Anyone experienced reversing extraction treatment?

[malilou25]

Hello everyone, I am newly registered on this forum.

I had teeth extraction when I was a teenager, and I regret it very much because my face seems much narrower and I don't have enough space for my tongue. Did anyone successfully reverse the extraction treatment? and how was that done? how much time did the whole process take?

thanks

[Leilo0]

Not me personally but my dentist was treating a client who wanted to reverse her extraction treatment. She did not reveal the details but she advised me to not go down the same route. Wish I could give more info!

[malilou25]

thanks for your reply leilo!
anyone can give more info regarding what needs to be done? anyone experienced reversing their extraction treatment?
please help :(

[braces2]

If you search for "reverse extractions" and "undoing extraction orthodontics" some older posts will come up. You can try "ALF appliance," too.

@Leilo0, did she mean don't try to reverse your extraction treatment or not have extractions?

[Leilo0]

Hi braces2

My dentist advised me not to have extractions - the ortho I was going to wanted to get rid of FOUR teeth. I'm overall happy with my decision. Anyway, I believe my dentist said if I wanted to reverse it in the future it would be really challenging and might require me getting implants to replace the extracted teeth and using an expander to widen out my arches. So I decided to go down the non extraction route and see the results from that first. That's why it took me awhile to finally decide getting braces! Anyway, to the original OP, how you'll find the info you need!

[braces2]

Anyway, I believe my dentist said if I wanted to reverse it in the future it would be really challenging and might require me getting implants to replace the extracted teeth and using an expander to widen out my arches.

Yeah, that's basically what the OP is going to have to do.

Thanks for the info, Leilo0. That's fortunate that your dentist was looking out for you and helping inform your decision. I'm actually considering going with a dentist instead of an orthodontist for retreatment. The dentist's office seems to be thinking more about overall health. The orthodontist should have more knowledge, but has less experience with retreatment. Most offices I've tried (dentist or orthodontist) don't have a lot of experience or don't want to bother with these cases.

[sirwired]

Hello everyone, I am newly registered on this forum.

I had teeth extraction when I was a teenager, and I regret it very much because my face seems much narrower and I don't have enough space for my tongue. Did anyone successfully reverse the extraction treatment? and how was that done? how much time did the whole process take?

thanks

I guess my first question would be: Seems to be narrower than what? Because it looks like you are saying that it is narrower than it would have been without the extractions; if the extractions were done while you are growing, it's difficult say what your face would have looked like without them. I will say that generally extractions are usually done because of narrowness (if the arch is too narrow/small, it may not have been able to accommodate all your teeth.) Extractions can cause narrowness, but that's only if they are done needlessly; I would not think that's the norm. (And I suppose extractions done for decay, instead of orthodontic, reasons could also cause issues...)

Just prying your teeth apart and inserting implants is probably not going to be the way to go if the original extractions were done for orthodontic reasons. Those teeth came out because your arch at the time couldn't hold them. To add teeth back in, you are going to need a bigger arch, which usually means jaw surgery.

I guess the question is: what are you trying to accomplish? If you want a broader face, that is a very different objective from "put my extracted teeth back in." A broader face can be accomplished without jamming implants into your arch.

[sirwired]

Thanks for the info, Leilo0. That's fortunate that your dentist was looking out for you and helping inform your decision. I'm actually considering going with a dentist instead of an orthodontist for retreatment. The dentist's office seems to be thinking more about overall health. The orthodontist should have more knowledge, but has less experience with retreatment. Most offices I've tried (dentist or orthodontist) don't have a lot of experience or don't want to bother with these cases.

"Retreatment" itself may not be what the ortho's aren't thrilled with. Plenty of people on this board on doing a 2nd round of braces (I am); it's not at all unusual. It may be that they believe doing what you want (and I have no idea what you are looking to have done) may produce an unstable or poorly-integrated final result.

[ArchWired28]

I *believe* the user CLB26 attempted reversing her extractions due to TMJ pain. This turned out to be a complete disaster. I think you can look up her posts using a search feature on this website. Not to say that this isolated case represents everybody, but definitely something to consider when you consent to this kind of treatment.

[malilou25]

sirwired,

By narrower I meant that my face is not as full as it was before my extractions (I was 15), and I also used to have a wider smile. All my teeth used to fit in my mouth, so I don't see why the ortho advised to extract my 4 premolars. Now I have inadequate tongue space and it takes me ages to chew my food, not to mention how much my chin is smaller and pushed back.

And can you please tell me how I can achieve a broader face without inserting implants to replace my extracted teeth? If there was a way I would be grateful to know it, because I prefer to leave impants as a last resort.

[Amanda6]

sirwired,

By narrower I meant that my face is not as full as it was before my extractions (I was 15), and I also used to have a wider smile. All my teeth used to fit in my mouth, so I don't see why the ortho advised to extract my 4 premolars. Now I have inadequate tongue space and it takes me ages to chew my food, not to mention how much my chin is smaller and pushed back.

And can you please tell me how I can achieve a broader face without inserting implants to replace my extracted teeth? If there was a way I would be grateful to know it, because I prefer to leave impants as a last resort.

I have been having orthodontics to reverse extraction ortho, in order to treat my TMJ dysfunction which is the main reason for having my current orthodontics. I am not having the 4 missing premolars replaced as part of the treatment. My upper arch has been expanded slightly using an ALF appliance which created gaps bewteen all of my teeth. Then I had upper fixed braces to move all my teeth forward and to close the gaps. I am having the orthodontics done by a functional orthodontist who specialises in treating the TMJ.

[sirwired]

Your best bet is to go to an orthodontist and state that you think your smile is too narrow and see what he/she says.

Don't go with: "I want to reverse my extractions/I want jaw surgery to widen my face/etc." State what you don't like about your current smile and let the ortho come up with a treatment plan. What is possible depends a LOT on the shape of your skull. Maybe the teeth can be lined up differently within your current arch. Maybe you are a canidate for SARPE/Le Fort/BSSO surgery. There are a lot of treatments that can be chosen from, depending on conditions.

It's hard to say if the initial extractions were unnecessary without access to your initial records. Your teeth may have "fit", but the orthodontist may not have been able to achieve a good and stable bite without some more space in the mouth. (For instance, a colleague's daughter went through braces at a "no extractions, ever" ortho, and soon after treatment was over, her bottom teeth splayed outwards because they had been crammed into an arch that was simply not large enough to accommodate them. They don't overlap, so they all "fit", but the result is by no means ideal.)

[malilou25]

archwired28,
I looked up her posts, but as you said it seems to be an isolated case and she had no luck with the choice of her orthodontist. I hope I'll be more careful with that. thanks for the info:)

amanda6,
you really give me hope. I'm curious though, is the ALF appliance also used on your lower jaw? and can molars also move forward thanks to the ALF? do you notice any changes in your face, chin, profile? and did your current functional ortho tell you how much time you'll be spending wearing braces again?

sirwired,
that's what I will definitely do. I'll just state my concerns and see what the ortho will advise.
I believe that in particular cases extractions are indeed necessary, but when I noticed how my face and chin changed after I had them, I couldn't but question the whole process, especially considering the fact that I didn't have any kind of TMJ pain or any kind of concerns regarding my teeth, other than a misaligned bite.

[Amanda6]

amanda6,
you really give me hope. I'm curious though, is the ALF appliance also used on your lower jaw? and can molars also move forward thanks to the ALF? do you notice any changes in your face, chin, profile? and did your current functional ortho tell you how much time you'll be spending wearing braces again?

I haven't had any expansion on my lower jaw. I have been wearing a lower splint during the orthodontics for my TMJ dysfunction. The splint had an expansion screw in it, but the dentist decided not to use it to expand my lower arch. The treatment has brought my lower jaw forward, so my chin doesn't look so retruded. It has also reduced my TMJ clicking as well. The overall treatment is about 2 and half years

[ArchWired28]

other than a misaligned bite.

What misalignment did you have? A Class II bite (an overbite, a deep bite), perhaps with an overjet? In this case, extractions are done to push the upper teeth backwards, and the lower teeth forward into the extractions spaces, thus fixing your bite into a normal, class I occlusion. Again, if this is the case, I don't think they will be able to simply move the teeth and insert the implants, because it will ruin your bite, ie how your upper and lower jaws occlude. However, perhaps they may be able to get you in braces and make your teeth fit into a fuller arch w/o reversing extractions. This alone can have substantial widening effect (look up TMJJill's posts). Or, as sirwired has said, you may be a candidate for a jaw surgery. Only a qualified ortho may be able to answer that...