Is Adult Orthodontic Treatment A Scam?

[dreamharp]

I just got my braces off. My teeth look fantastic! However, my dentist
claims adult teeth always move a lot. A retainer must be worn for
"the rest of your life" he claims. The chances are very high that adult
teeth will just get crowded and crooked again in a few years.

I also hear a lot about children getting braces and then they are at square one again, getting braces a second time to straighten out teeth.

It appears the cycle keeps on going- get braces, years later you need them
again. What is your opinion on this?

[shinyam]

No, braces are not a scam. People only need braces again because they ddn't wear their retainers like they were supposed to.

[jay]

sorry shinyam have to disagre i had braces for two years when i was a kid (14-16) i wore my retainers every day 24-7 for about a year and a half until my ortho discharged me.
now here i am 12 years later with braces again because i simply had a relapse and my teeth have moved over the years back to where they were before.
i also no of one of my school mates who had braces again because his teeth have just moved back again.
where as now you keep your retainers permenent when i had them as a kid they were took off you when you were discharged.

[jenns91civic]

shinyam is right....rets for a year and a half isn't long enough. As an adult your teeth move so if you dont wear them forever, you will need braces again later

[Chocoholic]

Hey All,

My ortho told me I'd have to have permanent retainers once my treatment has finished as without them the teeth could very well move back. I have a friend who's just out of braces and he has a removable retainer, but he says if he forgets it, a day later he can barely get it on his teeth as they've already begun to move - scary stuff.

My ortho has had braces and has permanent retainers himself so I trust what he's telling me.

Why don't we post this in 'Ask the Doc' for their response.

[Rebraced]

It all sounds to familiar. I have had the same problem with my teeth crowding and turning a bit in the last few years and that is why I am here now.
When I was 15-17 I had braces which did a wonderful job. I was kinda confused because I did not get a retainer and I questioned him about it. He said it was not necessary. A few years later I went back because my teeth were moving and my mom wanted to know what was going on. My ortho said they would have to start treatment again for a few months. At the time I was like no way I am done. Now a few more years have passed and I really began to notice to many changes and decided to go and do something about it.

Since I had moved I found a very good ortho and am back in braces again for a second time and have had them now for just about two weeks. He told me I will have to wear a retainer forever at night or the teeth will move. Aparently they are still learning why teeth move back to their original position. He called it a MEMORY that they have.

It's been only two weeks and I can see my teeth moving already. I hope this all works.

[Attagirl2]

My thought on why teeth move as we get older, is that we are constantly chewing! Immagine the stress we put on our molars each time we eat or chew gum. Also, remember as adults, we are now losing calcium out of our bones - that includes our jaw bones. Remember how orthodontics works to move the teeth and roots with braces? I would imagine it works the same without braces, we just don't notice until things have shifted significantly.

[KittyW]

Aparently they are still learning why teeth move back to their original position. He called it a MEMORY that they have.

Well, I am hoping that after my treatment, my teeth have a BAD MEMORY and stay put in their new position!!!

[SW]

I wore my retainer faithfully for the required year after getting my braces off (top teeth) as a kid, and then I didn't have to wear it anymore (which was the accepted practice at the time) and the permanent retainer that was on my bottom teeth was removed too. For some reason, I saved the retainer and came across it a couple of years later and for the fun of it popped it in to see if it still fit. It didn't. If you looked at my teeth, they didn't look like they had shifted, but obviously they had. Over the course of many years though, my teeth shifted a lot. I don't know any adults who have had braces who haven't had some shifting happen. In my case though, I know that things got bad because I grind my teeth when I sleep, causing a lot of premature wear and stress on my teeth. In addition to what was already said, adults can have teeth move (who haven't worn braces) as they get older as the result of having crooked teeth that accelerates wear, from gum disease and recession, and missing teeth which can cause the surrounding teeth to drift.

[sparklecopy]

what about clenching your teeth when you sleep? It's so weird. If you clench your teeth your teeth will shift but if you leave your mouth slackjawed your mouth gets dry and tooth decay sets in. A total catch-22.

[amychelle]

Orthodontics is just like anything else...

When you go on a diet, if you don't stay on it you don't stay skinny.

When you work out, if you don't keep working out you don't stay strong.

When you learn, if you don't practice you forget.

Even tatoos fade.

Nothing is majic, and this is coming from an extreme optimist.

Accept it. Maybe you'll be lucky, but I wouldn't take chances if you really want "perfect" teeth.

[bbsadmin]

I think that what most people don't realize is that teeth are dynamic. I certainly never realized that before I got into this stuff. When we chew, when we clench, when our tongues butt up against our teeth, the force over time will move teeth.

It's a bummer to think that you'll have to wear your retainer forever, but unfortunately it's a reality.

In addition, if you had ortho treatment as a kid and then later your wisdom teeth erupted, this may also push your teeth out of alignment.

When in doubt, always get a few opinions before making a decision about treatment. It will put your mind at ease.