How do you guys cope with the feeling of regret?

[dantheman]

You guys, I think the extraction concerns are somewhat overrated. Of course there is an association between suboptimal facial aesthetics and previous extractions, but this does not imply causation. Ask yourself why you "needed" extractions in the first place... I have an aunt who easily looks 10 years younger than she is and she told me she has had numerous dental extractions as a child. As have a few Hollywood celebrities.

[notrain]

You guys, I think the extraction concerns are somewhat overrated. Of course there is an association between suboptimal facial aesthetics and previous extractions, but this does not imply causation. Ask yourself why you "needed" extractions in the first place... I have an aunt who easily looks 10 years younger than she is and she told me she has had numerous dental extractions as a child. As have a few Hollywood celebrities.

I said this before and I (obviously) agree. Those patients that were treated with extractions on a class 2 skeletal base would still have the same skeletal base even without extractions and wouldn't suddenly look good with 2 or 4 extra teeth. However, extractions to camouflage a class 2 skeleton can be detrimental to facial esthetics because they tend to overemphasize the nose by sucking back the soft tissue underneath it. They are usually reserved for patients with a steep plane (dolichofacial type) and aren't done on normal or horizontal growth vectors because they rotate the bite counterclockwise.

Those patients still need surgery regardless of extractions or not.

Also, orthognatic surgery doesn't always mean you get to keep all your teeth. I had all my teeth after compensation orthodontics and had to get two premolars extracted to decompensate my lower dental arch.

Extractions on a Class 1 skeletal base have very little effect on esthetics if they are being done to solve the problem of a crowded dental arch. Heidi Klum and Catherine Zeta Jones had 4 premolars extracted during their orthodontic treatment when they were teenagers and let's face it, a 40 year old Heidi Klum is still hotter with 24 teeth than your average 25 year old with 28 teeth.

[Alue]

I said this before and I (obviously) agree. Those patients that were treated with extractions on a class 2 skeletal base would still have the same skeletal base even without extractions and wouldn't suddenly look good with 2 or 4 extra teeth. However, extractions to camouflage a class 2 skeleton can be detrimental to facial esthetics because they tend to overemphasize the nose by sucking back the soft tissue underneath it. They are usually reserved for patients with a steep plane (dolichofacial type) and aren't done on normal or horizontal growth vectors because they rotate the bite counterclockwise.

Those patients still need surgery regardless of extractions or not.

Also, orthognatic surgery doesn't always mean you get to keep all your teeth. I had all my teeth after compensation orthodontics and had to get two premolars extracted to decompensate my lower dental arch.

Extractions on a Class 1 skeletal base have very little effect on esthetics if they are being done to solve the problem of a crowded dental arch. Heidi Klum and Catherine Zeta Jones had 4 premolars extracted during their orthodontic treatment when they were teenagers and let's face it, a 40 year old Heidi Klum is still hotter with 24 teeth than your average 25 year old with 28 teeth.

With extractions alone it can have a negative effect, although it is usually only a minor change.   In my case I'm sure headgear made my midface deficiency worse and had a very negative impact.  I guess that would fall under what you were saying about camouflage treatment of class 2, but that's not really a camouflage treatment it's a two stage growth modification treatment.  I had a surgeon tell me I probably could have gotten away with lower jaw surgery only if I didn't have headgear.  Now it would probably require a higher level lefort to put me back to where I should have been. 

[ticktickatick]

I don't know how I cope with the feeling of regret. Sometimes I ignore it and that seems to work. But then sometimes I don't cope well at all.

So I can't answer that question but just letting you know that I (kind of) know how you feel. I didn't have extractions, but I originally had aggressive orthodontia with a palatial expander. Originally I had a very delicate, feminine face but with tooth crowding and a slight UNDERBITE. Rather than extract, they stuck in a top expander and cranked that thing until I had room for all of my teeth. The expander not only widened my jaw horizonatally asymmetrically, but it destroyed my overall face shape. I had a wider nose, weird looking midface (it's projected in the wrong places and sunken in other places), and now my face was disproportional. I had this much wider top half and tiny looking lower jaw. It also made the retrognathia worse! Basically they traded tooth crowding for this s**tty appearance and CREATING a slight overbite and a huge lip incompetence. I guess all your teeth fit in your face if you just let them hang out of your mouth.

I might have been better off with extractions, or at least leaving my teeth alone until my face was fully grown. Did I mention I had late stage growth after they took the expander out and braces off? It might have all fixed itself.

Now that I've had jaw surgery, right now I think my face looks better, but it will never be as delicate and feminine as the face I was born with. Also that original face didn't cost thousands of dollars.

[Alue]

I don't know how I cope with the feeling of regret. Sometimes I ignore it and that seems to work. But then sometimes I don't cope well at all.

So I can't answer that question but just letting you know that I (kind of) know how you feel. I didn't have extractions, but I originally had aggressive orthodontia with a palatial expander. Originally I had a very delicate, feminine face but with tooth crowding and a slight UNDERBITE. Rather than extract, they stuck in a top expander and cranked that thing until I had room for all of my teeth. The expander not only widened my jaw horizonatally asymmetrically, but it destroyed my overall face shape. I had a wider nose, weird looking midface (it's projected in the wrong places and sunken in other places), and now my face was disproportional. I had this much wider top half and tiny looking lower jaw. It also made the retrognathia worse! Basically they traded tooth crowding for this s**tty appearance and CREATING a slight overbite and a huge lip incompetence. I guess all your teeth fit in your face if you just let them hang out of your mouth.

I might have been better off with extractions, or at least leaving my teeth alone until my face was fully grown. Did I mention I had late stage growth after they took the expander out and braces off? It might have all fixed itself.

Now that I've had jaw surgery, right now I think my face looks better, but it will never be as delicate and feminine as the face I was born with. Also that original face didn't cost thousands of dollars.

Interesting.  I don't see why it's imperative to straighten teeth in every kid.  What's so wrong with letting a teenager have crooked teeth and letting their face fully develop before messing with things.  I guess you lose business if you let some kids slip through the cracks without straightening their teeth. 

[PloskoPlus]

Interesting.  I don't see why it's imperative to straighten teeth in every kid.  What's so wrong with letting a teenager have crooked teeth and letting their face fully develop before messing with things.  I guess you lose business if you let some kids slip through the cracks without straightening their teeth.

Good question. OTOH, braces gave me black triangles presumedly because I have them at such a ripe old age.  I think the gums adapt much better when you have braces as a teenager.

[Autumn12]

I had braces when I was 11. Very shortly afterward, the braces were removed, my teeth began to shift. I wore my retainer every night but the orthodontist tried to say that I was non-compliant. In addition, I developed TMJ and other problems. I don't think braces are necessarily to blame but overzealous orthodontists are. They are too aggressive with young children, who need further development before imposing changes on their anatomy. I think that's what happened in my case. My growth was guided by the restrictive braces and now I have a narrow, elongated face, my jaw is crooked, and it's difficult to keep my mouth closed at rest. I can't chew gum and sometimes get dizzy after chewing hard foods. My orthodontist did not use an expander prior to treatment. This could have also been problematic for me.
Now in my thirties, I'm very unsatisfied with my appearance but I'm struggling with whether to get orthognathic surgery or not. My jaw pulls to one side now when my mouth is open and the angle of my lower jaw is too steep. However, I worry about making things worse with surgery. I do believe premature orthodontic treatment had at least, some effect, on my problems.

[Gregor Samsa]

The jaw surgeons I met told me that my abnormal growth in the face was because a rogue tooth had guided the jaws into the wrong position as I grew up so I can definitely see how braces could've done the same thing to you.