I've always been pretty insecure with my teeth and smile so I decided to get braces 3 years ago. I spent a lot of money of my own money paying for them and spent a lot of time having it on and I'm expected to get it off this spring.
The problem is, I've noticed that my smile has become uneven (one side is a higher than the other) and my teeth do not align in the center anymore. Previously, prior to getting my braces, my teeth were aligned in the center although I did have a few crooked teeth here and there - hence me getting braces.
Originally, I was supposed to have my braces on for about 1 1/2 years - 2 years. By 1 1/2 years, my dentist told me that I should either shave my teeth (to make room for my teeth to shift) or to remove some teeth. I asked him, as a professional, what would be his opinion. He decided right then and there to shave down my teeth - with my consent. Of course I gave him it because it should be better than removing teeth, right? Because once your teeth are gone they are gone. (My teeth are small now though, and often times I feel like they are too small for my mouth, which is saying something because I already have a small mouth, but this just might be because I am really sensitive with my teeth and am not used to how they are.)
Then, a few months later, he said that my mouth was still too overcrowded and recommended that I remove some teeth. I hesitated, but finally decided to do so because my teeth hadn't improved for a while. However, ever since I removed them, I noticed that my alignment had shifted. My lower teeth are currently shifted to the right about 1-2mm and my top teeth are shifted to the left about 3-4mm, however, it has been inconsistent for a while now (meaning they shift mm here and there). The first time I voiced out my concern to him (which was a few months after I removed some teeth; just more than half a year from today), he said that they will shift as time passes. He gave me elastics. The second time (during the fall I think) I told him what was wrong, he said that the bottom teeth are usually hidden by the top portion so it is okay if the bottom is shifted, but he changed my elastics so that I wore them on one side only.
About a month or two ago, he told me to stop wearing the elastics in general. While the bottom alignment has changed (for the better), my top teeth seem to have shifted worse. I told him the problem again and he said that the only way for me to get my alignment to the middle again is to wear headgear. But, I suppose to satisfy me for the time being (which is what I feel like he did tbh), he has put me back on elastics but I am expected to take off my braces in 2-3 more visits which is approximately 2 1/2-4 more months.
My wisdom teeth are coming in so I am also concerned about whether or not they are the reason for my uneven smile. My right side is a higher on my left and while I have been told my friends and family that it is not too noticeable in real life, it it really evident in pictures... My wisdom teeth do not hurt or anything, so I was told not to remove them unless necessary? (I'm really just hoping that once I get my braces off and my wisdom teeth fully come in, they do not affect the straightness of my teeth.)
Anyway, my concerns are: should I expect for my teeth to become perfect and normal within the next few months? Should I even expect to have them perfect if I ask to keep them on for a bit longer or is all hope lost at this point? Will my uneven smile return to being normal again once my term is finished? Should I get a second opinion from another dentist?
I'm just really sensitive about my teeth and I was made fun of it throughout most of my life. I choose my current orthodontist because he did a really good job on my sister's teeth and he has a reputation within my mother's social circle as a good orthodontist.
I can upload before and current pictures if wanted, but I'd really prefer not to because I am still sensitive about how they look.
