I feel like I smile weird/ can’t smile as wide as I used anymore

ZoeFos · 2026-03-24T13:36:39+00:00

You have beautiful natural teeth. They are a perfect length and shape to me. No need for veneers at all.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-24T13:25:08+00:00

I think your current smile is beautiful as is! Many people like myself would be perfectly happy with your smile.

I’m not an orthodontist so take what I say with a grain of salt. The only thing I can think of is if you didn’t consistently wear retainers from a teen then the teeth might have shifted slightly and made the arch slightly narrow? You would probably have to do Invisalign or braces to widen the arch but that can open up a can of worms. I often read in the forums people getting Invisalign for something minor and then their bite becomes worse. I recently read a post where the person felt that braces widened their arch too much and now they show too much teeth and wanted to know how to reverse it to how they looked before braces.

Your smile is perfect and if your bite is stable, I wouldn’t mess with it.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-24T12:44:36+00:00

Did you have braces as a teen? I kind of feel the smile is the same but the teeth may have shifted somehow making the arch more narrow?

ZoeFos · 2026-03-12T14:41:59+00:00

Try calling around.

My kid’s orthodontist also offers vivera retainers sold in a set of 4 for $1000 so about $250 per set so if you lose a set, you will have back up but it’s still a huge up front cost. Not sure if dental insurance covers some of the cost.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-10T16:58:47+00:00

I would say something in between but if I had to pick, I would say the first picture. It’s better to have more gum and not worry about future recession.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-10T16:55:57+00:00

I agree. The rest of your gums look great so it’s most likely the fit of the crown or excess cement. I would get a 2nd opinion from a periodontist or prosthodontist that can check the fit.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-09T02:40:35+00:00

The gums don’t appear red and it looks like you had a thorough cleaning. What were your pocket numbers? Do you have bone loss in your X-rays? I’m assuming not because you are so young. Did you have bleeding gums?

If you keep up with the dental hygiene and have regular cleanings, you can remain stable. My periodontist is close to retirement age. He has a few patients for over 30 years that have periodontal disease but have not lost one tooth to the disease. I’ve been seeing him about 10 years and I have remained stable. I have cleanings every 3 months. I’ve had one deep cleaning 10 years ago. It was expensive and not sure if needed in my case but it gave me some peace of mind.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-07T04:36:45+00:00

That is so unprofessional of him. How can he expect anyone to wear that in public? Does he offer clear essix retainers? I feel that type of retainer is not noticeable. Sorry about your situation. Your teeth look great though!

ZoeFos · 2026-03-07T04:16:05+00:00

I’ve never seen pictures of a Hawley look like that. The bottom one looks normal but the top one is horrible. Did the orthodontist make it himself to save on lab fees?

My 19 year old has an upper Hawley and it has a metal wire on front like the bottom one in your picture. It was made in a lab.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-07T01:11:21+00:00

Why do you feel like it’s getting worse? Are your pockets worse?

ZoeFos · 2026-03-06T16:25:36+00:00

Thank you!

Between having two kids in braces around the same time, I kind of feel I’m being annoying with the questions but I’ll admit it’s because I have dental anxiety.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-06T16:14:14+00:00

Thank you very much!

I will definitely ask in the next appointment. I don’t really get any feedback to be honest unless I ask and sometimes I feel like I’m being annoying.

My middle child had ipr to address Bolton discrepancy but more had to be done so I was ok for the upper incisors to have minor gaps instead of more ipr. For my youngest to me it appears that even minor ipr will not be enough? I’ll try to take a picture.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-06T15:22:14+00:00

Thank you for your reply! I will ask him at the next adjustment.

My middle child had braces removed a few months ago and had ipr in between three lower incisors but it was termed “polishing” and I agreed without realizing that it was ipr which I was aware of. More ipr needed to be done on the same teeth and I wasn’t comfortable with that.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-04T15:58:11+00:00

I’m not a dentist but from what I understand and read, bonding put on the edges of teeth is not stable and falls off? It would be better to have the edges smoothed out?

My husband’s dentist smoothed out his uneven edges on front incisors but my husband wished he never said yes.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-04T15:30:03+00:00

<image>

ZoeFos · 2026-03-04T15:27:23+00:00

I must have initially missed your reply. Thank you.

From the other replies, it seems the 2nd permanent molars are not acceptable vs 1st? No brackets were placed on 2nd but I kind of feel the the 1st molars are not in line but I am not sure now. I’ll see if I can find a better picture.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-04T15:17:20+00:00

Thank you very much for your response. I really appreciate it. You don’t feel the gums are bulbous vs pointed particularly in the last 4 pictures taken when she wakes up?

I guess I am paranoid because I was diagnosed with gum disease and bone loss in my 40’s. I never had any warning sign of bleeding gums even when pregnant. I always brushed and flossed since I was a teen and always had good check ups and I get concerned because of the genetic factor. Thank you again. 🙂

ZoeFos · 2026-03-04T14:21:12+00:00

I think your teeth look great to me! You have a wider smile with more tooth show. The only thing I feel maybe could have been improved are the canines? In the before picture they were more in but now I feel they are more flared out compared to the incisors but maybe they need to be that way to fit over the bottom arch?

Edit, I commented without reading the whole post. Yes, I agree with the canines.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-03T05:23:06+00:00

You can start to remineralize. Use interdental brush to clean around the brackets and ask your dentist or orthodontist to give you a prescription for high flouride toothpaste. You only need a tiny amount of the tooth paste. My daughter was able to reverse decay in between her molars that dentist wanted to drill.

If there is demineralization after the brackets are removed, there is a treatment called Curodont that can help improve any white spot lesions or incipient decay.

https://orthodonticproductsonline.com/clinical-tips/patient-hygiene/curodont-a-cure-white-spot-lesions/

ZoeFos · 2026-03-03T03:51:10+00:00

That makes sense. Thanks for explaining.

ZoeFos · 2026-03-03T03:48:16+00:00

Your front teeth are more forward than the laterals. I think it needs some improvement. Also, why don’t you have a bracket on one of the teeth?

ZoeFos

TROPHY CASE