Check out this interesting article from the New York Times Punishing Doctors who Make You Wait.
I’m living with an open bite. It’s not going to change any time soon. Here’s what it looks like when I bite down.
Only my back teeth touch. This means that my lips do not completely cover my teeth when my mouth is close, unless I sort of purse them.
This means I have white spots on my teeth in the morning from air hitting my teeth all night. It takes me eating breakfast, brushing my teeth and drinking a Diet Coke to get them to go away.
An open bite means eating sandwiches, burgers, corn on the cob and pizza is difficult and sometimes impossible. Eating in public is embarrassing.
Every dentist I see wants to put me back in orthodontics to correct this open bite. I am terrified of more orthodontics. As a child and teenager, I had two sets of braces. At sixteen, my teeth, alignment and bit were considered perfect. If I had orthodontics again, I could revert back to the level of jaw pain I was experiencing four years ago. I never want to go back to that. Even if I worked with an orthodontist that understood TMJ Disorder and everything went well and I didn’t experience a lot of jaw pain, I’d still have to pay to see my specialist a lot more. He’d have to change my night guard every time my mouth changed.
I told the TMJ Disorder specialist I’m seeing here in New Jersey that although having an open bite is frustrating, I’m scared to correct it. He agreed with me, saying correcting it might cause more harm than good. If I’m relatively pain free now, why worry about the open bite?
So, I’m accepting my open bite. I’m not going to worry about my jaw deformity any more. I will not look at pictures from five years ago and compare them to pictures today trying to see how much my face has changed.
If this is the way my jaw has to be for me to feel better, I’ll praise God I’m feeling better.
I can sympathize with the multiple braces. If it’s any consolation I never even noticed a change in your face from pictures of “then” and “now”.
You are a beautiful young woman. I would agree with you – if you are not in pain like you used to be I wouldn’t do further orthodontics either. My son has an underbite and has gone through headgear, an expander, and is on his second(and supposed to be final) set of braces now. It has corrected his bite. Have they ever said why your bite shifted back to an open bite? You have a good attitude.(Not to mention a great smile!)
I do not have an open bite, but I have a problem with keeping my mouth open all night and it dries out my gums. The dentist always says, “Are you a mouth breather?” Yes, I am a mouth breather.
Ashley, if you had not mentioned it, I would never have noticed..you are a beautiful young woman..if you are not in pain and can eat, I say leave it alone. I have had TMJ for many years, the night guard helps when I use it..I find when I am stressed it flares up..but I live with it..I fear the cure is worse than the condition.
Barb
Well, your teeth look great open bite or not
Beautiful!!!
Same diagnoisis here. I can’t open my mouth any larger than my index finger! Everything has to be cut so small, eating out isn’t even worth it. My specialist told me the surgery can make thingsx worse. Been there,I’ve got the t shirt.
So for now I deal, flexiral when it really flares or before a dental procedure.
But it just plain sucks! I know, I know I’m not suppose to say that word but it does.
I developed an open bite 4 years ago and it has become worse. Dentists, orthodontists, surgeons, etc. have convinced me that I am one of a kind, that they’ve never seen anything like me. I don’t have pain, I can eat what I want to and fortunately, like you, I look normal, or nearly so and no one would suspect my problem. I have a wonderful husband too, and my life is good. I feel like a freak, though and it is a real concern to me. I don’t want to have surgery but I’d like to decrease or at least stabilize the progression. Last night after dinner with my husband, I just decided, on a whim, to google ‘Living with an open bite’ and I found you! I don’t feel weird and hopeless today and I’ve decided not to give in–to just keep looking while I have time, to find a solution, without going nutso about it. It’s sickening how many quacks there are who make their livings on people who have an obvious problem but who are able to function anyway. Thanks for being out there, being someone who shares my situation.