Hey y'all! New with a couple of questions!

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#1 Post by **NishaGh1** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 1:59 pm

Hey y'all! I just started my treatment on March 19th, 2007. I'm about to be 20 in May and I just got my upper expander on that date. I've only had it on for a bit, but I'm worried that it doesn't seem to be working like it should. And one side seems to be expanding more than the other! Also, I'm going to be doing the FastBraces (Viazis) treatment and they said I will definitely have my braces off by my 21st birthday (next May), but that seems impossible. Would there be a problem moving my teeth so fast? Also, my ortho said he wants me to go see a perio to get some gum grafts done, but it's SO expensive and I can't afford it right now. Will my teeth fall out if I don't get it done?

#2 Post by **ABraces2007** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:45 am

I know that no orthodontic work can be done if there are any gum problems. So, periodontic check is a must to be done before getting braces.

#3 Post by **jf74** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:17 pm

An ortho is still a dentist, he should be able to tell if you have gums problem or not. Then if he has any doubt he should refer you to a specialist.

I know one of the ortho I met said it's very important that your gums is perfect before doing any work, he said I should get 2 gums graft before I start any orthodontic treatment, so I did the graft.

So even if it delays the orthodontics treatment and cost more money now I would get the graft. It will save you a lots of trouble later.

By the way a gum graft is nothing, it does not hurt a lot. I just took a tylenol after the operation and that's it. 2 days after I was eating almost anything, you just have to take care not to eat on the side of the graft for a week or 2 and you can't brush that area ( you get a special rinse wash to clean that area )

#4 Post by **ABraces2007** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:24 am

Well, i don`t know the way it works in US Mary, but here in Spain a professional ortho would ask you to go to all of them: dentist, hygenist and perio check and take a signed paper that they are aware of your orthodontic treatment and find your teeth in a good condition to begin with it. Well, at least i had to go to all of them.. fortunately my dentist and perio is the same person and hygenist is in the same dental clinic, so, i actually took an apointment with all of them together and they opened my mouth and checked it carefully. Of course, after that i had a perio treatment on one of my teeth and professional cleaning, fluor treatment, etc. Oh, and by the way, doesn`t your ortho make you sign a kind of paper that tells you are aware that orthodontic treatment can cause that and that and that (there are like 20 points of what it can cause on your teeth), so, if you don`t visit all of those before what is the point of signing this paper... if you are not sure your teeth and gums are healthy...
Well, Mary, i repeat, this is how it works here and i`m not sure it is the same in US and UK, and i found this system a good one, expensive though...

#5 Post by **ABraces2007** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 2:27 am

It is very similar the way it works here, KK.
We have no dental insurance, so dental care is "out of the pocket", well, of course you can go to the dentist in the state hospital or something, but that one would only recommend you to pull out a tooth, so, this option is not regarded by anyone.
So, in my case, as i didn`t know any dentist in this town (i moved here 2 years ago) , i actually went to the best ortho in all the provence, she is a well known Dr. here and the teacher at the Faculty of Dentistry of the State University. So, she send me, like in case of KK, with all those letters to the dentist she knew well... and since then they haven`t stopped talking about my teeth to each other. i`m really fortunate i found her, but i also should say any person is fortunate if can afford braces... you definitely can`t see many people with braces down the street... braces are still for rich people here in Europe.

#6 Post by **rsprouse** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 5:18 am

Just because the OP has gum problems does not mean that s/he cannot begin orthodontic treatment. There are plenty of "gum problems" that are not necessarily bacteria related that need to be addressed, but will have no major outcome on orthodontics. The OP may have thin tissue, recession, certain bone defects, etc. Depending on what type of graft is indicated will determine if it is a good idea or not. JF is correct, all Ortho's pay their dues in Dental School as well and should be qualified enough to know when a perio referal is necessary.

Best,
Rory