Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello,

I started my treatment in March 2004 for overjet and crowding in the lowers. My treatment is almost complete with the exception of a 1mm canine lateral space in the upper left that has not been closing at all for about 3 months. I go in every 2-3 weeks for a new set of powerchains. Today my ortho said that in very rare cases a type of inflammation occurs( he is not sure that is the case with me) and the teeth stop moving. In that case he says he will remove my braces, put me in a retainer and after a few months, put the braces back on and then the space closes almost immediately. I have an appointment with the periodontist tomorrow to check if that(the inflammation) is indeed the case with me. If not we just have to wait and see if the gap closes( maybe in about a couple of years) . I asked him about bonding and he said it may not look good as the teeth on one side will appear bigger. I am tired of these braces and cannot wait to get rid of them. I would greatly appreciate any opinions on this. Thank You in advance. This is a great forum.

Can you live with the space? Is it terribly noticeable? Does it interfere with your bite? I guess these are the things I would ask myself. I'm early on in my treatment but I think if I were that close to the end I would call it good enough. That's just my opinion. It all depends on how you feel about it.

Thanks CLAmom for the reply. I am in two minds about this since I have come this far.
The space is slightly noticeable. However my teeth look hundred times better than what I started out with and if my teeth looked like they do now I would not have got braces. My bit is perfect according to my ortho.

I'm with CLAmom on this one.

If the space isn't too bad (1 mm doesn't sound like a lot...though I'm not sure if I know how a 1mm space looks like between teeth ) then I would just leave it alone if I really didn't want to go back to wearing braces after a little while.

How long would you have to wear the braces again? If it would be for a month or 2...than maybe it's worth it...but if it's like 6 months or so...than you need to think if that space will bother you in a while...

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks KK and Flora2006. My ortho said that in 23 years of treating patients he has seen few cases like this and they have worked out. 1mm of space does look kind of big when it is between teeth. I will see what my perio says tomorrow. I am hoping that when I have the braces back on, it will be just for a couple of months. It has been a long journey starting with the removal of my wisdom teeth and I am not looking forward to having them removed and then putting them back on again . Thank you so much for your replies!!

Personally, I'm shooting for perfection, so I would want the gap closed. Think about it...you've already spent a long time in braces and I'm assuming spent a lot of money on your teeth. Why not make it completely worth it by having the most perfect smile possible?

Thank you Leslie022. You are right. If I get them removed now I may regret later.