Teeth: Braces, Veneers, Bonding (White Fillings), Invisalign? (PHOTOS INCLUDED)

[HappyDude20]

I've never let the gap in the front of my 2 main upper teeth get to me, however in all honesty the gap has gotten bigger; much more noticeable now at an adult age.

Of course these questions are better positioned for an (my) orthodontist but I figured some people in this forum must have some experience/option about this.

Now having health insurance (finally) I plan on taking full advantage and want to get this taken care of.

The primary area is the gap in the 2 front upper teeth. It's annoying me. Also, I have an overbite. I can feel those 2 front upper teeth with my tongue and it bottom of those 2 front upper teeth feel grittier than the rest, plus the back/inside of these teeth have a concave feel to them. I once visited a dentist when I was 18 (3 yrs ago) and he told me that I must be grinding my teeth at night and the kicker was, he said by the age of 23+ I wouldn't have those teeth anymore. I went to another dentist for a 2nd opinion and told me the other dentist over exaggerated, nevertheless still on my mind.

I've thought about braces, before I got insurance was told the flat rate price for me was about $2000. Invisalign was $4000 for my simple case, and all dentists I saw (about 5 @ the time) said my case was minor enough that Invisalign was a viable option.

But the overbite/(so called)grinding problem remains.

I've never really looked into veneers or bonding which is kinda the meat of this thread.

Essentially I'm wondering what the best option would be for me.

I hear with veneers they gotta take away some of your original tooth so when the veneer is installed it doesn't feel bulky. So what i'm hearing is, they're gonna grind away a good amount of my original tooth (for each). I'm wondering how long they last, if they don't last for life. I'm wondering if they would be troublesome? Can you bite into an apple confidently? I hear its a more expensive option than white fillings (bonding), but right now i'm initially just starting my research among the matter so haven't the slightest clue.

(Don't worry, i'm goggling on my own too)

White fillings, bonding, seems okay too. The "smile" examples of before and after show the teeth's improvement before and after...and i hear is a less expensive option than veneers.

But is veneers more expensive than braces? Hmm.

The white filling examples i've seen are great, and the teeth look incredible, however the veneers' examples look more hollywood smile.

But what about the overbite?
What about...living uncomfortably knowing the veneer could just come off by biting into a cob of corn (if thats a possibility?)

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[iBlue]

Your teeth are not nearly screwed up enough to justify the trouble and expense of veneers. (IMO) Between braces or veneers, consider that there is nothing like your own teeth.

That is very disappointing about invisalign being so expensive. However if it were me making this decision, I'd probably go with those.


FWIW, I had braces as a teenager to correct a couple minor issues.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Well I can tell from your photos that you are a grinder and my guess is you are bad grinder. I am a bad grinder and my enamel is pretty thin so my teeth are pretty sentive. I had one densited tell me just looking at my Xrays he would guess I was around 50 because of how thin my enamel is. I am 26 years old.

I do wear a mouth guard when I sleep. It is pretty much just a really thick retainer. I have had my current one for a few years and I have worn groves in it.

As for braces they are better than veneers and veneer I would not recommend. Braces give a permanent solution to the problem that never have to be replaced.
As for the Overbite I had to have my overjet correct. An Overjet is a very bad overbite and it was corrected to what it should be just it is not a fun device to have to have. I had what is called a herpes appliance put in my mouth. It is basicly forces your lower jaw forward until it lines up. You have to ware it when you eat. and your entire bottom teeth are basicly just a flat surface that smash food into. It is painful everything they extend your jaw a little. If you open your mouth to wide the piston fall out and then when you close your mouth the top one scrap your gums or you bit onto them. Both are very painful and you will do it multiple times.

have fun. In case you are wondering I was one of those special cases that started being used for future patients of my orthodontics.

Now if you have an underbite (bottom jaw to far forward) the only way to fix that is to break your jaw. You are supposed to have a slight overbite.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

Before I even read your post I immediately could see that your teeth have been ground down. I think you might be able to get some kind of gum sheild thingy to stop that happening as much.

I recently had my braces removed (I'm 29 btw) and I couldn't be happier. Sure it was expensive (£1500) but I now have perfect teeth and don't have to worry about them anymore. Personally I wouldnt go with veneers or anything else apart from braces. Once the treatment is finished there are no real worries afterwards. With Veneers and the like there is the general upkeep and constant worry something might happen (for extra cost).

 

[Ish]

The gap might be worrying you, but I don't think you need worry about it at all. I wouldn't go with veneers if I were you. They say they last about 20 years. In my view that's not worth having your original teeth ground down for.

 

[bearbear]

I have had veneers (now have crowns) on my two upper-front teeth and it was one of the best decisions i've made. I wouldn't be worried about them grinding down your teeth to do it... it's not that big of a deal if you're not happy with the appearance. Bonding chips/breaks a lot more easily than veneers and while veneers can fall off, it's just a matter of going to the dentist and getting them glued back on.

 

[HappyDude20]

Alright guys, thanks for the responses.

Here's what i've acquired so far:

I spoke with my folks' and relatives, many of which I had no idea had dental work done. My uncle's upper teeth, all of them aren't real and replaced due to some boating accident. I asked if they were dentures like old ppl have them but he showed me they were permanently on his gums. These upper teeth look super nice though. Anyways.

My pops has veneers for his upper teeth and he says its the worst choice he ever made. He can't bite into apples or cobs of corn and even though he doesn't do that, somehow his veneer always comes off @ least twice a year and usually on weekends while his dentist is closed. He's shown me his original tooth which initiall just looked like a stake in his gums. The veneers make him look nice, but the upkeep is terrible when those problems occur.

As for the 20 yrs lasting thing; i've heard that about the bonding/white fillings. I'm not sure concerning the upkeep for these but I def. don't wanna go through the problems and anguish I've seen my dad go through. He said the results with veneers are great cosmetically, as its theHollywood Celebrity thing to do/look but def. not for me.

I'm leaning more towards the bonding/white filling, but the one thing that is still on my mind and hate is if even after getting the bonding if i'll still be subjected to teeth grinding/damage.

The braces/invisalign option would not only rid my gaps, but also potentially fix the overbite problem I believe, no? Then, as its visible I already have grinding features i'd still go ahead and do the bonding..

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I'm leaning more towards the bonding/white filling, but the one thing that is still on my mind and hate is if even after getting the bonding if i'll still be subjected to teeth grinding/damage.

The braces/invisalign option would not only rid my gaps, but also potentially fix the overbite problem I believe, no? Then, as its visible I already have grinding features i'd still go ahead and do the bonding..

You do not want to do the bonding/white filling expect to repair damage teeth. If you do have that done you will have to have it worked on every few years to replace what is lost. One of my teeth I chip 17 years ago (it was 2 days before my 9th birthday) and I have had to have it worked on every few years. The first one lasted the longest and after it about 2 year it has to be sanded down a little and repaired. My other front tooth they put some of the white filling/ Bonding on the top to of the tooth to repair some of the grinding damage and every time I have my chip tooth worked on a little is added to it while they are at it.

The bonding should not be used to look better but mostly just to repair damage. It is a tempary fix that sucks to maintain because they do fail apart.

Oh and since you are a grinder veneers do nothing but look pretty. I would vote get the braces to get a permanent fix and have a mouth guards made for you. The mouth guards are about 300 with out insurance. I have had to fork out a 100-150 for each of mine and insurance covers the rest. They have to be replaced every few years.