For the past 2 to 3 months my teeth have been driving me crazy. A year and 1/2 ago I got braces because my teeth were crooked & crowded. While my teeth were straigtening out perfectly, I noticed that they flared out a bit. So right before I was scheduled to have them removed, I addressed this to my orthodontist, so I was told he would have to shave in between teeth to bring them in, since they were straight and there was no more room for them to bring in. I noticed a little, sublte difference the first time, so the next time I came in, I asked him to do it again……BIG mistake. the moment I got home I looked in the mirror and to my horror, my two front teeth, looked completely small. THese were the teeth that used to rest on my bottom lip, now seemed so slim and short! I was told that he did not shorten the length, he only went in between. ANd to make things worse, they still had that flared out, diagonal appearance. I told myself that it was all in my head, that when my braces came off they will look fine, although this was when I started getting paranoid about my teeth, looking at them all the time and worrying.
Once my braces came off, they were…..ok. I went home, just happy that I got those damn things off, but thats when I started to notice that my whole mouth changed. THat my two fron teeth, my "smiling" teeth, were still much too small and sunken in. I went back in and addressed this to my orthodontist, which told me my teeth were fine, and I asked to have the whole "taking my teeth in"procedure reversed, which of course is not reversable. And after talking to him more, I realized that rather than "tipping" my teeth in, he had moved them inward, (if that makes any sense)
This little thing has comsumed me, I wish I could turn back time and got my braces off when I was supposed to, rather than having this procedure done..sometimes I wish that I never had braces. It's come to the point where I sought therapy, and my therapist has diagnosed me with deporession, anxiety, and she also said that I may have OCD. A doctor has prescribed my zoloft, which I have been taking for 5 days. I don't think it has taken effect yet. Sorry for my long rant, but has anyone gone through this? I think to myself how stupid I am to worry about something so small, to let it consume me this much. I am healthy, my family is healthy, my daughter is healthy, I have a job, my glass is half full, right? Some days are good, most are bad, and EVERY morning is horrible. And I never used to be like this. I could care less about teeth before, now I notice everyones teeth, and see what I could have had, and it sends me spiraling all day long. I wish I could get my old self back again. I was happy, energetic, so positive. I'm worried that I am affecting everyone around me, including my daughter. Again, sorry for this long rant, but HELP! Has anyone ever felt like this for something so small?
well what you describe kinda sounds like a body dysmorphic disorder type thing. Not that you have that but that you are obsessing about something that other people don't notice. A lot of us have these types of issues. Some people feel they have bumps on their skin that no one else sees or something we obsess about body wise that no one else notices. I feel like my nose is huge. In reality I know its not and yet I will go through dozens of pics of me hating how big my nose looks to me. Even though its normal size and proportionate to my face. The feeling is still there. I don't have the teeth issue but I certainly understand it.
Yes, I have had similar obsessions, particularly about teeth, including wishing I had not had a procedure done. I clench and grind and have had numerous night guards and also had my molars ground down to supposedly improve my bite, but it only made them worse. It's gotten so bad that I have a horrible time trusting dentists any more. Fortunately, your problem is mostly cosmetic, so you should try to get past the obsession–it certiainly sounds OCD-ish and, even if it's not, it will probably respond to similar treatment. If you succeed in putting this into perspective but find in a year or two that you still hate the look, you can find a different dentist or orthodontist and see what they can do to repair it.[br][br] One thing you should know is that Zoloft (and most other SSRIs) can cause clenching and grinding, mostly during sleep. It's not a particularly common side effect but it does happen so, if you find it becomes a problem, tell your prescribing doctor and/or talk to your dentist about a bite guard. Good luck with your therapy.
Thank you all for your responses. It helps getting everyone's insight on the whole situation. I feel so awful about this because it seems completely vain and shallow when I hear myself talk about it. ANd I really do try to block it out of my head, but all it takes is me looking in the mirror, or when I see pictures of my old self with my almost perfect teeth, that gets my uncontrolable thoughts going of what I could, or should, or would have done…how I didn't need that dumb procedure, how all I really needed was to wear my retainer, my teeth were fine…etc . Or even just feeling around in my mouth, particularly my two front teeth. I literally loathe the way my face looks now. So I try to stay away from social media, looking at myself in the mirror, On the weekends I've isolated myself in my home, Will this feeling subside? Has anyone on zoloft had a positive outcome? I even went to a cosmetic dentist to inquire about having veneers put on, but I got the feeling that he thought I was a little crazy, I'm sure it was because I had to fill out a form and answer "yes" to being treated for depression, which was an odd question. And he said that I didn't need them. I feel like I'm at a dead end at the moment. I think I've said it before, and everyone keeps telling me that it will happen, but I just rea;;y want my old self back again.
They usually pull the wisdom teeth instead.