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Hello!
Does anyone here have (or have ever had) braces on a capped tooth? 1/3 of my front right incisor was chipped and capped due to a roller skating accident when I was 13 (has been replaced once in my early 20's) and I have asked my ortho if she thought it needed to be replaced beforehand, and she told me to wait until after my treatment and replace it then.
So what I am wanting to know is, how much pressure is put on your teeth? I'm not sure it will go the distance as my treatment plan is for 2 years... I am scheduled in next week to get my braces on.
Yes, you absolutely can get braces on capped teeth! I have 3 caps/crowns in my mouth: two silver ones on my lower back molars, and one porcelain crown on another tooth. Because brackets don't adhere very well to silver caps, I had to get molar bands placed around the silver ones. (it's basically a metal band with a bracket already attached to it). My porcelain crown has a bracket glued onto it. It popped off the first time they put it on, but they reattached it and it's been fine ever since.
Yes, I have 3 crowns and 2 veneers. My ortho explained that there is an extra step in the process to adhere the brackets, but not a big deal otherwise. So far no problems.
Class II moderately deep overbite, mild crowding.
Braced on January 19, 2011. Debraced on December 16, 2013.
2 years, 11 months in braces.
Thank you all for your replies. Puts my mind at ease a little.
I would have preferred to have had it replaced pre braces as the back of the 'tooth' is quite rough and for purely cosmetic reasons - it's not the same colour as my other teeth - so it looks like I don't brush properly I might see if can get into my dentist this week (highly doubtful) to get it replaced before B-Day next week. If not, I'll just have to suck it up!
I have 3 caps and 1 veneer, all with no problems so far.
It is absolutely preferable to replace the cap after braces, that is what I have been told (I need to replace 2 of mine).
Had full mouth metal braces for 21 months. Debonded April 2013. Now wearing clear plastic retainers every other night.
I have no formal dental or orthodontic education. Hence, all opinions expressed by me on this forum are those of an "informed consumer" and by no means intended as an expert advice.
Pink, I would advise you to wait until after braces to replace your crown. The extra step they do so the bracket will adhere is to roughen up the surface of the crown. I have 3 that have brackets on them, and they had to be physically etched beforehand. This can be polished out afterwards, but do you really want to spend the money on a new one, just for the ortho to scuff up?
Hello PinkOrchid,
I second Kipepeo's thought of waiting until after braces if you're thinking of replacing a crown now for, as you say, cosmetic reasons - this is because yes the orthodontist will scratch/etch the smooth surface of the crown to help the glue & bracket hold on better.
I have crowns on my upper two front teeth, as well as on a couple of molars, which all did well during my 2.5 years of braces. At some points during your treatment, as happened to me, the brackets on crowned teeth may pop off and you simply need to go get them re-glued. For me, the times this happened were usually when extra/new pressure was exerted on the crowned teeth e.g., just after changing to a thicker archwire, or when the orthodontist put kinks in the archwire next to the upper front crowned teeth to specifically move them more.
Good luck!
Tooth bonding is usually optimized for bonding to enamel. If you have a porcelain crown, a special series of coatings may be required on it, as well as roughening up the surface. Brackets bonded to crowns have a greater rate of debond, but should stay on if you are careful.
Absolutely wait until you are finished your treatment before you replace any fixed crowns or veneers. Good luck!
Dr. Jason Tam
Toronto Invisalign, Scarborough braces, and Markham Orthodontist
Diamond Plus Invisalign Provider
Thrice Published in the Invisalign Case Gallery
Thank you so much for all your replies. I discussed it with my dental hygienist yesterday and she said pretty much the same thing. The bracket will cover the discolouration mostly so it's not going to be all that noticeable. Plus I am pretty sure people won't be looking that closely. I will however be very careful seeing as brackets can pop off.
There's no point in me wasting my money on something so trivial... God knows these braces cost enough as it is! On the plus side I get a lovely 'new' tooth at the end!
pinkorchid wrote:Thank you so much for all your replies. I discussed it with my dental hygienist yesterday and she said pretty much the same thing. The bracket will cover the discolouration mostly so it's not going to be all that noticeable. Plus I am pretty sure people won't be looking that closely. I will however be very careful seeing as brackets can pop off.
There's no point in me wasting my money on something so trivial... God knows these braces cost enough as it is! On the plus side I get a lovely 'new' tooth at the end!
Thanks again!
Yeah, I had the same problem. I had a root canal on 2 front teeth a couple years back and being they're no longer Vital teeth they are a bit discolored. So it does stand out a little. BUt my Orthodontist said there's no point because after your braces come off you're going to want to get your teeth bleached and then get the crowns so they'll all match. So I went ahead and got them before the capping of the crowns. I do get a lil self conscious at times because people always ask to see my braces sometimes and I always have to explain why it's not white like the rest of my teeth. But I pick myself up again by thinking how much better my teeth will look after.
I am scheduled in next week to get my braces on.
I might see if can get into my dentist this week (highly doubtful) to get it replaced before B-Day next week. If not, I'll just have to suck it up! 
On the plus side I get a lovely 'new' tooth at the end! 
