The Crossbite Story-Past:-x

I got braces mainly to correct a crossbite... I also had some other issues... I had a baby tooth (at the age of 29) that had been loose for years, and my 2 top front teeth were slightly bucked.  But I'll talk about that other stuff later.  Back to crossbites!  I was actually told by my orthodontist that crossbites are uncommon.  A crossbite can be just one tooth or a group of teeth on your top row that fall behind your bottom row of teeth... the opposite of an overbite.  Here's what mine sort of looked like:

From what I've read, crossbites are usually hereditary, but can also be caused by thumb/finger sucking (me), or enlarged tonsils, or delayed loss of a baby tooth (also me), or a tooth that grows in abnormally, or mouth breathing, or doing handstands... ok, sorry... that last one was a little joke.  

I noticed as I got older, my crossbite seemed to worsen.  My dentist referred me to an orthodontist.  I wondered how braces would be able to correct my bite problem.  I mean, all I knew was that braces push teeth in (of course I now know they can do so much more than that).  Well, in my ignorance, the orthodontist proceeded to tell me that to correct my crossbite, I would need to have SURGERY... ahhhhhhhh!!!!  At that point, I just wanted to forget the whole thing.  The orthodontist explained to me that crossbites are better corrected during childhood-- because your palatal bones (in the roof of your mouth) have not yet fused together.  When you have a crossbite, the orthodontist will usually place an expander in your mouth so your arch can easily be pushed wider... this will allow your upper row of teeth to sit the way they are supposed to.  Problem is, for us adults, it ain't always that easy--once those palatal bones have closed, it makes it harder to correct the crossbite... and that's where the SUURRRGERY (in my horror movie voice) comes in.  First, I would need to see an oral surgeon who would cut my fused palatal bone to make it 2 again (ouch!)... then, I would need to wear the expander, and eventually braces--YIKES!

Just because I am an adult with a crossbite doesn't necessarily mean surgery is my fate? 

I had to get a second opinion, and a then a third-- heck, braces aren't cheap... and the talk of surgery didn't necessarily have me jumping for joy.  Both the 2nd and 3rd orthodontist claimed that my crossbite could be fixed without surgery (because my crossbite was slight), and for a lot less money.  So I ended up going with the 3rd orthodontist's treatment plan, because she was the cheapest, and had the cleanest office, and the experience, and you guessed it... she said, "NO SURGERY."

Here I am today... I am quite happy with the decision I made.  I am still wearing my braces, but my orthodontist has successfully corrected my crossbite.  How?  Ok, here's where that baby tooth comes in... I had a baby tooth in my bottom row of teeth... after it was removed, the space it left behind was closed... which allowed for my top row of teeth to better overlap my bottom row.  I wore elastics that hooked from the backs of my uppers to the front hooks on my lowers.  Even though the elastics are a pain in the butt, they have been instrumental in correcting my bite. 

So that's my story... Ciao Crossbite!

:-#