Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi all,

I'm 26 years old now and had my first orthodontic consult at age 13. The ortho said he would need to pull teeth and I didn't want to, so never went through with it.

I was so relieved when my current ortho said he felt extractions were unnecessary; in fact, he was quite opposed to them in my case. However, come to think of it, I'm a little uneasy, wondering... how could they have been necessary 13 years ago, but not now? By the way, I have a Class 1 open bite.

The only thing I can come up with is that about 5 years ago I had all four wisdom teeth extracted. Does having wisdom teeth taken out count as an extraction, in the sense that it creates more space for your teeth to move? Maybe that sounds like a weird question but I hope I'm being clear.

Thanks.

I definitely would count them as an extraction. Any time you take teeth out you're giving more space for your other teeth to move around. My bottom teeth have practically nowhere to go, so getting my wisdom teeth out will let them all start moving more easily.

chinadoll,
Different orthos have different treatment plans. I am not sure if you went to more than one ortho for a consult, but if you did you would likely have gotten a different treatment plan than the first ortho.

I dont think that your wisdoms would count since you were young when you had your first consult.( and the wisdoms wouldnt have been in the picture at that time)

My suggestion is to go for a second and third opinion and choose the one that you feel the most comfortable with. It is really important to trust your ortho and the treatment plan they have for you.

Thanks for the replies, guys. Kim, you're definitely right about getting multiple opinions. Unfortunately I don't have many options where I live but luckily the ortho I am going to has been recommended highly and I like him a lot. The idea of extractions makes me nervous...I hated having my wisdom teeth out...I will see how this goes.

Good Luck chinadoll! I didnt have to have any extractions either but had my wisdom teeth out and your right, they were not too fun.

That is great that your ortho is so good and you like him! Did you ask him why his consult was so different from your first one at 13? I bet that he would be happy to talk to you about it. So when does your brace journey start?

Do you know which teeth the first ortho wanted to extract? If they were the wisdom teeth (plus at least one other), then I think the extraction of your wisdom teeth would definitely count.

Good luck Chinadoll! I'm sure everything will go just fine.

I consulted with 2 different orthos and the first one I went to said I would need to have 8 teeth pulled, all 4 wisdom teeth and four others to make room. The one I am currently using is more conservative and said he wouldn't need to pull any at all. Some orthos are just more conservative than others with thier treatment plans.

Maybe your mouth grew a little since you were 13. My daughter's first consult when she was about that age, they wanted to pull 8 teeth. I said no way. Now she just got her braces at 26 and she had lots of crowding but everything seems to have straighted out fine with no extractions. (She did have wisdom teeth pulled a few years ago)

Also, maybe orthodontic methods have improved some in the last 13 years. That is one reason I didn't go to my first daughter's ortho. He is way past retirement age (in my opinion) and I wanted to make sure I was getting the newest technology. I'm not sure this guy had that when he did my daughter's in the 80's. In fact he was talking retirement back then. He is also a friend of the family, and I wanted to stay away from that whole scenario.

Thanks for the great replies, everyone. Good point, Way Too Old For This, I never thought about my mouth growing, but it would make sense...brat2, it is so interesting to hear that you heard such drastically different treatment options from two orthos. I guess it just goes to show that there are lots of opinions and you should go with the most comfortable one. Betty Bat, not sure about which teeth the ortho from 13 years ago wanted to pull...maybe my mom would remember. CelestialVoices, thanks for your positive attitude--I've read elsewhere on the board that attitude makes a big difference, so I try to keep my smiles big! KJM, it's a great idea to ask him about why the consults were so different... I have told him that someone previously suggested extractions, and he said he really disagreed with that. To answer your question, I am already in braces (started Jan. 06) and you can see some pics at this thread: viewtopic.php?t=9718