triangles inbetween teeth.

If you have finished with your orthodontic treatment and are wearing retainers (or will be soon), this is a special place to connect with others in your (enviable) situation. Ask a question or make a comment about life post-braces.

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payoki
Posts: 160
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2005 11:40 am

triangles inbetween teeth.

#1 Post by payoki »

I got my braces off last friday and I love the result,
but I noticed several triangles inbetween my lower front teeth...
and a real big one right in the middle. I feel so old!!
My mother has them but she's in her late 60's!!!
I didn't have them before...
sigh..I better go see a dentist.
mother of one.

Indalee
Posts: 73
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2005 7:30 am

#2 Post by Indalee »

Hi payoki! I’m still in braces however I too have a triangle space between my front top teeth. I should be finished with my treatment by the end of this year and I’m hoping that this space is closed by that time. Especially since that was one of the reasons I opted for braces. Do you wear a retainer now? I wonder if that will close those spaces.
Image

Image

TheUnk311
Posts: 73
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:19 am

#3 Post by TheUnk311 »

I have a couple of these in my lowers. They only appeared after my teeth were straightened, I guess it was the crookedness that caused them in the first place. I could see how they might bother me if my uppers had them. My only issue with mine is that they seem to make a nice home for tartar ><

merrily
Posts: 92
Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2004 5:09 pm
Location: Southern California

#4 Post by merrily »

I wasn't going to post pictures of my black triangles, as I didn't want to scare anyone off braces, but here is a picture of how bad mine look. (I am not saying that braces caused my bone loss, but I do sort of think they exacerbated the problem, in my case, anyway.) I am probably going to get surgery to try to mitigate my bone loss, since my case is so extreme. I bet yours don't look as bad as mine.

http://www.mypicshare.com/h879p4qupic.html

alexa
Posts: 1055
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2005 10:50 am
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

#5 Post by alexa »

I hate the black triangles...between them and the spaces in between my molars, I'm still having to check my teeth when eating broccoli. :lol:
Spacers: 1/26/05; 2/6/06; 3/15/06; 4/24/06
4 First Bicuspids removed: 2/2005
Metal Braces, top and bottom: 3/1/05; Debanded 7/26/07
Hawley retainers top and bottom

dubnobass
Posts: 423
Joined: Sat May 28, 2005 1:34 am
Location: London, UK

#6 Post by dubnobass »

I wouldn't panic too much. It's always possible that your pre-treatment teeth were crowded/crooked enough for it not to have been physically possible to develop 'normal' gums between the teeth, and now that they're straight, gaps have appeared.

This is certainly the case with me. Definitely wouldn't hurt to talk to a dentist, though.
Braced May 2005
Bimaxillary surgery Aug 2007
Debraced Jun 2008

sjsarre
Posts: 670
Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2006 5:07 am
Location: Guernsey, Channel Islands
Contact:

#7 Post by sjsarre »

My Ortho mentioned the same dubnobass.. My teeth were extremely crowded. I've got a couple of small triangles but i've been quite lucky. However I will still have a couple of mm gap where i've had teeth extracted to make room. Nothing that can be done about that!! However my Ortho is confident that my molars will move forward slightly over the next 5+ years and probably close the gaps up!
Image

Image

dubnobass
Posts: 423
Joined: Sat May 28, 2005 1:34 am
Location: London, UK

#8 Post by dubnobass »

Just thought I'd post an interesting observation on this...

Since my lower teeth were straightened, I developed little black triangles between my lower 6 teeth. From 'before' photos, I know this is not necessarily due to gum recession, as there were no little black triangles when they were crooked.

I recently had jaw surgery which means cleaning my teeth morning, evening and after everything I ever eat/drink (with a soft toothbrush), plus rinsing my mouth 4X a day with chlorhexidine/Corsodyl mouthwash, to keep the suture sites clean and infection-free. I don't floss, never have, never will. Don't nag me, I'm not changing :lol:

1 month post-op, my little black triangles have almost gone completely. I don't know if this is post-op gingival hyperplasia, due to more cleaning, or due to the mouthwash.. but I would suggest that it might be worth a try to step up your cleaning/mouthwash routine to 5-6 times daily.

I'd be really interested to know if anyone else notices a difference when they do this.
Braced May 2005
Bimaxillary surgery Aug 2007
Debraced Jun 2008

payoki
Posts: 160
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2005 11:40 am

#9 Post by payoki »

Dubnobass,
why do you not floss?
do you think it can contribute to the gaps?
my hubby never flosses and when he goes for a check up, the doctor tells my hubby what a healthy mouth he has...he's had one filling in all his life.
hmmm....
mother of one.

tdc03
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2007 7:29 am

IPR

#10 Post by tdc03 »

I guess I cannot get IPR done now? I have a permanent retainer where that black triangle is on the upper.

Why didn't my ortho tell me about this when I asked him about it so many times?!!!!

I did have some gum receeding on that side, but couldn't he have told me about this procedure? Especially when the hygenist said that was how my tooth was shaped?

ugh.

Meryaten wrote:Karen, I think you mean IPR (interproximal reduction - sometimes referred to as tooth shaving or slenderising) not RPE ;)

Here's a pic that may help explain those black triangles - technically called the embrasure.

Image

As Karen noted, I've also heard that sometimes the interdental papillae may "bounce back" a bit after the braces are removed. But whether the triangle is entirely eliminated will also depend on its size to begin with.

Bluerain
Posts: 216
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2005 8:17 am
Location: NYC

#11 Post by Bluerain »

I had it on bottom and asked doc to intrude my lowers more as they were on the long side . They intruded them with a little shaving (IPR) and all good for now.

Now trying to do the same with the top by intruding them using mini implants to help pull teeth into bone.

I had severe crowding on top but not so bad on bottom and never had spaces . After i had root planing (Deep cleaning ) they showed up. But they said that's normal because now there isn't any matter under there to swell up the gums which cover the black triangles.


Blue
Brace's -In-Ovations
Top Wired 2-1-05 / Bottom 10-9-06
Implants being used as anchor's where the wisdom teeth use to be.

LadyTr0uble
Posts: 154
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 9:29 pm
Location: NYC

#12 Post by LadyTr0uble »

I also have a black triangle where the extracted incisor used to be. My ortho had mentioned a procedure where he would take a little tissue from the roof of my mouth and "transplant" it onto the black triangle. I don't think I am to go through with it, as it sounds like it is going to hurt (funny coming from someone who didn't let braes bother her one bit... okay not very much...), especially since it is not visible when I smile.... might want to look into that if it bothers you?

LadyTr0uble
Posts: 154
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 9:29 pm
Location: NYC

#13 Post by LadyTr0uble »

THanks again for the 411, Meryaten! I will have to look into it... I've gone all this way to have healthier teeth, of course, but a prettier smile! .. If it's not unbearable, it might be something worth looking into?!?! The whitening is a must at this point... let's see what happens when the time comes...

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