Metal Mouth Message Board

I have a question. I was examining my mouth in the mirror the other day (yes, I have become quite obsessed after being braced). I noticed that I don't have any extra space in between my teeth. I have lots of crowding, YET my ortho says that he can get my teeth straight without extractions.

We will do extractions after the teeth are straight to fix my profile, if I don't like the results without the extractions.

I'm just confused as to where my teeth will move to, and how they will get straight, since it doesn't appear that I have the extra space. ( I don't have any spacers either)

I have the same problem on the top. My ortho said we'd do "selective slimming" of the back teeth (I assume on the top) to help everything fit better. I have no idea when that's going to happen though.

I think with all the xrays and photos your ortho took they can figure out if there's room to do things without extractions. Or at least that's what I'm assuming

Hi,

When i began with my treatment i had the most crowded teeth ever. My bottoms were overlapping eachother and my front was totally out of balance. I went for a consultation at my dentist for orthodontic treatment (not an official orthodontist) and they recommended to remove 4 of my premolars and they sentenced me for 3 years of orthodontic treatment.

I requested a second opinion at a real orthodontist and they diagnosed me with 1 year upper/lower braces WITHOUT extractions. Logically i began my treatment with the real ortho on December 10th 2004 and now i'm looking at the end of my treatment. The results are absolutely amazing, i can't find a single sign of crowding anymore!

To answer your question about the technique they probably will use: They use a Memory shape wire (niti) and use 'opening loops' to create space between the teeth, after the spaces are created they usually place a straight wire to align the uncrowded teeth.

Anyway i suggest you don't worry about it, it will probably work out fine!

Good luck!

Thanks blaat.

Your comment puts my mind at ease.

HI bejay23

I have exactly the same case in my uppers. There is one double parked lateral which is really behind the canine. I need about half a tooth's wide to fit the lateral in line. So there were two options: Extract one bicuspid or widen the arch. Since my mouth is kinda flat, my lips are thin and my nose is kinda big the ortho decided to widen the arch and bring the lips forward.

During the first month I got a heat operated wire with opening loops (exactly like described here!) The loop created a space of about 2 mm next to my centrals. Now the centrals are being moved to the side to close the gap (see my WWW) and create more space for the lateral. The movement sideways will also fix my shifted midline.

I cannot imagine this full tooth lining up right now, but that`s what he promised. I won't get expanders either!

The most scary thing is this: When I was about 20 I almost started orthodontics but eventually chickened out when they told me they would remove FOUR teeth... Now I am happy I still have them! It would have ruined my profile.

I had the same problem, i thought there was no way without extractions to make room for my crowding. Have a look at these pics, they are about 3 weeks old now but you can see what i mean. My top teeth are almost 100% straight now. By Christmas, the top and bottom will be done except for some leveling. Then i have to decide on extractions and whether or not it will benifit me.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/g ... 80e8d5.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/g ... 5cf240.jpg

Those are interesting. I had a few different opinions and they all said I needed four extractions. Each ortho told me the exact sme thing, "if you don't the pressure will pop your front teeth forward and you won't bea ble to close your mouth" That was pretty scary to me, so I just found some courage somwhere and got the extractions. The gaps are closing, but ever so slowly.

Gable - those really are the most incredible pics ever: both for the amazing movement shown, and the way you have documented it so clearly and thoroughly.

I hope you make some kind of animation at the end from them.

Hi, I mostly wanted to say that I like you aviator!
I also had crowding and I had the option to get extractions or to slim my teeth. I opted for extractions because I also didn't know how my teeth will fit. I don't regret it but everyone's mouth is different. Here are some progress pics. The first one's are at the begining, and the others are 5 months later!

http://www.solisearch.net/ims/pic.php?u ... 2&i=129940

http://www.solisearch.net/ims/pic.php?u ... 2&i=129940


http://www.solisearch.net/ims/pic.php?u ... 2&i=247960

http://www.solisearch.net/ims/pic.php?u ... 2&i=247959[/img]

sorry, i posted a pic twice, here's the other earlier pic of my lower teeth

http://www.solisearch.net/ims/pic.php?u ... 2&i=129994

nice progress BLONDIE. That last pic gave me horrible flashbacks of my mom screaming at me...LOL...

Wow some nice progress pics here! Five months is very short in ortho terms. Can't wait for mine to really move!

Wow that is great for five months blondie! Mine is five months today and I have about 1.5-2 mm on each side of my uppers to go. I had the same as you removed on upper. Lookin good!

Hey Blondie -

The "before" pictures - how long had it been since the extraction at that point? 2 weeks? 3 weeks?

I'm trying to gauge my own extractions' sites healing progress.

Thanks!

Me too - heaps of crowding, but no extractions apparently needed. I had already had my wisdom teeth removed though.

But because there is so little space the orthodontist had to "shave" two of the lower front ones, which wasn't a nice experience. I'm still glad to be keeping my teeth though.