Metal Mouth Message Board

I've had my braces off for about a month now, and even with being straight and biting properly and everything, I have never liked how the bottom of my teeth are rather uneven, unsmooth, and look a bit short. Wearing my clear plastic retainers though, it almost makes it look as if I've gotten veneers or something, with longer smoother and more even-looking teeth.

So even though I'm allowed to "wear at night only" now, I basically keep them in all day other than to brush and eat because I like the way it makes my teeth look.

Do any of you have similar feelings or know what I mean? Do you think it is a bit ridiculous to wear my retainers all day because of this?

I did ask him about it, and he sort of just said "no... that will chip! There's nothing better than your real teeth!" I was kind of just thinking "okay, cool... except my teeth don't look good

Mosts orthos will reshaping, contour, smooth rough edges, etc. If bonding or another cosmetic dentistry option is needed then most ortho's do not do it. Your regular dentist can do this for you. As far as it chipping, I have had bonding on my teeth for 25-30 years w/ no chipping (knock on wood) Sure it can chip but that is no reason to not have it done and be unhappy with your teeth.

Thanks for the replies. So at my next Dentist checkup I can ask him about it then?

Another question - If I plan on having bonding done, should I bleach my teeth right now? I hear that the bonded material is unbleachable.

It it best to whiten before bonding since only natural tooth structure whitens.

You can either wait until your next visit with your dentist or call and make an appointment now to discuss your options. I generally like to see pts wait at least 3 months after bracket removal before having any significant cosmetic work done -- small bindings of chipped edges can be done but anything extensive I like to see wait.

Hm, why is that? That's not a problem for me to wait, although I am just curious for the reasoning.

For more extensive work such as veneers I want the teeth to settle in and be retained a bit better (they are far more mobile right after bracket removal) Also the gum tissue is often a little inflamed when you wear braces and I want it to settle down before major cosmetic work is done. Both of these will allow for a better final cosmetic dentistry result IMHO.