shifting my midline without braces??

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#1 Post by **jennicakes** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 10:05 pm

i have mentioned this before, but really need some suggestions based on your experiences.

I have invisalign, and would like my midlines on top and bottom to line up. (it is messing my bite up with them being off)

I was supposed to get fixed wire retainers on the back of my teeth the other day, but i cancelled my appointment because I thought this was too soon and my teeth could be better. I would like to be knowledgeable when i talk to my ortho.

does anyone have any experience in invisalign fixing this?

what about rubberbands? or some ipr and then shifting the top teeth a bit?

#2 Post by **HeatherS** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 12:09 am

My midline is off quite a bit and my dentist will supposedly be fixing this with invisalign. All looks well on my clincheck but I'm still rather skeptical of my dentist's plan. I will be wearing rubberbands but this will be to fix an overjet and has nothing to do with the midline correction.

#3 Post by **Devushka** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 12:07 pm

My mid line is crazy bad(almost off half a tooth). And the bad thing is, I don't even know if it is the top of bottom that is off(or both) since I change my mind about it almost every time I look at my teeth.

I do not remember about my mid line with regard to my treatment. I don't remember if that was something they were even fixing and I never even really noticed it until my teeth started to look a little better because when I first started the mid line wasn't even on the radar, it was the gap between my front two teeth. In fact I never even mentioned it at my consult when he asked what was the thing I hated most about my teeth so he may well have figured if I didn't care he wouldn't attempt to fix it. And I haven't really noticed a change in the mid line since I have started but I can't quite recall how it was before I started either...

I am going for an appointment this week and I'll ask to see my finished clincheck and see if it was something they were going to fix and I'll let you know.

#4 Post by **John37** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:29 pm

My midline was off at the beginning and will be off at the end. My dentist said he saw studies about what people notice in smiles and people don't notice midlines being off. So it wasn't a concern of his. He did ask about my midline before I approved my clincheck and he told me about it not being noticeable and that I would need braces to do that.

In your case, you said it was more than just a visual thing...that it affected your bite so I understand your concern. You didn't say exactly how your bite was off.

Sorry I couldn't offer any useful advice. I guess just be clear to the dentist/ortho about what your concern is and seek other opinions.

#5 Post by **viciousgiraffe** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 2:01 pm

I am using invisalign and also have a midline problem. My maxillary (upper) midline is a little more than half a tooth to the right. I am currently on my second to last upper tray (31 of 32) and have seen only very slight improvement.

This study shows that people usually will not notice a midline discrepancy that is less than 2mm.

http://ejo.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/21/5/517.pdf

Personally, I believe that braces would help correct a midline problem much more effectively than invisalign can. I have found through my invisalign experience, the aligners are not very effective in vertical tooth movement and are not as effective in creating a nice dental arch.

If you feel that your midline discrepancy is noticeable and is affecting the functionality of your bite i would recommend getting braces to fix the problem. I tried to go the invisalign route, have been disappointed with the results and I am soon to be moving on to braces. Every case is different though, I would just express your concerns to your ortho and see what he says.