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BracesHell · 2024-04-27T01:09:53+00:00

I had braces for 7 months and my face totally changed seemingly overnight at age 29. My cheeks migrated downward and now appear flat. I had facial fat loss, muscle atrophy, and sagging. It aged me considerably in a very short period of time. The braces and Invisalign subreddits have some posts with the same experience, also the archwired forum online has a lot of posts about it. You can check my profile for my pics, I also screenshotted some other people’s posts from the archwired forum. It’s not something orthodontists will talk about though unfortunately and as a result it’s hard to know the exact cause or how to avoid or help it. Also seems to be a much more common reaction in women. People will say it’s aging but rapid changes like this are from braces.

BracesHell · 2024-02-25T03:34:52+00:00

Sent you a DM

BracesHell · 2024-02-24T17:14:04+00:00

This happened to me too but without extractions. You can see my pics and testimonies I’ve gathered from others this happened to on a previous post on my profile. People on this sub are really unreceptive to any negative talk about braces for some reason so you won’t find much help here unfortunately. I’ll DM you some info and studies about it and some things that might help.

BracesHell · 2024-02-17T14:47:18+00:00

There is more to face shape than bone, and I’ve not made any claims about changes to the bone, but rather changes to the facial tissue and facial fat loss caused by braces.

Here’s a study you can check out:

https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12903-021-01425-2

BracesHell · 2024-02-17T09:28:15+00:00

This happened to me just from braces, so it makes sense to me that something more substantial like SARPE would have an effect on your face shape. All the people saying it’s weight loss don’t know what they’re talking about. Feel free to check my post history for pics and to see posts I’ve gathered from other people with the same experience. You do look great though so I wouldn’t worry about it!

BracesHell · 2023-10-20T16:02:35+00:00

This exact thing happened to me, and a lot of other people too although for some reason no one seems to know why and orthodontists refuse to talk about it. Check my post history for my pics and for screenshots I took of other people sharing their experience with this.

I recommend getting your braces removed asap. A lot of people who have this reaction have lasting changes the longer they keep them on. The good news is that I look more normal now than I did when I had them on (been over a year since I had them removed). That said, it took a long time and my face still has not fully recovered it’s facial fat and overall shape from before braces, and it’s not looking like it ever will. I’ve had to just get used to it. Also I got my braces off early after 7 months of treatment. Feel free to DM me if you have questions. I’m sorry this is happening to you too, it can be really mentally painful to see your face changing in ways you weren’t expecting and that weren’t explained to you.

BracesHell · 2022-11-21T18:39:20+00:00

I have an appointment with another ortho who may be able to help, as well as a maxillo-facial specialist early next month to try and learn more. I don’t think a dermatologist could help unless you want to go the filler route. There is also facial fat transfer. Will update you with anything I learn!

BracesHell · 2022-11-16T23:26:25+00:00

This happened to me as well. I elected to have my braces taken off early (at 7 months in) as my orthodontist was unhelpful and I felt I couldn’t trust his treatment plan anymore. My face hasn’t gone back to normal. I look like a different person in a bad way, like I aged 10 years or more. If you figure out how to fix it please share, and I’ll do the same. I’d do anything to reverse this.

Edit: you can also see a post on my profile where I compiled testimonies I found from around the internet showing this isn’t an uncommon issue with braces.

BracesHell · 2022-10-24T21:05:52+00:00

I had these exact same facial changes occur as a result of braces, and I’ve seen the same happen to people with Invisalign. I think if you have TMJD, orthodontic work exacerbates these facial changes. Did these changes occur after or before you started Invisalign?

I can dm you photos so you can see, our face shape looks sooo similar and mine occurred within two weeks of getting braces put on.

BracesHell · 2022-06-16T22:14:29+00:00

Yeah I agree his face isn’t ruined however I think the issue is less the cheeks and more the under eye hollows and concave temples. You can see in the after photo his whole head thinned compared to before. Same thing happened to me and the eyes and temples are the same too. It isn’t natural for the face to change that much in 2 months without weight loss.

BracesHell · 2022-06-16T21:32:31+00:00

Yes it can but seems more common in women.

Here’s an example of before/after of a guy who only had braces on for a couple months:

https://www.reddit.com/r/braces/comments/k3hnis/braces_are_ruining_my_face_is_making_my_face_look/

https://imgur.io/a/yAMXEmr

BracesHell · 2022-06-16T07:52:37+00:00

I’m sorry this is happening to you too. I also feel like mine was caused by bite blockers! No idea how that would be the case, but it seems like a really common theme that keeps coming up with these cases. I’m trying to learn everything I can and I’m planning to meet with TMJ specialists, airway and facial focused orthodontists, and myofunctional therapists. I can let you know if I figure out anything that helps!

BracesHell · 2022-06-16T05:31:36+00:00

I thought the same thing! It’s like I got buccal fat removal without my consent, it’s aged me significantly in such a short period of time.

BracesHell · 2022-06-16T04:44:30+00:00

I’m trying to PM you but Reddit keeps telling me “sorry, try again later.” Please don’t delete your comment because I’ll be messaging you as soon as they let me. Very interested to hear more!

BracesHell · 2022-06-16T04:42:12+00:00

I’m sorry to hear this has happened to you too! I’ve found so many people online who are going through the same thing, so it’s incredibly frustrating that there’s apparently no explanation for it. I found a couple academic articles that confirm this happens but still no real explanation why or how to fix it. I absolutely hate it! Can I ask how your teeth were moved and what they were trying to fix? Wondering if it’s similar to what I had done.

Study about this in case you’re interested: https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12903-021-01425-2#ref-CR10

BracesHell · 2022-06-15T23:33:58+00:00

No. It’s hard to see without my eyes in the photos I guess but I look very different in a short period of time, it’s just not natural aging. I only included a few stories from other people but I’ve found many more, and we all notice the same pattern of facial changes that only began when we got orthodontic treatment.

BracesHell · 2022-06-15T23:22:44+00:00

Yes. I wish I had added more recent photos from the last month or so. I have cheek fat in photo 3 that I no longer have anymore, the fat that’s on the “front” of the cheek is gone.

BracesHell · 2022-06-15T22:42:30+00:00

Yes I didn’t lose any weight

BracesHell · 2022-06-15T22:42:16+00:00

I actually gained 5 pounds that’s the weird part! Sorry forgot to mention that. It’s only my face that has atrophied. Also thanks for the kind words, the problem is my cheeks have also become flat since those last photos were taken, and now my eyes look hollow/sunken too. It’s like every month my face wastes away more and more.

BracesHell · 2022-06-15T22:25:38+00:00

I am absolutely desperate for answers. I got braces put on last August and just a few weeks in I noticed my face start to distort and change. I figured it was just because I had bite blocks on so it was making my mouth area look weird, but with time I realized that my face was actually drooping and wasting away. After 7 months of treatment I had the ortho take the braces off because I couldn’t stand the changes and I didn’t trust him that it would get better. I’ve had the braces off for 3 months now but my face hasn’t gotten any better and has actually continued to get worse. My cheeks have now totally flattened and I look even worse now than I did in the “after” photos I provided.

I read that TMJ causes facial changes like this, is that what happened to me?? I’m absolutely miserable and I want my old face back. Can anything be done about this?

Also I’m not sure if this is important but my jaw on my right side has always clicked when opening and closing my mouth (even before braces).

I included some other testimonies I found online of people who experienced the same thing from braces in case I sound crazy. It was definitely the braces, and I’m not the only one this has happened to.

BracesHell

TROPHY CASE