Metal Mouth Message Board

So I'm 34 years old. If you read my intro post you will see I had braces for 3.5 years when I was 11-14 years old, and since then my teeth have shifted back to a point where I am VERY unhappy with my overbite / overjet and smile in general.

Anyway, so I'm just curious...were I to get traditional braces (as I'm not sure Invisalign would be strong enough seeing as apparently I have stubborn teeth), and were I to need an exctraction (due not to crowding or anything, but just due to a cavity / inability to afford proper root canal surgery, etc), how would this work? Would the whole entire braces need to come off and then be put on again?

The extraction would have to be incorporated into your plan. Given the size of your overjet, you would probably need either extractions or surgery anyway(my understanding is that arch widening can create some space, but not enough to correct major cases). If you were to get a tooth extracted for other reasons, you probably wouldn't get any orthodontic extractions in that quarter-section of your mouth. But, only an ortho can say for sure.

As sweetcynic said, you'd want to make sure that your orthodontist is quickly advised of the need to extract a tooth, as it could have a big impact on your braces treatment plan.
As for the actual extraction, I imagine that your orthodontist would temporarily remove your archwire and possibly the bracket on the tooth to be extracted and send you to your regular dentist/oral surgeon for the extraction, and replace the archwire afterwards. It's not uncommon to have tooth extractions after having your braces placed; when the treatment plan calls for extractions, some orthodontists choose to have patients begin by extraction or wait several months after braces are placed.
Hope this helps!