[kiddalid]

Hi, I'm a 22 year old student from Liverpool. When I was little I had an accident that ended in bashing my teeth on a coffee table, pushing them up into my gums. The dentist I originally had said that this would not affect my adult teeth, however when they eventually came through, they did not grow to where they should be and now I do not have an overbite at all, infact there is approximately a 3mm gap in between my top and bottom teeth (I can stick my tongue through when my teeth are fully closed).

My teeth are reasonably straight, however the gap does cause a lot of problems when eating - especially when my favourite food is sushi, I can never tear the rolls with my mouth - plus doing silly things that come second nature to most people (like tearing sellotape, I can't tell you the amount of times it has backfired, stuck to my lip and ended in alot of pain and bleeding!) Obviously it has also led to alot of confidence issues.

I know that I should be able to get this fixed on the NHS, however I have no idea how to start the process or where to go. Can anybody help me with this? Also could anybody recommend any dentists that I should go to for the veneers, I have heard some horror stories and would like my teeth to look as natural as possible!

Thanks alot for your help, I can't wait to be able to eat normally!!

[Dr Pav Khaira]

This does not sound like a problem that should be fixed with veneers. I would recommend that you seek the help of an orthodontist.

Tearing sellotape with teeth is an extremely bad idea, FYI!

I hope this helps

Kindest regards

[kiddalid]

Haha oh I know it is, I was just trying to think of a second nature/every day example.

I've already had a brace, but that did not solve the problem of giving me some form of overbite. How would I go about starting the process and just having a consultation, do I need to go to a cosmetic dentist or privately or via the NHS? I'm just really confused about it all.

Thanks for your help so far!

[Dr Pav Khaira]

Given your concerns I would advise that you find a specialist orthodontist and arrange to see them privately. If you have a dentist already you could ask them if they know of anyone

I hope this helps

[prosman]

i agree with Dr Pav, a second opinion on orthodontics should be your first port of call