Will braces make gums move as well? (bimax protrusion)

[pearlyteeth]

I posted earlier about my bimax, and I'm also wondering if my gums or the roots of my teeth would shift back as well. The angle of my teeth are slanted out but not enough that they are over jets. I heard that when your gums/roots are sticking out then when you move your teeth back, it could result in inturned teeth. I don't want to look like an old lady with no dentures.. Also how much would your profile change with extractions? I just want my teeth to go in by 3mm and not more than that.

[Chaotic Choppers]

Hey Pearly,

Do you have braces on yet or are you in the process of deciding on them??

Check out my story as I have pics and bi max protrusion if that helps. I'm getting 4 premolars extracted to correct the protrusion but they don't come out until my ortho is happy enough with my progress.

I'm not sure about the concerns you have but the most important thing is to have an ortho you can trust. Perhaps ask him or her to show you photos of profile changes that they have corrected in the past to make sure you're happy?

I also think that the protrusion makes my gums sit too far forward in relation to my jaw and has lead to gum loss... So pulling them back over the jaw should stop that I hope.

All I know is that my teeth can be straightened without extractions but the result would mean I still have protrusion, lip incompetence and chin strain...so it makes my decision a little easier in that sense.

I also think my ortho wants to extract second premolars instead of first. This perhaps creates a smaller space than first premolars??? I really don't know. But if you have a fair few months to follow my story you can see what happens lol.

Take care,
CC

[pearlyteeth]

Thanks choppers!

This is actually my second time getting braces. I don't have them yet, but I've already scheduled an appointment for it which will be in 2 weeks.
When I first had them, it was 9 years ago (I'm 21 right now), to correct my underbite. Back then, I never realized that I had bimax protrusion and just wanted to fix my underbite. Now that I'm older, I notice that my lips are sticking out too much and thus have lip incompetence.

I've visited 3 orthodontists and they all agreed that in order to fix my protrusion, they must extract 4 teeth. However, 2 orthodontists agreed to take out the second premolars for the same reason as you said, "to create a smaller space," whereas my previous orthodontist said that that wouldn't be enough to bring back my front teeth.

So here's my problem. I really do trust my old orthodontist (he's the most popular one in my city) and he probably knows my teeth the best because I've been seeing him since I was 12. But having 2 orthodontists saying something different worries me. If I extract the first premolars, I'm scared that my teeth would "fall-back." But if I extract the second premolars, I'm worried that there wouldn't be enough space created!
Plus I'm not sure if gums can be retrieved along with teeth because like you said, I don't want my gums sitting too forward compared to my jaw.

I saw your story and your pictures (which was very helpful thanks!), but I think our cases are slightly different. I think your teeth are perfect for extractions because it seems like it's your teeth that are protrusive not your gums. Also you have pretty big teeth as well, your smile will be gorgeous after your braces!

For me, it seems like my gums are protrusive with my teeth. I'm not too sure though... I really love my front view. My teeth are aligned, my bite is good. I just hate my profile. I'm scared that extracting teeth would change my face too dramatically or not dramatic enough, if you know what I mean. I want it to be just right in between because I don't think my protrusion is too bad.

I really wish I could post my pictures. I already took some shots so I can post them!

[Chaotic Choppers]

Hi Pearly,

I was a little concerned about the 1st/2nd premolar thing too... and the way that I reasoned about it was that all orthos have a particular technique and know what works best with their technique. If it were possible to see the results of all three, they might all be great and possibly very similar! But don't feel scared to ring all three and ask more questions to make you more comfortable with your decision. Perhaps ask your trusted ortho if he thinks that your teeth will "fall back"? After all, he knows your teeth very well!

I know what you mean about the profile changes. I would love a nice in-between look! Not far forward, not far back (although I think it takes a lot to be 'too far back' in the case of protrusion so I'm not too worried about that!)... I'm really hoping for the best! And obviously for this part I just have to trust that my ortho knows what I want and how much space is needed to achieve that- I'm certainly no expert!!

Can't wait to see your photos when you can put them up!

[pearlyteeth]

Thanks CC,

My ortho is currently on a summer break so I will definitely ask him when he gets back. I still can't seem to attach any photos.. so I just made some links. Please tell me what you think!

http://i45.tinypic.com/m2cjq.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/1115yr8.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/117z91w.jpg

Also, my parents are really opposed to the idea of extraction. They're very conservative and think extracting four perfectly normal healthy teeth will do no good in the future lol At first, I was totally optimistic but now, I'm a bit nervous to how my teeth will turn out..

[Chaotic Choppers]

Hi Pearly!

The photos show that you have beautiful teeth!! Your ortho definitely did a fantastic job!! You really could get away with not going through braces again, but it just comes down to how much it bothers you to have the residual problems that you've mentioned. You might have to ask your ortho about the risks of getting extractions and braces again so that you can make a pros and cons list. You may find that a little fullness in your profile (Even beautiful Angelina Jolie is a little full in her profile) and lip incompetence is not as bad as the risks that he mentions? Or you may find that you're worried about nothing and should just go ahead and do it! But you need to keep asking questions until you are really confident in your decision, especially if you don't have the full support of your family (who have valid concerns that could be brought up with your ortho- perhaps he can explain it to you in a way that will enable you to reassure your family?).

I can see what you mean about your gums but I think it means that you have true bi max protrustion where your underlying jaw structure is a little forward (as opposed to mine, which as you say is more teeth forward compared to jaw). This might mean that your teeth and gums are actually sitting over your jaw and are in a good place? I'm no expert, so again, another question for your ortho.

Just remember that there is no rush, take you time making a decision and cancel your braces appointment if you are not totally comfortable because you can't put teeth back after they've been extracted!!

[TinkB]

The way my ortho explained it is, your visible teeth move first then, your roots move and catch up to your teeth. I had some tipping with my canines at first, but as they moved, eventually my roots caught up. The ortho might also reposition brackets during your treatment to get your teeth and roots to align.

My ortho chose my 1st premolars because one of them was a root canal. It made the chose easy for me because I was only pulling 3 healthy teeth instead of 4.

I could tell by my profile before braces that pulling those teeth was my best option because I could not close my mouth all of the way with how my teeth flared and were crowded.

Pulling teeth is a hard decision. It was hard for me but, I am happy with the results so far. No one can even tell that I am missing a set of 4 teeth.

My story has some of my progress pictures in it, if you want to check it out.

Good luck in your treatment.

[ArchWired28]

pearlyteeth
I can see your bimax protrusion, however it does not look too bad in my opinion. If it were my teeth, I'd probably have left it as is (if correction necessitated pulling 4 healthy teeth). However, I can see on the 1st pic, that you seem to have a weak chin? Have any ortho ever mentioned about that? Will pulling 4 teeth make your chin look even weaker? I don't know, just thinking out loud.

[junkfood1991]

they can definitely move the gum too cus incisors don't just disappear into the gum and gum tissues will remodel as incisors get intruded and pulled back. i think it depends on what anchorage is used to achieve either anterior teeth intrusion or posterior extrusion. (at least this is what i have read so far).

[lexax]

Hi, can you post an update? thank you. What did your ortho say?