Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello, after suffering from the damages caused by 4 extractions as a teen, I have come accross a cosmetic dentist who promised to correct major problems such as lack of tongue space, narrow smile by braces for a cosmetic purpose in order to widen the arches and tip the teeth outwards instead of inwards. I have also an overjet resulting from the extractions, so I am concerned if this can be corrected too. Though I am suprised that this procedure will only take 4-5 months with adjustments made each 3 weeks. I'm interested to know your thoughts, especially those who have suffered from previous extractions and those who have or are in the process of correcting it.
Thanks:)

I'm reversing extractions. I'm currently in Phase I of TMJ therapy, soon to be followed by Phase II which will involve using an ALF expander to push the upper teeth back to where they were prior to extractions, then braces to straighten them and bring the molars and wisdoms into the extraction spaces. I chose to bring the molars forward rather than go for implants to replace the missing teeth. My NM dentist is confident bringing the molars forward is an acceptable alternative. I think she's also going to use a lower ALF to help achieve more tongue space as apparently both my arches are underdeveloped.

I'm certainly not trained in dentistry or orthodontics; I only have my own experience and incidental research to go on, but I'd be a bit sceptical of moving teeth so quickly. 4-5 months is very fast, I'm assuming your original treatment took longer than that? My treatment time for Phase II is approx 3 years. I'm seeing the Neuromuscular dentist in conjunction with a Craniofacial chiro. I spoke to my Chiro about any risks of moving teeth again (I wondered about root resoprtion, etc). He said the danger was moving teeth too fast. In my case molars are being moved also; these teeth are multi-rooted and apparently slower to move.

While I'm not super-excited to be looking at braces again in my mid-30's, my past experience with orthodontist extraction-and-retraction treatment made me realise moving teeth is not just about appearances. My teeth currently look great, very straight, etc. Unfortunately my ortho-engineered bite has been detrimental to my health and can't continue. I assumed that a highly trained and experienced orthodontist would not only consider the appearance of my teeth but the function of my jaw as dictated by the teeth. I discovered that, in my case, they did not. As a result I am now very careful about who I consult to treat my TMJ. I did extensive research online, and contacted several orthos via email to source TMJ experts in my area. I went to two chiros, including my current specialist, and consulted two NM dentists for opinions. We don't seem to have many functional orthodontists in Australia, though it's slowly becoming more widespread. Both the NM dentists have had training in the US, where much of the awareness of jaw-to-jaw relationships seems to be stemming from.

My advice is to get as many opinions as you can. Moving your teeth is about more than just the appearance of the visible section of the teeth involved. Try to find a functional orthodontist. If you can't find one in your area, look for a neuromuscular dentist. These guys have a holistic approach similar to the functional ortho. They consider your jaw-to-jaw function and TMJs, along with your neck posture, sleep quality (they often treat sleep apnea, which can have a link with post-ortho extraction work if the airway has been compromised (mine has, I now have sleep apnea and reflux, apparently caused by the sleep apnea. These kinds of problems seem to beget other problems. )). I found both NM dentists by looking for functional orthos in Aus. I googled 'functional orthodontics' and 'extraction' and 'TMJ', etc. I followed links from sites for functional orthos in the US to find associated orthos in Australia. I emailed these orthos asking if they knew of any orthos in my state that practiced the same type of functional approach. Most were very helpful. I did spend hours looking for the right people, but every minute was worth it to find the right dentist to help. I ended up going with NM dentists my CF chiro referred me to, but I was reassured that the same names came up. I did put a lot of research and due diligence into finding the right person to help. It's worth the effort, you need someone who has not only the skills but most importantly the right approach to help you. Interestingly, both the NM dentists I saw had been general dentists who'd had extraction orthodontics, suffered TMJ problems themselves and had become trained in NM dentistry as a result of understanding their own problems, and a desire to help others suffering from traditional orthodontics go wrong. This was another reassurance for me that they would take the care and attention required to fix my problems.

Good luck with your treatment, whatever you decide. You only get one set of teeth, make sure you entrust them to someone worthy of that trust

Please have at least two consults with certified othos before you go this route. It doesn't pass the sniff test.

Congratulations on your decision to get braces.

I agree with the previous posters.

Four months doesn't seem right. It took me about a year to fully widen my arch. Jumptheditch gave you some good advice.

For that much work, I highly recommend you seek out a Functional Orthodontist for another opinion.

thanks all for your answers:)
JumpTheDitch, my original treatment lasted for 3 and a half years with use of headgear which was absolutely terrible. However, the orthodontist stated that what he will do is widen my arches so that the smile becomes wider and the dark corners disappear. I think he was reffering to the six-months braces, not sure though... Luckily i have no TMJ, no headaches or troubele sleeping, so my concerns are mainly cosmetic, and to make more room for the tongue. Still unsure if the right decision is to go for it :S

Check out this discussion on the 6 Month Smiles Program :: http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... 13&t=43755

Even if you think your bite isn't an issue, it's possible it could become so once you start moving teeth, even if cosmetic appearance is your goal. I really wouldn't undergo any orthodontic work without consulting an ortho or dentist who will look at your bite and your jaw function as well as your dental appearance.

You only get one set of adult teeth, and one set of TMJs; look after them...

JumpTheDitch wrote:
> I'm reversing extractions. I'm currently in Phase I of TMJ therapy, soon to
> be followed by Phase II which will involve using an ALF expander to push
> the upper teeth back to where they were prior to extractions, then braces
> to straighten them and bring the molars and wisdoms into the extraction
> spaces. I chose to bring the molars forward rather than go for implants to
> replace the missing teeth. My NM dentist is confident bringing the molars
> forward is an acceptable alternative. I think she's also going to use a
> lower ALF to help achieve more tongue space as apparently both my arches
> are underdeveloped.
>
> I'm certainly not trained in dentistry or orthodontics; I only have my own
> experience and incidental research to go on, but I'd be a bit sceptical of
> moving teeth so quickly. 4-5 months is very fast, I'm assuming your
> original treatment took longer than that? My treatment time for Phase II is
> approx 3 years. I'm seeing the Neuromuscular dentist in conjunction with a
> Craniofacial chiro. I spoke to my Chiro about any risks of moving teeth
> again (I wondered about root resoprtion, etc). He said the danger was
> moving teeth too fast. In my case molars are being moved also; these teeth
> are multi-rooted and apparently slower to move.
>
> While I'm not super-excited to be looking at braces again in my mid-30's,
> my past experience with orthodontist extraction-and-retraction treatment
> made me realise moving teeth is not just about appearances. My teeth
> currently look great, very straight, etc. Unfortunately my ortho-engineered
> bite has been detrimental to my health and can't continue. I assumed that a
> highly trained and experienced orthodontist would not only consider the
> appearance of my teeth but the function of my jaw as dictated by the teeth.
> I discovered that, in my case, they did not. As a result I am now very
> careful about who I consult to treat my TMJ. I did extensive research
> online, and contacted several orthos via email to source TMJ experts in my
> area. I went to two chiros, including my current specialist, and consulted
> two NM dentists for opinions. We don't seem to have many functional
> orthodontists in Australia, though it's slowly becoming more widespread.
> Both the NM dentists have had training in the US, where much of the
> awareness of jaw-to-jaw relationships seems to be stemming from.
>
> My advice is to [b][color=#FF0000]get as many opinions as you
> can[/color][/b]. Moving your teeth is about more than just the appearance
> of the visible section of the teeth involved. Try to find a
> [b][color=#4000FF]functional orthodontist[/color][/b]. If you can't find
> one in your area, look for a [b][color=#8000FF]neuromuscular
> dentist[/color][/b]. These guys have a holistic approach similar to the
> functional ortho. They consider your jaw-to-jaw function and TMJs, along
> with your neck posture, sleep quality (they often treat sleep apnea, which
> can have a link with post-ortho extraction work if the airway has been
> compromised (mine has, I now have sleep apnea and reflux, apparently caused
> by the sleep apnea. These kinds of problems seem to beget other problems.
> :roll: )). I found both NM dentists by looking for functional orthos in
> Aus. I googled 'functional orthodontics' and 'extraction' and 'TMJ', etc. I
> followed links from sites for functional orthos in the US to find
> associated orthos in Australia. I emailed these orthos asking if they knew
> of any orthos in my state that practiced the same type of functional
> approach. Most were very helpful. I did spend hours looking for the right
> people, but every minute was worth it to find the right dentist to help. I
> ended up going with NM dentists my CF chiro referred me to, but I was
> reassured that the same names came up. I did put a lot of research and due
> diligence into finding the right person to help. It's worth the effort, you
> need someone who has not only the skills but most importantly the right
> approach to help you. Interestingly, both the NM dentists I saw had been
> general dentists who'd had extraction orthodontics, suffered TMJ problems
> themselves and had become trained in NM dentistry as a result of
> understanding their own problems, and a desire to help others suffering
> from traditional orthodontics go wrong. This was another reassurance for me
> that they would take the care and attention required to fix my problems.
>
> Good luck with your treatment, whatever you decide. You only get one set of
> teeth, make sure you entrust them to someone worthy of that trust
> :thumbsup:
Hi JumpTheDitch, I based in Melbourne Australia, i am suffering from the extractions and thinking of reversing. How is the result if your treatment? Could you please share the information of the ortho you went for? Many thanks!