Metal Mouth Message Board

I'll be getting my braces shortly, and am hopeful that when I see my regular dentist three days beforehand I won't have any cavities. But I'm wondering what would happen if that's the case? Would I need to delay by b-day until I get the cavity filled?

Also, what happens if someone develops a cavity during the time s/he is wearing braces?

Just thinking of these things as I approach the "big day"...

I had a cleaning before my braces bc they suggested it. And I had one cavity and they filled it. They also told me that the tooth was weak (since they took out the old filling and replaced it and that in a few years I'll most likely need a crown. So that worried me w/ braces so I asked the ortho on my records day and he assured me it wouldn't effect anything. I don't think a cavity will delay your braces. They could most likely do both the same day or atleast a day later.

When I had my consultation with my ortho, he said that all cavities had to be filled before I could get my braces. My dentist also told me that I needed to take REALLY good care of my teeth while in braces b/c she wouldn't be able to do much in the way of fillings while I have the braces. I had heard before getting braced that some people have quite a few cavities when they get their braces off. It kinda makes sense b/c the places that are most neglected are prone to various types of build-up and eventually cavities are the surfaces of the teeth that are covered by appliances (you know, those little places where it is hard to clean around the metal) and the dentist can't very well get all drill-happy around the metal

I'd just say take really good care of your teeth while in your braces!

Thanks, all, for the feedback.

Sounds like the best thing to do if I end up with cavities (hopefully not!) at my pre-brace dental appointment - and they can't be filled at the same appointment -- is to call my ortho and ask him whether or not I need to push back b-day.

I put the cart in front of the horse in that I made the appointments to get braces before I made an appointment with my regular dentist. My orthodontist told me to have a checkup from my regular dentist before proceeding. What I didn't tell him is that except for seeing him to have my wisdom teeth and a molar extracted a few months earlier I hadn't seen a dentist since the second term of the Reagan administration. My dentist found enough cavities that he wanted to schedule three seperate appointments to fill them and when I'm done with ortho I will need at least one crown and some bonding done. This pushed back my banding appointment by about two months as well as costing an additional $1800 ($800 covered by insurance) that I hadn't budgeted for.

The good news is that at my last regular dentist appointment in March he didn't find any cavities and the hygenist was so impressed with my progress that she called everyone else in the office to look at my 'before' pictures to compare with my mouth that day. Actually the positive comments from everyone made me feel really good and glad that I took the plunge.

I had so many cavaties filled before getting braces that i had no $ left on the insurance to pay for the braces.

In the initial consultation the ortho did tell me I had to have all my fillings done by the time my braces went on. My last filling was scheduled to be done on the day my braces were supposed to go on at the exact same time. Unfortunatly the dentist couldnt give me a sooner appointment, so i had to change the ortho appointment... it was delayed about 3 weeks,,, but Im glad I got them all done.

Probably the risks would be

with gumline cavaties, more swelling and inflamation possible gum overgrowth problems after treatment

with deep molar cavaties, maybe more inflamation and damage to the root, resulting in need for root canal.

those are only guesses, and totally worst case scenarios guesses. Some gumline cavaties do stay the exact same for years and not even worsen at all. The ones i had hadnt changed in years and didnt hurt at all, I dont know if this treatment would have made any difference on them to be honest.

I spent almost a year getting fillings b4 braces. He told me he wouldnt do them unless i had all my fillings done, mind you he didnt even notice the gumline ones that were still not done, so I could have gotten away with it easily.

You want to have any dental work done before your braces are put on. That being said, if you have simple occlusal fillings (on the chewing surface) and they do not appear as if they will violate the interproximal space (adjacent to the next tooth) then it is no problem for most Dentist's to do them with braces. The tricky part is always adjusting the bite after the filling if it is changing from braces.

Good Luck,
Rory

Thanks again for some very interesting observations.

I've in the past been a "once per year" dental patient; saw my regular dentist last December for a checkup/cleaning, and had one cavity filled the following month. My ortho did not mention having cavities taken care of before my braces are put on, but he does want me to have some periodonal probings done before my braces are installed. Also, during the time I'm in braces he wants me to have my teeth professionally cleaned every three months and to have an exam every six.

I've scheduled the pre-brace appointment with my dentist for the probings next Monday, three days before b-day. Although my ortho did not specifically mention it, I'm going to have my dentist conduct an examination then, also, and I'm thinking that, in the event I do have a cavity, it would probably be better to get that taken care of before I'm braced. I'll certainly discuss it with both my dentist and my ortho and if I need to delay my braces for a few weeks, so be it.