So unhappy with my smile - any dentists or orthodontists about? Photos attached

[SmileIssues]

I’ve been feeling more and more self conscious about my smile and my face. It’s got to the point where I refuse to have my photo taken and am feeling so down.

Trying to keep it brief - I had a brace on at 17 which left me with a lovely wide smile but a 8/9mm overjet/ overbite (not exactly sure which). I was later referred to an NHS ortho, and surgery was discussed but it wasn’t ever explained to me that the problem was with my lower jaw rather than my top teeth. In the end two of my upper pre molars were removed and I had a second set of braces. With hindsight I wouldn’t have agreed to the extractions!

I feel my smile is narrow now and there’s some imperfections that are disheartening when I’ve had so many years of braces. One of the remaining bicuspids slants inwards so my smile is asymmetrical and looks narrower on one side than the other (blue arrow on photo). The gaps from the extractions haven’t been fully closed, but again they aren’t symmetrical either. On one side the gap is more even spaced either side of my third incisor, on the other all three incisors are close together but there’s a bigger gap between them and the remaining premolar. My profile isn’t great thanks to the underdeveloped lower jaw but maybe I could live with that if I felt more confident about my smile.

Does anyone have any advice? I’m not even sure which professional I’d need to see now. Sorry the photos aren’t the best quality - taken on my mobile but can try to get some better ones later.

Speaking as someone who needed years of heavy duty orthodontics, I see absolutely nothing wrong with your teeth AT ALL. Not a thing.

Sorry cross posted with some more people.

MrsNacho I did qualify for the surgery but my treatment ended up going down the extraction route instead. Very much regret that now! But it was never explained to me at the time that the problem was with my lower jaw.

Thanks so much TheDish for your reply. Some food for thought and glad you think there may be some options without the risks of more ortho.

Giss my upper arch was wider, no gaps or teeth slanting inwards etc. But then extractions were done due to my overjet/ overbite.

Thanks again for everyone taking the time to reply. I’ve read and appreciate them all even if I haven’t personally replied to you.

Wow, you have lovely teeth/smile - seriously - such a beautiful smile. So white too! Echoing everyone else who thinks you look great :)

I had surgery, I have/had a very tiny lower jaw no chin and horrendous bite and pain.

I had a maxillary Osteotomy and genioplasty in 1999, I was 20, I needed to have stopped growing and I had very intensive orthodontic Work prior to this and afterwards. Made a massive difference but now my teeth cross over at the front and I feel it’s gone back a bit. It was a lot of work, pain, upset and discomfort but worth it.

Looking at your pics I understand your worries, but I think you’ve got a lovely smile and I’d have been happy if I’d looked like that prior to surgery, honestly your teeth are so white too. Do what you need to though, as I know that worrying what we all think isn’t it, it’s about the way you feel about yourself. But please do smile and I hope you find what you’re looking for x

When I look at the pictures OP I see someone with a lovely smile and teeth - genuinely.

No, your teeth aren't Hollywood perfect, but I'm not sure that's something to aspire to. I did read recently that a lot of people with "perfect" teeth are having them re-done to a state of "perfect imperfection" because the overly crafted dental work looks false and actually unattractive.

It's our flaws that give our faces warmth and character and in your case those "flaws" (whilst I'm sure feel a very important issue to you) are really very minor.

I appreciate after all the work you've had done, that the state of your teeth has become somewhat of a fixation and I say gently to you that perhaps it's time to try and reprocess your feelings.

Your teeth/smile might not meet the expectations you had wished for, but in truth perhaps that was never going to be be case? You would always find something to be dissatisfied with?

It's not dissimilar to people who go through endless rounds of plastic surgery to get the perfect nose for example and only after procedure 5 do they realise they are now worse off than where they started and should have stopped after operation #2.

Please think about what people have said on here. By all means seek a dental referral if you want but also consider than what you might need more is counselling wrt your self esteem.

OP, like a PP I would give my right arm to have your teeth and smile. I had orthomdoc work and braces as a teenager and have a veneer on one of my front teeth. My teeth are straighter than they were but nowhere near as straight as yours. In addition, I still have a milk tooth (one of my upper canine teeth) which is tiny compared to the rest of my teeth, and the adult tooth for that milk tooth is actually next to it so my smile looks extremely uneven.

I have just looked closely at my teeth in a photo of myself, and if you can see problems with your beautiful teeth and smile, I think you would consider mine utterly appalling. I am now actually a little worried what people think when they see me smile - are they looking at me thinking what an awful smile/set of teeth?

I’d kill for your teeth op. I am seeing an ortho this week mine are horrendous!

Op I am seriously jealous of your teeth! I have an upper tooth missing, the one that grows between the front one and the pointy one (these are the technical terms obviously ) as my pointy one is directly beside my front two on the left it feels very obvious and my eyes go straight to it in the mirror or in photos.

When I was younger my dentist said she could file my pointy one down so it blended better, my mum refused as she said it gave me ‘character’ .

I mentioned it at work the other day and no one had ever noticed! In fact I get a lot of compliments on my smile, a customer today told me I have a lovely smile!

Thank you everyone and DeRigueur there’s probably some truth in what you’ve said too.

We're moving this over to general health as the OP doesn't want it to disappear.

Wish you all the best Smile .

A lot of people get fixated about some aspect of their appearance, the irony being it's something no one else considers to be an issue.

You've had a lot of people on this thread (including Dentists) telling you how lovely your smile is. We don't know you and are not under any obligation to lie.

If I thought your teeth/smile needed "work", whilst in a personal capacity I'd never be so rude to say it, in the context of you asking for an honest opinion in this forum, I would.

So no platitudes or being "nice" - I think your teeth are fine.

Maybe time to reflect on the posts here and think about how the dental work (you've already had) has had such a positive impact to generate such a response, rather than focus on the inevitably diminishing returns of more (invasive) treatment to correct very minor cosmetic "flaws" (aka character).

You have lovely teeth & a lovely smile to match.