i don’t drink or smoke. 

so i’m at the end of treatment, my remaining appointments (2) will involve getting my impressions and taking them off, which my ortho said my last appointment will happen by the end of may/beginning of june. i honestly forgot exactly in which of these 2 appointments i will be getting them off, but that’s the gist.

however, for a while now ive always noticed that my top four/six teeth seem slanted in some way, upwards towards MY right side. i think its especially noticeable in the difference between my upper lateral incisors. idk if just a problem with how high or low these teeth are or a problem w my arch. 

i don’t think it’s just these top teeth though, because overall recently noticed that my bottom four teeth don’t really align that straight, they seem to slant upwards towards MY left. 

this all makes it seem like my right side slightly more open than my left. i’m not sure if it’s my canines or my incisors or what, i’m obviously not an orthodontist so i can’t really tell what it is exactly, but after taking all these pictures, i can tell they’re definitely not perfect. 

but i only have like 2 or less months of treatment. im not sure if it will be fixed by then, or if i should contact my ortho and ask her if i should be wearing rubber bands even though she didn’t mention that explicitly in our last appointment. ive started to wear the triangle shape rubber bands on both sides because im rlly paranoid that this right-side gap will keep getting bigger if my canine continues to shift upward, which i have noticed in the past it does if i had forgotten to wear my rubber bands for a day or two. 

i know i know it’s not a good idea to use rubber bands if your ortho didn’t tell you to, but i honestly i don’t really remember if she explicitly said to not wear rubber bands or if she just forgot to mention it or something, because just guessing from the bit that i know abt how they work, the triangle bands (from the top canine to the bottom canine + 1st premolar) are meant to bring your canine down and close your bite. 

and from the about a week or so that i’ve started to wear the rubber bands, i have noticed the gap start to close, which i’ve included in a comparison photo from btwn today and my last appointment. still uneasy about continuing to do wear them though, obviously.   

i had told my ortho in my last appointment (mar 19) that i’m a bit concerned with this gap and whether or not it will close and she just said (rubber bands should fix it) but i’m not sure if she meant the bands that they put on the wire or the ones that you have to change out every few hours. 

another bit of info, my treatment is completely covered by insurance, so i’m not sure if i am able to delay treatment any longer because im not sure if that messes with my insurance coverage somehow. 

i just need some advice on what i should do, if i should stop guerilla-wearing these triangle rubber bands and contact my ortho lol, what i should bring up to my ortho in the next appointment, if you think it’ll be fine by my next appt, or just any thoughts on my situation are appreciated!! 🫶🏼

ortho says i'll get my braces off by the end of May, but i'm not sure i'll be happy w the results by then?