Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi everyone. I've just got back from my first appointment at the orthodontist. Overall it went well, and he convinced me that braces are the way forward. He says I am looking at 2 months palate expander and spacers, 3 years in full braces and retainers after, plus 4 molar and a lower incisor extraction (Which are booked for tomorrow). This seems a lot to me, did other people need this much/long treatment? I am very nervous about getting braced!

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These are my before teeth. I had a lot of dental work done as a kid!

Hi there

Good for you. You are doing the right thing. Many people here found it difficult to make the big commitment to braces but it really is worth it in the end. I got them aged 35 and am due to be debraced next week. I am very proud of myself for doing it (if I may say so myself!).

I wonder if you got more than one orthodontic opinion before you decided to go with this orthodontist. The reason I wonder is because many people on this forum regretted having so many teeth extracted. They wish they had chosen an ortho willing to treat them without extracting so many teeth (unless the 4 molars you are talking about are your wisdom teeth).
I just hope that you are well informed about the consequences of extractions.
Good luck in your journey!

He is saying it will create space for my obviously overcrowded teeth at the front, and bring them in to a better position. They are not my wisdom teeth but LL6 LR6 UL6 UR6. But will get a second opinion now. Thanks

I think getting a second opinion is a good idea too- I sometimes wish I had gotten one just to see what they said. I can tell you the only reason I was ok with my extractions (2 molars), was because they were baby teeth and I figured they would fall out eventually and then I would have to get implants which would be another large $ amount. But if they wanted to take out permanent teeth, I would be much more reluctant. I have a few friends that have crowding and they did not need extractions when they got their braces, so it is not always necessary. Good luck!

I agree about getting other opinons. I got several before getting my braces. They varied from no work needed to three years-plus in braces with headgear a good portion of that time.

Also keep in mind that the treatment an orthodontist suggests at a consultation can also be somewhat different than a finalized treatment plan, where the orthodontist has closely studied models of your teeth and X-rays.

Good luck!

See if you can postpone the extractions and get at least one more consult, then you can look at how the treatment plans vary. I know that sometimes extractions can be avoided by doing expansion instead, but that has its own set of problems and doesn't necessarily make treatment shorter either. For adults, many times expansion requires surgery, not just an RPE. My ortho never even mentioned expansion as an option the first time around, had I done more research and realized that was an option, I might have asked about it.

The length of time depends on two things, how fast the mechanics of what an ortho has to do in order to move teeth, and how quickly your teeth actually move, including the roots. If your teeth move faster and become stable faster, the time may shorter. If they are stubborn, sometimes they have to try multiple things to get from point A to point B, I remember my ortho having some problems with a few stubborn teeth.

I haven't heard of people getting molars extracted to make space, its usually the premolars. Any reason why he is doing the molars instead? It seems like that would be a ton of space to be created, plus expansion. Is your mouth really that crowded?

I would get a second and third opinion.

MJ, Definately get a 2nd opinion! I came very close to not going to my second opinion appt. but I'm soooo glad I did. I really liked my first appt. Doc and he gave me the same treatment plan as the ortho did when I was 13 yrs old (never did end up happening though) He wanted to pull 4 teeth. My second opinion Doc was very much against extractions for my case. She spent over an hour explaining her treatment plan with me. She explained her reasoning and it made sense to me. I figure I can always remove them if the IPR doesn't work but I can't put them back. Three months into treatment and so far its working like a charm.

I'm not against extractions for people who need them, but heck most consultation appointments are free, at least in my area, so why not hear what someone else has to say.