I had four extractions prior to braces (premolars). All the gaps were closed, and I had great alignment while in braces with powerchains. Whenever the powerchains were taken off, the gaps would open up a few millimeters within a day. When the powerchains were put back on, the gaps would close within hours and I would have good contact between the teeth.
When my braces were removed, I had good contact between all my teeth. They popped off all the brackets, then scraped off the cement. Quite the violent process, if you ask me. They took the molds, then let me brush. I flossed while I was there, and I noticed that I had some small gaps where there was no contact between the neighboring teeth. The ortho said that the retainers would fix it.
Got my retainers two days later and wore them 12 hours a day as instructed. The gaps remained unchanged. I was having issues with getting food trapped in the gaps, so I went back to the ortho. He said to wear the retainers 24/7 for a month and that should fix it. It didn't. Gaps are still there, unchanged.
So it's 6 months since I got the braces off, and I'm stuck with these gaps. It's not a cosmetic issue. I have one gap in each quadrant... the lower gaps are on one side or the other of the premolars. The upper gaps are behind the canines. I can feel the gaps when I floss, and I can see one of the gaps.
I saw my ortho today for my 6-month retainer check. He looked, but didn't even bother to use floss or something to check the gaps. Just said that they were small and not to worry about them. But I'm still having problems with food getting caught in there, and I'm worried about the long-term risk of cavities. Plus, I can see the one gap, just behind my canine on the upper left, so it's visible to other people too.
My ortho suggested that the "best" solution would be to have my dentist revise all of the adjacent fillings to fill in the gaps. First of all, insurance won't cover replacement of perfectly good fillings. Secondly, the fillings are perfectly good, and I doubt it's a good idea to go in and replace them. Third, my dentist already discussed filling in gaps with fillings with me, and said that it's generally not a great approach, and can still lead to a risk of cavities because the filling doesn't fill the gap the whole way down.
I asked my ortho about fixing the gaps any other way, and he said that there wasn't any way. I pressed the issue and asked about retainers, and he said that it couldn't be done with essix retainers (which is what he uses). So I asked about hawleys, since I've read that adjustments can be made with those, and he said that yes it could be done that way. But qualified the statement, saying that it wasn't worth spending $500 on a course of retainers to fix it. He doesn't think that there would be stable results if he tried to fix it, either with retainers or braces again.
He believes that the gaps are due to shifting in the weeks following the removal of the braces, and that the retainers are closing the gaps at night and then they are opening up again during the day. But I've tried flossing first thing in the morning and the gaps are the same. I also wore the retainers 24/7 for a month, and there was no change in the gaps.
I think that the gaps opened up in the 1/2 hour between when they took off the braces and when they took the impressions. Especially with all the manipulation with snapping off the brackets and scraping the glue. The gaps were there when I flossed in the office right after they took the impressions. And that would explain why the retainers aren't fixing the gaps, because the gaps were there when they took the impressions for the retainers.
So I feel that he is responsible for fixing these gaps. I'm wondering if he took the braces off too early, since the gaps opened that fast. I would like him to use the retainers to close the gaps and then get a new retainer that will hold my teeth without the gaps.
He thinks that the retainers I have now should be holding my teeth without gaps, and the fact that the gaps are still there tells him that my teeth won't be stable if the gaps are closed.
So he refuses to do anything other than tell me to spend like $1000 to replace perfectly good fillings. I think he's just saying that the retainers wouldn't give good results because he doesn't want to have to pay for it. But I think that I deserve a good result that doesn't put me at an increased risk for cavities.
Does anybody have any advice??? Should I pursue this further? I am considering getting a second opinion from another ortho, but I don't want to waste my time if my ortho really is right. But my gut feeling is that he is done with my case and doesn't want to put out any more money for my treatment. But I paid in full for my treatment, and I want to be happy with my results.
Gaps after braces removed
Moderator: bbsadmin
He sounds lazy, I would make him fix the gaps because they were closed before and should closed again. I would get the other retainers as well and make him pay for it and fix it properly this time. It's his job to close gaps and you paid him for it. I would make a scene in front of other parents about his inability to do his job properly if he refuses. He sounds very frustrating! Or you can write bad reviews about him online and ruin his reputation. That's all he has anyways. I know thats mean but I wouldn't put up with any less from someone I expect to do their job. If he can't fix the gaps I would ask for a partial refund because I'm sure another orthodontist would actually try to fix something they were supposed to do right the first time. Yes teeth shift and all but you entrusted him to fix it. I just won't give up.