Dear Customer (name blocked for privacy),
You are an adult undergoing orthodontic therapy, a procedure that generally is performed on teenagers. Although you should get the same end results that the younger generation will receive, you will experience some differences during your treatment that I will outline here. A teenager's jaw bones are still growing when orthodontic treatment is started. The orthodontist takes advantage of this growth and generally pushes the teeth along the growth direction or holds them back from the growth direction. Their bone is also much more flexible. Your bone, on the other hand, stopped growing years ago and is much more dense that that of a teenager. Therefore, your treatment will take longer, and will be more uncomfortable after the periodic visits where they "tighten" the wires. You are going from an old bite that you were comfortable with, in which most if not all of your teeth meshed evenly, to a final bite, perhaps a few years later, that should feel the same. Most of the journey from old bite to new bite will have periods where the bite will feel completely out of alignment, since things will not mesh very well. Teenagers don't seem to mind this as their bone is more flexible, and more importantly, their mind is much more open about what to expect during treatment. Adults tend to feel these bite differences more acutely, experience more discomfort and, because we are more set in our ways, tend to complain more about the whole process.
However, with this in mind, your bite should not have a transition point where one side is significantly higher or lower than the other. I have to ask you if you are having your treatment performed by a qualified orthodontist, or just a general dentist who only does orthodontics. If you are not sure, ask. Sometimes, general dentists who exclusively do orthodontics are a bit evasive with this question and will tell you that they are, in fact, qualified. What you need to know is if they are a specialist in Orthodontics and went to speciality school after they received their dental degree. Orthodontics takes about two more years of school. Hopefully, your answer is the latter, but regardless of that answer, I suggest you make an appointment with a qualified Orthodontist for a second opinion. A qualified Orthodontist, with a fresh pair of eyes, should be able to tell you in a matter of seconds, if your treatment is progressing normally. Also, a qualified Orthodontist, should be able to move your teeth and keep the TMJ from flaring up at the same time. If your bite is as far off as you describe, a qualified Orthodontist can reverse that and realign things properly.
I hope this information was helpful. If I have not addressed all of your concerns regarding this matter, please let me know and I will get right back to you with another answer.
Sincerely, George McKee DDS
Edited by Dr. George McKee on January 1 2008 at 4:58 AM
If you think my advice was beneficial, please click on the *ACCEPT* button and give me *POSITIVE FEEDBACK*. This is the only way I know if I am helping you.
George McKee DDS