I have a chipped upper lateral incisor due to an accident a few years ago. This tooth is very tilted. So, my teeth actually look better with the corner of this tooth chipped off. Because of this, I never had it fixed - I just had the dentist smooth it off.
I am going in to get my molds done in 2 weeks for Invisalign. Would I be better off getting the tooth fixed before or after the molds are done? After my teeth are completely straight, the chipped corner of my tooth would be grossly obvious, in my opinion. I want to be as discreet as possible without wasting my money if the filling will not hold as the aligners are ripped out of my head a few times a day for the next 15 months.
Thanks.
fix chipped tooth before or after Invisalign?
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waiting2smile
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Hi Jeni,
The best person to ask would be your ortho.
I have never had bonding done and only know what I have read about it but my opinion would be to get it bonded after you've finished treatment. One of my front teeth is chipped, not severely but chipped no the less and you'd never Know it when I have my aligner in, even if you get right up close. The aligners really hide a lot and I bet you too wouldn’t even notice that tooth was chipped while wearing them and honestly other people probably won't even notice it without them - I think I speak for a lot of us on this board in saying that we tend to become very critical of our teeth as well as others once we start treatment.
I don’t think its a bad thing I just don't think other people who aren't under going orthodontic treatment look at everyone's teeth as well as stare at and inspect their teeth every chance they get.
Aside from the chip probably not being that noticeable with the aligners in I'd also be concerned about the bonding break and or chipping during treatment. I'd think the aligners alone would put a lot of pressure on the tooth and also depending on how your teeth are it can be tough sometimes removing the aligners in the beginning (please don’t let this scare you, I promise once you get the hand of it and once your teeth straighten even the slightest bit it gets way easier)
I do wonder though if not getting it done beforehand would affect your molds and the pattern that would be set for your teeth to move...my guess is probably not BUT I am not an ortho so again He/She is really the best person to ask.
Best of luck to you, hoped this help at least a little bit!
The best person to ask would be your ortho.
I have never had bonding done and only know what I have read about it but my opinion would be to get it bonded after you've finished treatment. One of my front teeth is chipped, not severely but chipped no the less and you'd never Know it when I have my aligner in, even if you get right up close. The aligners really hide a lot and I bet you too wouldn’t even notice that tooth was chipped while wearing them and honestly other people probably won't even notice it without them - I think I speak for a lot of us on this board in saying that we tend to become very critical of our teeth as well as others once we start treatment.
I don’t think its a bad thing I just don't think other people who aren't under going orthodontic treatment look at everyone's teeth as well as stare at and inspect their teeth every chance they get.
Aside from the chip probably not being that noticeable with the aligners in I'd also be concerned about the bonding break and or chipping during treatment. I'd think the aligners alone would put a lot of pressure on the tooth and also depending on how your teeth are it can be tough sometimes removing the aligners in the beginning (please don’t let this scare you, I promise once you get the hand of it and once your teeth straighten even the slightest bit it gets way easier)
I do wonder though if not getting it done beforehand would affect your molds and the pattern that would be set for your teeth to move...my guess is probably not BUT I am not an ortho so again He/She is really the best person to ask.
Best of luck to you, hoped this help at least a little bit!
Thanks for the reply. I had my models done last week. I moved up the appointment by a week because the wait to get started was torture! I think it is a good thing that I didn't get it fixed first. The assistants that did my molds were not very experienced and the really experienced ortho wasn't in the office that day. The ortho that was there isn't even listed on Invisalign's website as being a provider. It took them 4 or 5 tries on my bottom teeth and upwards of 10 tries 
for my top teeth before they got a good enough model in the blue gunk. They warned me that Invisalign may not think that it is good enough and may want me to come in and get another one done.
The appointment, which was only to make molds and take fresh x-rays, was only quoted to me as being about 30 minutes. I was in there for 2 hours and 40 minutes Of course, part of that had to be because the assistants were having a hard time scraping the stuff out of the disposable tray. Good thing I hadn't made any plans for the rest of the day! But, if the bonding agent to fix my chipped tooth was that fresh, I don't think that it would have been able to take it!
I asked and they also sided that it would be best to fix the chipped tooth later. I was told that those 2 teeth are wider than they should be anyway. So, some "shaving" may have to be done. Hopefully, the "shaving" will be on the side that the chip is on and I will not have to worry about it anymore!
for my top teeth before they got a good enough model in the blue gunk. They warned me that Invisalign may not think that it is good enough and may want me to come in and get another one done. The appointment, which was only to make molds and take fresh x-rays, was only quoted to me as being about 30 minutes. I was in there for 2 hours and 40 minutes
Of course, part of that had to be because the assistants were having a hard time scraping the stuff out of the disposable tray. Good thing I hadn't made any plans for the rest of the day! But, if the bonding agent to fix my chipped tooth was that fresh, I don't think that it would have been able to take it! I asked and they also sided that it would be best to fix the chipped tooth later. I was told that those 2 teeth are wider than they should be anyway. So, some "shaving" may have to be done. Hopefully, the "shaving" will be on the side that the chip is on and I will not have to worry about it anymore!
At first it was gross because I couldn't swallow properly. Then, it got okay. But, around the second to last, it just got plain annoying. They said that the molding stuff is really expensive, too. The assistants also made comments on about 5 occassions that they were scaring me off and that checking to see if I would be coming back. But, hey, I was stuck and it was too late to change my mind!
I even got some motivation because about halfway through, a guy came in to get his 7th, 8th, and 9th aligners and he had experienced great progress. So, I even got a sneak peak at what the appointments would be like.
I even got some motivation because about halfway through, a guy came in to get his 7th, 8th, and 9th aligners and he had experienced great progress. So, I even got a sneak peak at what the appointments would be like.