Can I get BRACES and keep all my teeth?

[GillyWeed]

Hi,

I am a 22 year old university student who is on the fence about getting braces. My teeth aren't horrible, in fact I think I would be completely ok with living the rest of my years out (if I had too) with the teeth I currently have. That said, I still do have my issues.

I was told by my dentist when I was around 10 years old that I would require braces to correct a slight misalignment between my jaws, but was also informed that it wasn't immenent and that I could wait until I was older to get this corrected (so my mum wouldn't have to foot the costs on her own). I also have a snaggle tooth (my top right canine), two inward facing premolars on the bottom, a couple of crooked molars and my bottom two wisdom teeth are vertically impacted. *I think my top jaw may also be a little narrow, but that is just a guess*

I work part-time and have saved up enough money to finally be able to put a decent deposit down for the braces and I really want to get them but I am really nervous about what I could potentially be getting myself into. I've done a ton of research and have learned that extractions are a common part of braces and the idea of having my perfectly healthy teeth pulled out scares the living daylights out of me. I've also come across people needing jaw surguries to correct numerous different things...TERRIFYING! I think I would simply say "thank you" and walk away if the orthodontist told me that I would require surgery.

I know I know, the positives out weight the negatives. A few weeks, months maybe even years of pain for a lifetime of beautiful, perfect straight teeth. Seems quite obvious what the choice but all I can see right now is 'GAAHHHH, PAIN!'

I guess I'm just wondering if there is anyone out there who was able to get braces without any of the extra stuff. No Extracions. No Surguries. Just braces on and 1-3 years later braces off, with all 32 of your teeth at the end? And if you did have extractions, was it worth it?

Thanks guys, any and all responses are greatly appreciated:)

[vincent168]

I think if you have bad crowding, you'll need extractions however you do hear a lot of people say they visited x orthos and finally there was one that said extractions wasn't required and it worked. So I guess that depends.

Surgery is entirely up to you. Just like your teeth, if you don't mind the look of them you don't have to get it.

[sirwired]

You simply need to talk to an orthodontist; it's impossible for us to say. Some people require extractions, but most do not.

Certainly do not let fear of extractions keep you from at least going to a consult.

[klobird]

From all the posts I've read, it seems like it really boils down to which ortho you pick! Before I got braces I read a lot about how Damon braces overall eliminate the need for extractions...
So, at 55 I got Damon Q braces--I have 3 horizontal,deeply impacted wisdom teeth---with no extractions--nothing.

That is not to say that you won't have a palatal expander, or elastics, or that kind of stuff--it seems like we all have some form of junk like that. I want to accomplish my goal of keeping my own teeth for the rest of my life-with no implants-or dentures or all of that kind of junk. So I will take all of the braces junk they throw at me (which has only been elastics so far) even though I may whine like a baby about it!

[SPShelly]

Like others have said, you would need to get a consult first. Maybe a few consults. In my case I needed surgery with a palatal expander. Is it painful? yes. But for me, I would rather do the surgery than pull my teeth. Don't let fear of the unknown stop you.

[GillyWeed]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. I agree, there is no hurt in a consult and I am actually quite interested in hearing an orthos opinion.

I've found 3 orthodontists in my area that have a lot of great reviews. One uses the Damon system so I'm hoping at least she says I don't require extractions. I don't really have any crowding at all with exception of my one snaggle tooth and I am fine with having spacers, an expander, elastics and anything else that will correct my teeth with the braces on.

Just wondering though, how long does one typically have spacers in before the braces are actually fitted?

[klobird]

Hey Gilly--The first time I had spacers, they put them in on Tuesday and braced me on Friday. It was a stroke of luck,though, because it was originally planned for 2 weeks. They had a schedule change and asked me on that Tuesday if I wanted braces earlier than planned..oh ya......

The 2nd time was for a week or so. I, like a couple others, never had any pain at all from spacers. The ortho said the pain would occur if I was biting down. So, I only ate really soft stuff. But that was my experience--everyone is different. I think I got lucky.....either way, time seems to fly when I have a specific goal to measure it against. And spacers seem like ages ago!

[kitsune]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. I agree, there is no hurt in a consult and I am actually quite interested in hearing an orthos opinion.

I've found 3 orthodontists in my area that have a lot of great reviews. One uses the Damon system so I'm hoping at least she says I don't require extractions. I don't really have any crowding at all with exception of my one snaggle tooth and I am fine with having spacers, an expander, elastics and anything else that will correct my teeth with the braces on.

Just wondering though, how long does one typically have spacers in before the braces are actually fitted?

I kept all of my teeth with the exception of two completely impacted wisdom teeth (the only two I ended up growing!). They did not technically NEED to be removed, but I decided to do so in order to avoid possible complications later on down the road. I received spacers and had them in for a week before getting the braces attached.

[ArchWired28]

GillyWeed

I will retain all my 36 teeth including the 3rd molars and I am in braces. In fact, I am missing 2 premolars right now (due to being stupidly negligent to my teeth earlier) and I insist on keeping the spaces open so that I can do implants or bridges later on.
Of course I did not have a surgery.

In fact, many people do not need anything invasive. I would say go get a few consultations. They are free and no obligation. And you can make an informed choice later on. Good luck!

[bharlow]

Getting a second opinion is always good if you really don't know what to do. Your dentist should be able to advise you also. There are many websites to check out an orthodontist like doctoroogle and yelp. It's funny, so many people look at their teeth, minimize their problems and don't get braces. What's important to remember is you can have perfectly straight teeth and have a horrible bite. If you don't get your bite corrected you will end up losing your teeth later in life. Straight teeth are only half of the brace equation. As far as extractions go, seeing an orthodontist at age 7 would have helped. Early intervention means less dramatic treatment later. Most people don't know this, and the majority of orthodontic exams are free so why wait?

[all48]

I was fully braced last week for the first time in my life at age 48 and no extractions are necessary for my orthodontia treatment. I did have my 4 wisdom teeth pulled when I was in my late teens. I remember my orthodontist talking about how he does not like to pull teeth unless absolutely necessary.

[GillyWeed]

I have 2 consultations booked in February and I'm really excited! I've got a dentist appointment next week so I will ask her, her opinion on my teeth and which orthodontist in the city she would reccommend. *she herself had braces a few years back so her opinion will be invaluable, considering she is a dentist who had braces as an adult*

Thank you all for the taking the time to ease my woes. I'm glad to know that braces are possible without extractions and surgery but i'm honestly feeling a lot better with the idea of extractions.

@Klobird: I hope i'm as lucky as you and get things moving quickly once I find an ortho I like. Being fully braced by March would be ideal!

Thanks everyone =D

[kennyandrew85]

I had extractions myself and I had a lot of professional opinions who all decided it was the only way forward.
It all depends how much space you have and the size of your teeth.

I think a lot of us found this message board by searching for the same answers you are.

After seeing youtube videos and other websites scaring me into thinking it was barbaric and would ruin my face shape and I would have problems sleeping for the rest of my life I nearly cancelled my braces. I am happy to say it was very much worth going ahead with extractions and my teeth are now looking amazing compared to how they started 9 months ago.

[DrDevo]

I have severe crowding and was able to keep all of my teeth without extraction.

[cavomington]

25, I have crowding issues, but I didn't need extractions.