Would it be bad to debrace early?

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#1 Post by **genxsis** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:53 pm

After being told long ago by my ortho that I might be able to get my braces off at the end of April 2007, he then changed it to "a few more months", then he said "around Christmas", and now he's saying the end of January, which is exactly my 2 year point.

I'm afraid if I wait til then, he'll push the date up even further and just keep disappointing me! I'm not seeing any changes taking place anymore, and I'm satisfied with what progress has been made. I can't see anything that needs improving except for maybe a small space between one of my front teeth and the one next to it. That's been there the whole time now. It doesn't bother me.

What does bother me is some problems that seem to be arising, possibly from the braces. When I brush along the gumline on my lower right side, there is a place under one tooth that is feeling raw. I changed toothbrushes to see if that would help, but it's the same. I'm thinking that since I can't floss very well in that area, plus it's much harder for my hygeinist to do her job, plaque is building up and causing gum problems. I've noticed plaque build-up in other places too, but I can't do much about it because the braces are in the way.

So would it really hurt to get my braces off before my ortho says it's time. Even if it's just a few months early? I just don't want to regret it down the road.

#2 Post by **SandraJones** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 3:36 pm

I've thought about this myself, after reading many posts here from people who say that their orthodontists are keeping them in braces longer than originally intended, to tweak things here and there.

I'm 46. I am not seeking or even desiring perfect alignment or occlusion. I just want better. I"m willing to do 18 months, probably not much more than that.

genxsis, if you are younger, in your 20's or 30's, or if you are seeking perfection or as close to perfection as you can get, you might want to stick it out til your orthodontist says you're done.

When confronted with such decisions I usually try to project ahead 10 or 20 years and then look back from there ... will you ever regret keeping your braces on several extra months ? Might you regret taking them off before you've achieved the best you can achieve ?

Just my 2 cents.

#3 Post by **Clo** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 11:23 pm

Hi,

I think you need some "good's".

A good talk with your ortho why he is delaying debracing time. Meryaten is so
right when she tells you the bite is so important. A real stable end result is only
possble when the bite is right. Maybe he is just not satisfied with that aspect.
It is very normal for an adult to have braces for 15 months. But 2 years is also
very common. So this time frame is still very acceptable I think. I would start
to worry if he goes over that in a big way.

You need a good cleaning too. Ok, it is more difficult for a hygienist. But it is
very well possible. Indeed, plaque buildup can cause these issues you have.
So, a good cleaning can be a turning point after which everything starts to feel
a lot better again.

So, I would not debrace early.

#4 Post by **sashamax** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 4:14 am

everyone is different and people are in braces for various reasons. I have crowding and I am in my forties and this is my first time in braces. Whilst my teeth have never been perfect in that I have always had one front tooth slightly turned, over time more teeth began to turn and come closer together with the most noticable changes (to me) happening in the last 5-8 years.

I desire an improved appearance and am not seeking perfection for my teeth with regards to the way they look. Like SandraJOnes I just want something better than I have. I would be excited to return to having just 1-2 teeth not-quite-right as was when I was in my 20's. That said if I was 20 something and in braces I would probably want them to remain until my smile was perfect.

I am already experiencing benefits to the crowding becoming 'uncrowded' and my arches rounding out in that I can now floss easily between all my teeth and some nasty staining that had appeared due to the crowding of the teeth is now being cleaned away as the teeth are no longer so tightly packed and I can clean so much better.

For me I wanted to 'uncross' some teeth at the front and get an improved smile not necessarily a perfect smile.

I have discussed this with my ortho and whilst it is their preference to achieve perfection they do see things from my perspective.

After the health aspects are achieved with regards to achievement of a correct bite, I think age and attitude for the way you want to look will influence each personal desired outcome.

Ultimately the decision is yours and and someone else said try to focus on how you will feel a few/many years from now if you have them removed now v's if you wait until the perfect result is achieved. Only you can know what is best for you.

#5 Post by **cwatt1** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:12 pm

I agree with Meryaten -- very interesting discussion.

Here's my take -- the closer your ortho can get you to a healthy set of teeth, the better. Maybe not always, but usually, the appearance of your teeth and your overall oral health go hand in hand.

I have told my ortho that the health of my teeth is paramount, and that aesthetics are secondary. He agrees. I have a time estimate as to treatment, but I'm not going to worry about it if its exceeded.

Just my opinion...

#6 Post by **ellebee** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:09 pm

I can really relate to this post and thread. At my original consult my Ortho said I'd be in braces for 12 months. When I got my spacers he said something about 12 to 18 months. And then I noticed my chart said 18 to 24 months.

Being closer to 50 than to 40, I had a rough time adjusting to my braces and I told my Ortho I was going for improvement, not perfection. That was several months ago.

For a while I was seeing good progress. I asked if there was a chance I might be debraced by my daughter's wedding date, 10/20. He said, I don't see why not.

At my last appointment (8/31) I got a closing wire and elastics. He is now working on my bite, which was never terrible, just a bit off. I have to say I'm feeling a little disappointed. My lower laterals are almost but not quite unrotated. There is almost but not quite enough space.

I still want my braces off the sooner the better, but if a couple more months would allow my lower laterals to truly align, I would go for it.

My Ortho says he is going to do IPR once my bite is corrected. I wonder if he can safely take off enough to gain the space to completely unrotate my lower laterals. I think I need it anyway because aligning my lower teeth has left little "black triangles" at the gumline. They don't really show, even when I smile, but I'm aware of them and they make me feel like an old lady.

So, I've gone from wanting "improvement, not perfection" to wondering if staying the course just a little longer would get me much closer to "perfection" (meaning in my case, two arches that are actually arches).

On another note, I'm finding I can't sleep in my elastics. I use a night guard because I grind and I just can't sleep without it. So instead I'm keeping the elastics in all the rest of the time, including when I eat. It's also just too much bother to take them out and put them in for meals and snacks anyway. Hopefully that isn't a problem (?)

Good luck with your discussion/decision.

Elle

#7 Post by **HeyTeach** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:36 am

Assuming one's cost estimate is not being overly extended by the increased correction time, I would think extra time for better results would be worth the hassle. I am estimated at 12 months, but would gladly keep going for better oveerall results in function and appearance.

#8 Post by **iBorg** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 7:47 am

Time estimate? What time estimate?

When my treatment plan changed, my original 18-24 time frame was set aside. I haven't asked nor been told any time frame except that it would increase my treatment by at least a year. I know nothing more specific than that. I'm okay with that.

I thing a lot of the reason some may be wanting these things off and others are more accepting directly relates to why you have them. I'm wanting fewer TMJ issues and less grinding. A better appearance would also be appreciated.
If keeping them on three years or longer will give me that result, so be it. This year has gone by very quickly. I'm sure most of the next couple of years will do the same.

Mike

#9 Post by **genxsis** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:46 am

Thank you all for your insights on this matter! Just FYI, I am 36 years old, so I'm no longer a teenager or in my 20s. I mainly got the braces because my dentist said I had overcrowding problems that would lead to more problems down the road. I got braces because I wanted to keep my teeth for as long as possible. Perfection certainly wasn't what I was looking for, but when I look in the mirror now, I feel like I'm currently seeing it, compared to what my "before" picture shows.

I guess I just don't like the disappointment of being told that they'll be off in April, then October, then January.....etc. It just gets my hopes up only to let them down again!

#10 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:01 pm

Meryaten wrote:Some orthos suggest you take them out to eat, whilst others will instruct you to keep them in whilst eating. Definitely some configurations just don't lend themselves to eating If you're doing OK with it, I can't see that it does any harm to leave them in. But aren't you taking them out for cleanup afterwards anyway?

Did you mean the OSTRICH! Hahaha

My time frame was about 3 years. I'm in my 20's but I am paying so much money; I don't mind if it goes longer I won't mind if I need some extra time to get it as perfect as possible. Might as well get it done the right way since it's being done. That's my take, I only want shortcuts where it will not affect the final result. I don't want him to take shortcuts and end up with root resorption and exposed roots.

#11 Post by **acd** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 7:37 pm

It is a lot easier to leave them on now for a short time longer than to decide months or years down the road that you want to put them back on to fix something that could have been taken care of by leaving them on.

#12 Post by **BraceKate** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:01 pm

What interesting to me is how people say they're not interested in perfection, they don't care that much. If you don't care, then why do you care if you still have braces on your teeth? Why not just go all the way? You'll never get another chance!