Extraction & Braces for Adult

[jmsim]

Hello,

I am new here. I am a 38 year old female who has never had the opportunity to get braces and I have finally decided to get them.
1. The 1st Orthodontist, whom my son went to, said I would need a lower front incisor removed. The top he is not sure of, possbily after 9 months of wearing he would see where I was and make the decision then about removing a top molar.

2. I went for a 2nd opinion and that Orthodontist only recommended removing a top tooth (not molar, but one behind the canine). He wouldn't even discuss lower until I made a down payment, which seemed kind of weird. But it is funny and kind of scary that both told me something different.

I am going with the 1st Orthodontist since he seemed more through and I am already familar with his practice from my son's experience. I am scheduled for 2/20.

I am concerned about the extractions. My son never had to get teeth removed to get braces, so it never even crossed my mind that I would need to until my consultation. My Internet research doesn't give much support for extractions. I have read so much negativity about it. Such as sunkin face/eyes, dark circles, change in profile, etc. Plus I can't really find many people discuss positive experiences with extractions for braces.
Also, my son who is 17 doesn't understand why I would fork over so much money for my teeth. His comment was that I am "already married and have a job" so why worry about it? I am pretty sure a better smile will = more self confidence.

Anyway, it would be helpful to hear of positive experiences from extractions with braces. Thank you!

[djspeece]

I had an extraction, #21 (lower left) because it had taken a serious tilt toward the tongue due to severe overcrowding. It's working fine for me. I also had a bad crown removed, #30 I think on lower left. Braces are eliminating the gaps, and so far, so good.

[kathydell]

I had the lower right incisor because of excessive crowding on the bottom. It's worked out really well for me but it's definitely not for everyone. Just remember that extractions are forever so ask lots of questions to understand the impact and why it's being recommended.

[metalat40]

Wisdom teeth out in college...

4 bicuspids (2 top, 2 bottom) pulled mid-January; braces on 1 week ago.

I'm 39 with severe overcrowding and a very small mouth. My Ortho RARELY has teeth pulled, but expanding my palate is not an option. Plus, leaving all teeth in would be harmful to the gum tissue, as it would force my teeth to move in a way that would jeopardize the health of my gums (thin out what is already a bit thin).

I am not worried about it. Leaving them in would have been problematic.

My son will likely get a palate expander and not need extractions. He's young and mold-able like that.

[Matilda]

All 4 of my first premolars were extracted 10+ years ago and all 4 of my wisdom teeth were removed last week.

[Angel21]

Extractions are often necessary and the only way. Most people that have had braces often have extractions and not all experience negative side effects. Or if they do, the positive definitely outweigh it. Difference is the one's that benefited from it aren't going to keep talking about it on the internet. There are celebrities that have had them even.

[Matilda]

Extractions are often necessary and the only way. Most people that have had braces often have extractions and not all experience negative side effects. Or if they do, the positive definitely outweigh it. Difference is the one's that benefited from it aren't going to keep talking about it on the internet.

I agree. I feel so much better without all those teeth in my mouth, especially the wisdom.

[jenim]

All 4 of my first premolars were extracted 10+ years ago and all 4 of my wisdom teeth were removed last week.

Hi Matilda,
Do you have your profile pic of yours in ths forum that I can see? If so, can you please give me the link? I had my child's 4 premolars extracted 2 years ago, and am worried if that was not the right decision for her.

[jenim]

Extractions are often necessary and the only way. Most people that have had braces often have extractions and not all experience negative side effects. Or if they do, the positive definitely outweigh it. Difference is the one's that benefited from it aren't going to keep talking about it on the internet. There are celebrities that have had them even.

Hi Angel, I've just started to research and want to get an idea of how it turned out for people who had these extractions as children/teen - but are adults now and are happy with how they look, inspite of the extractions. Do you know which celebrities have had the extractions?

[Angel21]

Hi jenim,

These are a few celebrities it looks like who've had extractions.. I'm not sure at what age they did them, but most likely did them young so people wouldn't know about it when they're older!

Kylie Minogue:



Kate Middleton:



(lesser known) Stephanie Leonidas:



I think in a general case, people with larger teeth or over-jets have to have extractions as there is simply no room to straighten them. It doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on the end result, in fact it's often a big improvement!

[Featheryy1221]

My sister had her four pre-molars extracted when she was 13 and her smile turned out great. Her teeth and my teeth are a little large for our tiny mouths, so in her case the extractions worked out very well. I was told by two orthos I'd need extractions (one said four premolars, the other said a lower incisor tooth), but I went another route (with my sister's old ortho, he just doesn't do extractions anymore).

However, extractions are pretty common in adult patients, and most people I've seen on here haven't had much of a problem at all with them. As long as your ortho knows what he's doing (which I'm sure he does), and you feel confident in him, I would trust his judgement. If you're not completely positive with his plan, you can always visit another orthodontist just to see what another one says. Good luck with your treatment!

[Matilda]

All 4 of my first premolars were extracted 10+ years ago and all 4 of my wisdom teeth were removed last week.

Hi Matilda,
Do you have your profile pic of yours in ths forum that I can see? If so, can you please give me the link? I had my child's 4 premolars extracted 2 years ago, and am worried if that was not the right decision for her.

Hey jenim, I don't have any pictures on this forum yet but I may post some soon.

[jenim]

Angel, thanks for posting those celebrity pics. Who's this Stephanie, wow..she's so beautiful IMO.
I would've never guessed that these folks would've had any extractions, except may be Kate, but she naturally has a thin upper lip. One similarity between these celebrities seem to be that they have bigger teeth than normal. So, may be they were good candidates for extraction.
I saw your pic too, you don't have that downward curve of the lip that I'm seeing in my daughter.

[chichi]

How about Heidi Klum:



and Nina Dobrev:

[Angel21]

Angel, thanks for posting those celebrity pics. Who's this Stephanie, wow..she's so beautiful IMO.
I would've never guessed that these folks would've had any extractions, except may be Kate, but she naturally has a thin upper lip. One similarity between these celebrities seem to be that they have bigger teeth than normal. So, may be they were good candidates for extraction.
I saw your pic too, you don't have that downward curve of the lip that I'm seeing in my daughter.

No problem, I'm sure there are many others out there that have had them too!

Yeah if you have big teeth or a small mouth, it's very likely extractions are the only way and will actually give a great result.

I've noticed the space between my nose and mouth has a tiny bit more of a slope after having 2 teeth taken out (not when I smile), but that's to be expected as I had quite a big overjet and crowding. Removing teeth and then pushing everything back will have some facial changes, but they're not all for the bad! Some even say their face looks better for it, more slimmer. It depends on the person, if they already have sunken in cheeks, dark circles, etc then it'll probably accentuate that more. The only other alternative can be surgery or leaving the teeth crowded, it depends on how much you want straight teeth really, whether it's worth it to you. Everyone knows a good smile makes a person a lot more attractive. I know I definitely look better with straighter teeth than I did before.

Who's this Stephanie, wow..she's so beautiful IMO.

I was looking up an old program I used to watch which she was in, then I found that pic and it looked to me like she had extractions. Though I'm not 100% sure! If people can have extractions and still look amazing then it's not all bad!

chichi, thanks for adding more pics! The one of Nina Dobrev doesn't seem to work. I'll try this one: