Metal Mouth Message Board

missing_tooth wrote:Did you have crowding? My ortho today told me that it most often caused by crowding and crossed teeth.

Yes. My bottom teeth were in fact a tad crowded.

The braces are to be off in about 2.5 weeks, so hopefully things progress from there.

I too had the exact same thing happen. I just got my braces off yesterday and was alittle shocked by the black triangles. My ortho did do a little sanding on them, but said he couldn't completely fix the gap without causing some problem to my gums. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that some of it will go away like the pics posted, but you can see it, unless I pull down my bottom lip.

unfortunately i have the dreaded black triangles in both my upper and lower front teeth... i am only 23 and i was really worried as i thought i was too young to have gum recession like this!!! but my ortho explained that with crowded teeth there is not much room between them for gum tissue and as they straighten out the spaces are revealed. the idea of filing the sides of teeth down is to squeeze the gum up between them and hopefully closing part, if not all, of the gap. this was my understanding of it anyway!!

Hi all:

So, I've been scrutinizing my gums because I have noticed that in places where I have a lot of crowding, the gum tissue seems a little "flappy." What I mean is, the gum tissue from the front of my teeth and behind my teeth is connected like normal when the teeth have space between them. In places where there is no space between teeth (where they are turned) the gum tissue moves around a bit because it just sits there and doesn't go between teeth. (I don't know if that makes any sense.)

I'm concerned about my gum tissue because my ortho said it was a bit thin on bottom. Does gum tissue regrow for adults? According to what everyone is saying, it will sort of reshape around teeth once they are straightened, right?

If black triangles develop, is it essential to fix it? Is it dangerous if they remain?

hi dena

i don't think the black triangles are considered dangerous however they do tend to catch food like little poppy seeds and small grains etc... but i think the main concern with them is their appearance!!