Question About Closing Holes Due to Extractions

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#1 Post by **KLC** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:28 pm

Hi Everyone!

I have a quick question regarding holes being closed up due to extractions and I'd love to hear from anyone who has gone through this as well.

I got braces on about 6 months ago. My teeth were straight (due to braces when I was 9) but were definitely flared due to overcrowding. About 3 months after the braces went on, I got all 4 pre-molars pulled. My ortho has been working on moving the canines back first and will start to move the 4 front teeth back soon.

I'm slightly concerned bc the holes that were created due to the extractions are HUGE!

I know they will get smaller once all my teeth start moving back and are not flared but I can't imagine the whole "hole" being filled and not having any space left.

I haven't talked to my ortho about my concern but def will during my next appt. I have total trust in him but just can't figure out how he is going to close all the spaces.

Just curious if anyone has had a similiar experience... and can reassure me the holes will close

I look forward to hearing from you!

#2 Post by **danish** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:33 pm

hi KLC,

I had 4 extractions (premolars) and similar huge gaps. After 16 months gaps on the lowers are closed and gaps on the uppers are almost closed.
The entire extraction hole is actually filled. Think of your teeth moving in a sea of bone. Your teeth will slowly move towards the hole where bone will be restructured around the moving teeth. Bone formation and resorption in response to applied orthodontic force result from highly sophisticated biochemical processes some of which remain largely unknown.

Good luck and enjoy the gap closing phase of your treatment

Danish

#3 Post by **Britlaw** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:54 pm

Hi KLC,

ditto to all Danish said. You said you are moving your front teeth back to close the gaps, which is the best case scenario. I had 2 upper main molars removed and believe me, they were HUGE gaps! My ortho is aiming to get my other back molars to move forward to close half these gaps, with front teeth coming back to close the other half. I never thought the big molars would move (when you look at the 4 big roots they have on your xrays) but they have and one side is almost completely filled. It sometimes feels slow but if they move too quickly they 'tip' and then you have to wait fo the roots to play catch up.

Try not to look so often!! - when you look every day progress will not be visible.

You'll be fine!

#4 Post by **KLC** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 4:55 pm

Thanks Danish and Britlaw! You both provided very encouraging words and I'm a lot less scared about the huge holes I have in my mouth right now. On the one hand, it seems to be going soooo slowly but then, on the other hand, I keep reminding myself it has only been 3 1/2 months and there has been definite movement in those few months.

I guess I wouldn't be sentenced for 2 years if the holes closed up in just a couple of months

Thanks again!

#5 Post by **NKovaci88** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 12:07 am

Britlaw wrote:It sometimes feels slow but if they move too quickly they 'tip' and then you have to wait fo the roots to play catch up.

Can you elaborate on this? My very back molar is currently being pulled forward to close a gap, and it seems like it's "tipping"...however it's not tipping forward, but rather to the side (which I find to be a bit strange). I was concerned about this, but I'm guessing it's normal?

So do teeth that "tip" move back to their original position once the roots catch up?

#6 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 12:45 am

I have had extraction gaps, but my teeth were pulled back due to double protrusion. They gaps actually closed up faster than I thought. Take a look at my link and you can see my gap closing progress. They've been closed and am just working on my midline. It has been 22 months and I don't mind going to the full term (36-42months) if need be.

#7 Post by **Andromeda** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:39 am

I had my top premolars moved on both sides and my gaps are closed now, have been for a while. If you take a look at my braces story in the link here, you can see the holes from when I got them out in the first set of pics and then you can see my upper arch now in the other pics. The whole story is all on one page so it would be quick to look at. So yea they definitely close, even though they seem huge to begin with.

Probably over 10 years ago now, when I was a kid, I had my adult first molars on the bottom removed due to cavities. Keep in mind that molars are much larger than premolars. Anywho, those gaps were huge and I never had braces or anything to close the gaps but they closed all on their own perfectly. The molars behind it just drifted forward til there was no more gap. I had to actually tell my ortho that I no longer had those first molars and that the teeth he was seeing were actually my second molar and wisdom tooth. Go figure...

#8 Post by **KLC** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 7:55 am

Thanks everyone for your comments and the links to your own pages. I am now assured that my gaps will close up, it just may take some time. I see that some of your gaps closed up much faster than others- lucky!! It's a good thing work is busy these days, keeps my mind off of it. Unfort I do think about it every time I brush my teeth and notice the holes

Time is flying, though, can you believe it's almost March???

Thanks again everyone!!

#9 Post by **Dreams** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 8:57 am

I am so glad you posted this question! I was wondering the same thing myself.

#10 Post by **KLC** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:08 pm

Thanks Dreams! Are you expierencing larger-than-life holes in your mouth due to extractions?

How long ago did you get teeth pulled? How are the holes doing? Please share, misery loves company

T

#11 Post by **Dreams** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 6:22 pm

KLC wrote:Thanks Dreams! Are you expierencing larger-than-life holes in your mouth due to extractions? How long ago did you get teeth pulled? How are the holes doing? Please share, misery loves company T

I am just starting the journey... I have spacers in now and am being braced in three days (top braces, bottom braces later).

I started getting restorative work, oral surgery, etc. done starting back in June.

I feel like I am Queen of Extractions, root canals, and the like..lol

I have pics postedin my journal here too.

I am concerned about the holes, because they seem so big - though I am under the care of a very good ortho, so I am thinking I am overworrying for nothing and need to leave him to work his magic.

He's pretty confident he'll be able to close one or two areas areas, BUT I will have to also get a couple implants after braces. We'll see how it goes.

Best of luck with it all! It's an exciting journey!

You'll have to share the progress of what happens!

Sun Mar 08, 2009 1:14 pm

I've only had my braces on for a month.
My extraction gaps look like CANYONS !

I'm trying not to look and examine them every day.
And from what a poster further up said, it seems like the 'hyper-focusing' will pass with time.
What's that old saying?-----> "A watched pot never boils" ????? haha

Isn't all of this so exciting???!!!!!

[/i]

#13 Post by **KLC** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:24 pm

Thanks everyone for sharing!

I had an adjustment on Friday and asked my ortho about the "closing" process and if he was confident that he can close the "canyons" in my mouth (Thanks HeyLookat MeLookatMe!! I love it, so true!). He said once we start moving back my front 4 teeth, it would close at least 75% of the holes and then he'd prob have to move up the back teeth a bit. I guess my teeth are more flared than I thought

Trying hard not to examine the holes in the mirror every day but it sure is hard!!

#14 Post by **Lingualita** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 10:35 am

I am in the exact same boat as you are. One week ago I axtracted 4 premolars to make space, and I feel like the holes are massive. Some call them canyons, I call them craters

. haha. But at least they've healed up nicely, and I'm having the lower braces and tightening done in a week from now. Can't wait to get the closing-process started!

#15 Post by **kddblue** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 4:12 pm

I had two molars pulled a few years prior to braces that my ortho has been closing up for me, so I'm kinda in the same boat.

The first one was closed by bringing my very last molar forward, into the spot of the extracted tooth. It's taken a few months but the gap's pretty much gone, and now I've got a powerchain to finish the job. The other gap is on the bottom, opposite side of my mouth (same spot as the one on top) and after 10 months of treatment he just starting having me wear an elastic that goes from my very last molar to my canine tooth. Again, he's moving my very last molar forward. Very interesting how they do things! I've only been one week with my elastic and there's no visible movement, but sometimes I think the gap is just a tiny bit smaller cuz I can't fit my tongue in there as well! Good luck and I'm sure your gaps will be gone before you know it!

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Question About Closing Holes Due to Extractions

Question About Closing Holes Due to Extractions

The same boat:)