Please help decipher.

[Tlal23]

Hi again to those who read my newbie post.
Today in the mail I revived a letter about my recent consult and I'm hoping you could help me decipher what it all means please.

Ok here we go, these things I think I understand;
- lips do not meet at rest
- decreased facial height.
- overbite
Overjet 6mm over lower front teeth
Moderate crowding in upper and lower arch.
Upper are 3mm right of centre
Chipped upper left incisor (21)
Market white spot on lateral incisor (22)
Attrition is evident on anterior teeth fr lower left canine to lower right canine?
Generalised gingvae recession 1-2mm?

Areas of inflammation are present at the junction of the gum tissue and tooth?
Gum tissue surrounding teeth is minimal in some areas?'
Upper and lower teeth tipped forward

Treatment to straighten and correct route alignment, resolve existing bite, extraction of upper tooth required, and there is a risk that existing recession might worsen? What does that mean?


Thanks

[maravilla]

[quote="Tlal23"]Hi again to those who read my newbie post.
Today in the mail I revived a letter about my recent consult and I'm hoping you could help me decipher what it all means please.

Ok here we go, these things I think I understand;
- lips do not meet at rest
- decreased facial height.
- overbite
Overjet 6mm over lower front teeth
Moderate crowding in upper and lower arch.
Upper are 3mm right of centre
Chipped upper left incisor (21)
Market white spot on lateral incisor (22)
Attrition is evident on anterior teeth fr lower left canine to lower right canine?
Generalised gingvae recession 1-2mm?

Areas of inflammation are present at the junction of the gum tissue and tooth?
Gum tissue surrounding teeth is minimal in some areas?'
Upper and lower teeth tipped forward

Treatment to straighten and correct route alignment, resolve existing bite, extraction of upper tooth required, and there is a risk that existing recession might worsen? What does that mean?


Thanks[/quote]

from reading the above. It means that the receding gumline might get worse (loss of gum tissue)

[kathydell]

Pretty easy stuff and you can google it all for more understanding.
Your midline is off center meaning if you look in the mirror the tiny space in between your two top front teeth isn't in the center of the widow's peak in your lips. It should all line up in the center. The overjet refers to how much your top teeth cover over your bottom teeth when you bite down. You probably heard that referred to as an overbite when you were a kid. The white spot and chipped incisor comments are to cover his butt so you can't come back later and say those happened as a result of his work. And, he is informing you that the braces process could make the incisor chip worse. All of the other comments refer to the health of your gums. The crowding, overjet and midline are correctable with the braces and normal. You should have some more conversation with your ortho about the chipped incisor and the gum tissue. You might be able to have some periodontal work done ahead of the braces to minimize risk. One thing I highly recommend is to discuss all of these questions in detail with your ortho. You should understand your treatment plan completely. And, this will give you a read on how easy your ortho is to talk to. Do they listen to your questions and patiently answer in terms that are easy for you to understand. Or do they get frustrated and just want to shoo you along. This is a long-term relationship. I truly believe you must have a partner in this process and you must have an ortho you can talk to.

[Tlal23]

Thanks kathydell

[JumpTheDitch]

'Overbite' and 'Overjet' are often confused but are not actually the same thing. An 'Overbite' ( or 'Deep Bite') is the extent of overlap of your top front teeth covering your lower front teeth (ie: your upper teeth may obscure most or all of your lowers when you bite together); an 'Overjet' refers to the extent of space between your upper front teeth and the lower front teeth behind them (ie: your upper front teeth may be quite some distance in front of your lowers). Some degree of overjet is required for 'correct' occlusion; depending on the ortho more than 1-2mm overjet may be considered excessive, though in reality probably only more significant overjets usually warrant treatment without other issues to be addressed.

The terms are not interchangeable though; both refer to the spatial relationship between your upper (maxillary) and lower (mandibular) teeth, the first deals with the vertical plane while the second deals with the horizontal.

Good luck with your treatment

[sirwired]

1-2mm of gum recession is usually something to keep an eye on, but not something that warrants gum grafts yet. If you have gingivitis (it sounds like you do) or periodontits an ortho will really be emphasizing oral hygiene to make sure it doesn't get worse and contribute to recession.

[Tlal23]

Thanks sirwired. I wondered about the recession.
I have since hady teeth cleaned and bought a waterpik.

I've been using that brushing and flossing twice a day to try and keep it at bay.