Dear Forum members,
As my doctor claimed my teeth were to big for my jaw, I had 8 teeth pulled in my youth before the braces were put in place (4 wisdom teeth, 4 normal teeth). I am now 25 years of age. My braces have been removed for multiple years, but they attached a permanent retainer behind my teeth, to keep them in place. As I have read up on the topic, I have concluded that this procedure (especially the teeth removal) might have negatively affected my bone development. I have a slightly recessed jaw, nothing too obvious for the normal observer. Nonetheless, I have practiced holding the proper tongue posture, swallowing correctly and "mewing" for the last couple of years. I however have read that the permanent retainer might be hindering the benefits sought by these practices. Additionally, since I am already above the age of bone maturation, there might be littel non-surgical methods available to me.
If there is anyone with a similar experience, I'd be interested to hear about your results after bone maturation and after tooth removal. For anyone else, I'd like to know if am I correct in my assumption that:
(1.) I would achieve better results from "mewing" with the retainer removed, and
(2.) there is little to improve naturally in terms of bone-structure after the age of 25.
Thank you in advance.
As my doctor claimed my teeth were to big for my jaw, I had 8 teeth pulled in my youth before the braces were put in place (4 wisdom teeth, 4 normal teeth). I am now 25 years of age. My braces have been removed for multiple years, but they attached a permanent retainer behind my teeth, to keep them in place. As I have read up on the topic, I have concluded that this procedure (especially the teeth removal) might have negatively affected my bone development. I have a slightly recessed jaw, nothing too obvious for the normal observer. Nonetheless, I have practiced holding the proper tongue posture, swallowing correctly and "mewing" for the last couple of years. I however have read that the permanent retainer might be hindering the benefits sought by these practices. Additionally, since I am already above the age of bone maturation, there might be littel non-surgical methods available to me.
If there is anyone with a similar experience, I'd be interested to hear about your results after bone maturation and after tooth removal. For anyone else, I'd like to know if am I correct in my assumption that:
(1.) I would achieve better results from "mewing" with the retainer removed, and
(2.) there is little to improve naturally in terms of bone-structure after the age of 25.
Thank you in advance.
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