Metal Mouth Message Board

has anyone here been told that braces could compromise their existing teeth secondary to having short roots?

i've just been told this by my ortho. he advised me to only get bottom braces and frequent x=rays to see how my roots are doing during braces (treatment).

any info would be greatly appreciated!

I have heard that patients have succumbed to short roots before but I am not aware of the specifics. I would also be interested in knowing a bit more about it. My ortho never talked with me about short roots. The only time I received x-rays was before my braces were placed, and then I get them again once they are removed. The sound of this does frighten me a bit. I would hate to straighten my teeth, only to find out that I ruined them!

hey! well i don't know if this is of any help, but when my friend was going to get her braces, a few of her teeth on top had short roots and the ortho said that is would be risky to put braces on, since they could come out?? i guess. Well they investigated the matter, if you will, and decided that it should be ok to get them. At first they even thought it'd be best to pull those ones out and then fill it in later, but it worked out fine. If your ortho says it is alright as long as you check them regulary, I'm sure it'll be fine. Best of luck!

I have seen this discussed before and I think I might be confused... Do braces cause short roots? Or is this something that people have been told that they have before the braces were placed? I was never told that anything was wrong with my teeth before they were placed, would this mean that I am okay, or could short roots be a problem for anyone wearing braces?

I think some people already have short roots from the beginning, before any braces. It is sort of a genetic thing, i suppose. Hm though i could be wrong

Brooke wrote:I have seen this discussed before and I think I might be confused... Do braces cause short roots? Or is this something that people have been told that they have before the braces were placed? I was never told that anything was wrong with my teeth before they were placed, would this mean that I am okay, or could short roots be a problem for anyone wearing braces?

Root resorption is a "complication" that may happen while you are in braces. It's usually very small and that's pretty normal. Usually orthos take x-rays half way through the treatment to see how the roots are doing.

So to answer your question, braces may lead to shorter roots but it doesn't happen to everyone and it doesn't shorten by a lot. If you have any concers, talk to your ortho.

yes...to clarify...

short roots are genetic...braces can compromise teeth. i was asking if anyone else had to get frequent x-rays due to having short roots.


if your ortho hasn't said anything about short roots, you don't have to worry.

Hi Dogbreath,

I have four baby molars that they are moving with the braces. Since they a babies they have shorter roots than permanent teeth.

My ortho took x-rays at six weeks and at four months just to keep an eye on those baby teeth. So far the roots have stayed the same length, with no shortening.

Hope that helps

Shawnie

thanks shawnie, dichca and others!

yes, i have the genetic problem of short roots and braces could cause my teeth to fall out...(yes, just a tad terrifying)

so, he recommended braces only on the bottom bec. my roots on bottom are a little bit longer...he'll also have me take frequent x-rays to make sure my roots aren't shriveling up...

i'm scared but i guess if my mother could lose all her teeth and survive, i could too....(i think).

thanks for all your help people.

I have to add that short roots can also occur due to injury. I had an accident when I was a child that left me with short roots in both of my top front teeth (one also has a root canal). My dilemma was that my bite causes my bottom teeth to hit the back of those top teeth. So I need to get braces to fix the bite to preserve those teeth or do nothing and wait until my bite knocks them out someday.

The point is, my ortho is aware of my short roots, but she is not concerned enough to discount braces and she will take x-rays again when my pendex comes out and will monitor them throughout treatment.

hi there indy,
thanks for the reply. yes, trauma can cause short roots (that's why ordinary people can get root reabsorption from braces)....

i had a trauma to my two bottom teeth and now they are 'dead'...they had a natural root canal...meaning my teeth somehow had a natural root canal and the root is sealed (like a doctor induced root canal but the teeth did it naturally)....

strangely, it's my top teeth that have the shortest roots so my ortho put braces only on my bottom teeth and will monitor how it goes...(btw, i had braces on all my teeth for 8 months as a teenager just to close the gap between my front two teeth).....

my first day in braces didn't work out so well...during eating french onion soup and quiche, i lost 2 brackets and had to go right back in to replace them...the techs put on a lighter archwire too.

so far, this whole brace things sucks for me...he said i may not get to have full orthodontic treatment bec. of my short roots...it's a catch-22...i may have short roots from my poor bite, as everytime i chew, i'm giving my teeth trauma, but if i have braces, i could shorten my already short roots, thereby compromising all my teeth!!!!

what a dillema...

It was mentioned in the release I had to sign before my treatment started. When I asked about it, my ortho told me that unless you have naturally shorter roots, there's nothing to worry about. Root resorption (shortening) was a more common problem with older techniques, when teeth kept going back and forth a lot of times before getting into the final position. That was really grinding them down against the bone.

Now they have better tools to minimize amount of movement (like powerchains, springs, screws etc), so this is not a problem.

AND even if it does happen to you, it's not much of an issue unless you have periodontal disease. So if your gums are okay there's probably very little risk.

hi phanta,
thanks for your reply. yes, i DO have naturally short roots, that's why i'm scared. But after KK's comments, i feel better. my ortho will have frequent x-rays taken of my teeth to make sure my naturally short roots don't shrivel up even more!

as far as i know, i'm ok in the gum dept...not great, but not in disease state.


boy, nothing like a little scare to get one super-motivated to be an oral hygiene freak! i bought a sonicare toothbrush a couple of weeks ago and now, i'm REALLY using it...after every meal....and flossing at least once a day...

anyway, thanks for the reply. the more i learn, the better i feel.

worst case scenario is that i can't have braces and i have to watch my roots as i age....oh well...could be much worse.

thanks again,
dogbreath

Dogbreath,
you may want to see this article for gum disease prevention:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/ ... Your_Teeth

It's pretty old, but their advice seems just as relevant today

Not sure if you can use their peroxide routine with braces, but there's just some good info on cleaning, diet and salt rinses too.