Break the Matrix

That is by far the most impressive result I have seen using non surgery method. Wow.

Hi guys

Growing up I had what you would class as 'goofy teeth'. Was told by the dentist I needed to wait until all my adult teeth had come through before he could put me in braces. Around the age of 12 he extracted some upper molars to create space and then gave me this removable appliance/brace which had had elastic bands that fitted around the front teeth instead of wires. The rubber bands were not fitted with any metal at all and would often slip up or down my front teeth. Seemed like a cheap bit of kit and to this day I have never seen one like it although I have regularly seen elastic bands attach to the bottom-top jaw on the inside of traditional metal braces.

Anyway, that was years ago now. I decided I wanted to fix my problem so did some research on the internet. Read about a lot about palate expansion, NCR, face pulling etc. Tracked down a dentist fairly close to where I work who offered the ALF and even though he was an orthodontist, his philosophy was teeth shouldn't be removed until last resort. I was so pumped because I thought i'd found the solution in palate expansion and somebody to do the work.

I obviously went to his surgery armed with a bit of knowledge about palate expansion etc so I could gauge if he knew what he was talking about. And he did to an extent. He had used ALF on himself as well. Took the moulds and x-ray. Told me I had a class II mandible (set back lower jaw), a deep bite, spaces between upper front teeth and although they feel proclined- the radiograph and analysis showed that they are almost correct, possibly retroclined (leaning back). The models showed that the maxilla and mandible are under developed in the transverse section (by about 3mm).

I also wanted to increase my facial width to help balance out my long face, asked him about face pulling and would this all help my recessed chin. At this point he seemed a bit out of his element but he said he'd look into it and if he felt comfortable he would do it. Got the dental plan and boy was it a disappointment. I'd never seen one before so had no idea how detailed they were suppose to be but it seemed quite basic. No mention of anything other than ALF for expansion for around 9 months and then later fixed braces or Invisalign. If anyone wants to see the plan then PM me.

Didn't feel 100% comfortable with going ahead with that ortho as I wanted the best results possible and I am willing to do whatever it takes to get them. Here's the thing though- I don't know what procedures will get the best results and who does them. I'm 30 now and time is ticking. It's eating away at me. I was all for the natural approach but realistically would surgery offer the best results?

I keep reading about the great things Mike Mew is doing but that's mainly for Children. I know he has made improvements with adult patients but is he 'the guy' and has any adult patients on here had any experience with him? Is it too late for me to get strong results from the holistic approach with everything ive said?

I just don't know what to do for the best, who i can trust.  Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading