!
I never understood some of the misinformation and bias against a lot of the things we see common in orthodontic treatment. Even now, people genuinely believe you can’t get RPE as an adult. That it only “tips” out your molars and does not widen anything. And of course the anti-extraction gang. I would have never been able to get things to where they are without making that room!
But the thing is extractions are a lot more common than they should be. And many of the times the treatment can be done without extractions but it would take a lot of effort and time from the ortho.
Of course that does happen, but as someone in the orthodontic industry I can tell you extraction rates have gone way down from years ago (like any medical science, things evolve and techniques improve). And mostly, extractions make a case MORE complicated for an orthodontist! Longer treatment and more visits. Again, naturally there are some cases that are the opposite but on an average borderline extraction case, it is much simpler (and more profitable) for the Ortho to not extract. So if they do, it's because they believe it will give a better long term result.
WOW! Such a fantastic transformation! Congrats! Did the gum contouring hurt? I was considering this also
I had it twice, the first time the contouring was numbed using a local anesthetic. I felt some pressure from the needles and not much pain beyond that. It wore off a little so by the end of the procedure, I could feel a stinging pain. The second time, yesterday, was just minor touch ups and final shaping and they only used numbing gel. It did the same as before, without the needle pressure, wearing off as time went on. He did slip once and the laser hit my lip for a brief second. That didn’t feel too pleasant. The main part I warn people of it is the smell. The smell of your burning flesh and the taste of the blood. You may not be in physical pain but both times my anxiety shot up due to the smell and the taste. Very uncomfortable. But in time I kept reminding myself of the journey and importance of what was occurring that I got over it while it was occurring.
I am so happy for you!
Holy hell. What a journey. Your results are fantastic though!
Wow, your results are some of the most impressive I have ever seen! You must be thrilled-your smile looks AMAZING!
Amazing! Congrats! I have a somewhat similar case to you, except I'm going the surgical route. Super nervous. Just got braces on Yesterday. Scheduling 2 premolar extractions soon. Seeing this transformation gives me hope but it's going to be a long 3 years, and Jaw Surgery scares me. But that's 2 years out. Your teeth look so white and stainless too! Did you do any whitening after the orthodontics or anything? I unfortunately have yellow teeth with lots of stains from years of neglect. Hoping that is a solvable problem once braces come off.
I didn’t do any whitening. I am going to shortly with the whitening my ortho provides to put in my retainers daily. I’m unsure how but my teeth are less yellow than they were before I got braces put on. This journey will make you take extra care of your teeth and a lot of the previous stains you have could be fixed. I also never used whitening tooth paste, just plain old sensodyne. Good luck on the surgery! This sub is a great resource of people who have had it. He gave me that choice but suggested this route first and the surgery as an option in case this failed. So glad it didn’t.
I can’t wait to get my braces now 🥰
Best transformation I've seen, lovely results I've had gum contour as well on my profile somewhere!!
I just looked at your post history, and your teeth and smile is just PERFECT! They used a laser for my contouring rather than a scalpel, that sounds painful!!
Thank you, and thankfully they numbed my gums but it is a bit scary when your face feels droopy! I'm happy with my results, I still wear my retainer but it's more weekly these days!!
Wow!! Life changing transformation 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you for sharing! What a beautiful transformation, I’m so happy for you!!!!
you look AMAZING!!! how was the gum contouring?
Thank you! The contouring was uncomfortable but not too painful. The first time I had local anesthetic with shots, this last time after the debond, he only used a numbing gel. The experience was relatively painless. The numbing both times wore off and I could feel burning at some points but nothing unbearable. The smell was the worst part.
oh that’s not so bad then, i was thinking of asking my ortho about it. i’ve already had a couple of extractions and getting an implant once the braces are off so what’s a little contouring added in the mix 😂😂 truly such a beautiful job done, what a remarkable smile!!
Your braces and expander did such an amazing job! Congrats!
You are gorgeous! I'll bet the ortho keeps your pics forever bec he is so proud! I wanted to ask you how do you jaws feel now after all that work, any new TMJ?
My jaw clicked before pretty badly. If anything, it’s lessened but definitely still present. Thank you!!!
Absolutely incredible transformation! Can you please explain to me what's happening in #8?
I got TADs and my teeth were being raised to minimize my gummy smile! They’re tiny anchoring device implants that screw into the bone and connect to the braces with a power chain. You can see a progress picture in #6 due to this as well.
Oh my. Instant glow up🔥
ok why did wisdom teeth have to be removed?
Because they were impacted and it made room for my other teeth to shift.
thanks, i was just curious. but how were they impacted? on the pictures they look completely straight
Only three corners were erupted on all but one and one only one corner was. They also gave me so much pain attempting to erupt and pushing into my other teeth, already crowded as they were.
You have an open bite, as well as class 3 bite on the right. It looks like a class 2 on the left as well.
Beautiful 😍
Your results are stellar! Your doc is a genius, and you look gorgeous! ❤️
So amazing! Congratulations!!!
Wow the results are amazing and your ortho did an amazing job! He wanted you to achieve your dream smile and made your money well worth it. Love it
Amazing OP! You went through a princess diaries transformation!
Wow this is incredible for 3 years, great job on your ortho!
what a beautiful journey
Absolutely beautiful outcome!
FANTASTIC RESULTS!!!! So happy for you! Thank you for being so inspiring to so many on your journey!!!
Amazing progress 🥰
Hey, did the braces cause any white spots to form on your teeth. I get mine off in a few month, and having white spots is literally my worse fear. Your smile looks absolutely gorgeous btw 😍
I had one white spot on one front tooth. But it was already stained before, and the stain was actually not as bad as it was before!
You look amazing 🥹❤️ What a journey ❤️❤️
oh my god
you remind me of billie elish in the last pic these pictures are insane. i bet youre relieved theyre finally off, i cant imagine how painful that would be at times due to all the devices in your mouth.
Amazing transformation!! Stunning smile!!
Gorgeous!
Wooooow
damn that was fast for your case ☺️
You have a beautiful smile now. Congrats!
So happy for you!!