32 years old and 1 month braced.

[Quins]

I got my teeth braced on the 12th of June. Only the brackets were placed on the lower teeth with no wire because I had to have the central lower incisor extracted (Root Canal tooth ) . Placing the brackets was a breeze except for the fact that my last molars had to have a blue filling put on them to open my bite, because of my teeth biting onto the brackets. When the wire was installed on the top teeth it was kind of tight and something to get used to. Had no pain until the teeth started moving a few days later. The pain was not unbearable.

On the 19th of June I had the lower incisor surgically removed. Root canal teeth seem to have a mind of their own . The tooth kept on breaking no matter what was done. 2 Hours later, cut up gums and aveolar bone removed and stitches the tooth was out. Pain from the surgery was an absolute nightmare. Recovery has been slow. The gums did not heal over the exposed bone as expected.

Speech has become a a struggle because of the gap in the bottom arch.

14 Days later on the 4th of July I had the lower teeth braces up. Wow was so happy because the teeth just felt more secure and stable. Pain has been a bit of a problem due to the teeth moving fast and trying to close the gap. The gap was 6mm and is now 4mm a week later. I noticed the the gap is no longer closing and will require time to close. As far as I understand I will need a power chain on the bottom arch to close the gaps. Will post pics of my progress once I am able to place them on the site.

Tips for people getting braces:

1. Take some pain med's an hour before going to have the teeth banded/braced.
2. Cold water works like magic to control the pain (Secret tip: Cold water also relieves some of the pressure of the archwire and refreshes the
gums. The first thin archwires are heat sensitive. At least that's what I have found.)
3. Floss and brush everyday. This makes your mouth feel refreshed and also alleviates some of the pain in the gums.
4. Rinse with luke warm water and salt. Also helps with gums and canker sores.
5. If wires are poking or scratching at the back, have them clipped and bent. Its going to save you from lots of pain.
6. Be patient.....it takes time to move the teeth. (Also trying to deal with this fact )

Will post photos but until then, Stay focused on your goal....a perfect smile.

[Quins]

1 Month into treatment.

[lilone]

Looks great! I know you had to go through a lot to get to this point but your progress is great for such a short period of time!

[Quins]

Looks great! I know you had to go through a lot to get to this point but your progress is great for such a short period of time!

Thanks lilone

I know I have had good progress in a short time. Im just very anxious about the whole process. The surgery to remove the lower incisor has caused the gum to recede because they had to remove alveolar bone to remove the root. This has now exposed the neck of the adjacent two teeth of the extracted tooth and is very painful. I have also read that teeth only move 1mm p/m. This tooth has moved 2mm to 3mm in a WEEK!!! Im so scared the tooth is gonna fall out.

[lilone]

That does sound scary, Quins! I'm sure it's fine but I think you should call your ortho and explain about the neck of the two adjacent teeth being exposed and it being painful. At the very least, he (or she) may be able to put a kind of varnish on them that blocks the pours and makes it less sensitive. I have never had this done but have heard of it several times. At best, you can also get him to take a look at those teeth and the movement and confirm that they are safe.

[Quins]

Hi lilone

I was at the orth 2 weeks after the surgery. They had a look and did not complain or have any concern when the lower archwire was installed. Im pretty sure the assistant would not have installed the archwire if there was a problem not to install it. The pain in the teeth are mainly from the exposed necks. There is no pain from the moving. I have noticed that the one tooth moved mesially but the root has not moved labially. Im sure if the tooth was loose or the root was loose then it would have moved all over the place. I have also heard that teeth move very fast into extraction sites. My six anterior teeth need to be intruded and will also help with the root support in the aveolar bone due to the root being pushed down deeper into the bone. Ortho said on his plan to level the curve of spee and that would include intruding my teeth.

Will just monitor the teeth. For now it seems the teeth have settled into the new spot, but its freaking scary.

Thank you for your replies. Makes me feel a bit more comfortable.

[fsaq]

Hi Lione, mine is almost the same case as yours. 30yrs old, i just got my central lower incisor removed yesterday. On monday i will get my lower braces, than my top ones after 3 months. The gap of my removed tooth is quite big, at least 5mm. I did a lot of reading regarding lower incisor extractions, at first I didnt need any extraction, my doctor told me he could work with the space, but after getting the x-rays he saw a possible sing of infection in my front incisor. I had Root Canal buy it didnt work, so they decided to remove it. We ll see how it goes.

I had braces as a teenager (15) hopefully that speeds up the process this second time.

[Quins]

Hi Lione, mine is almost the same case as yours. 30yrs old, i just got my central lower incisor removed yesterday. On monday i will get my lower braces, than my top ones after 3 months. The gap of my removed tooth is quite big, at least 5mm. I did a lot of reading regarding lower incisor extractions, at first I didnt need any extraction, my doctor told me he could work with the space, but after getting the x-rays he saw a possible sing of infection in my front incisor. I had Root Canal buy it didnt work, so they decided to remove it. We ll see how it goes.

I had braces as a teenager (15) hopefully that speeds up the process this second time.

Hi Fsaq

I must admit having a tooth extracted is scary. It leaves a person wondering if the gap will ever close and if a person would ever look normal again. I must say the gap seems to close so fast that I am actually scared the tooth will become loose and fall out. But after a couple of days it seems once the teeth has stabalized into their new positions they stopped moving. For now everything seems a bit more stable. Please do keep in contact. I would love to hear your feedback, concerns and progress.

Kind Regards

[Quins]

5 Weeks into treatment for the top braces
2 Weeks into treatment for the bottom braces.

Teeth are really loose now.

[Quins]

Ok had my 1st adjustment yesterday. What an experience! It was very painful during the adjustments. All the rubber ligatures were replaced with metal ligatures to stiffen up the teeth and force the teeth to align quicker. A 3 link power chain was put on the bottom teeth and boy oh boy did it hurt. The one tooth moved within hours . Today the teeth hurt when I bite, bump on them. Below are pictures of the yesterday morning and a picture of today.

I will also need a bone graft after the braces on the lower teeth due to the surgical removal of the lower incisor. At the moment my bottom teeth look like a war zone. Im currently a bit down and cant see it ever looking nice again. I am praying it will all work out in the end.

[Alee]

Hi Quins, I'm Amanda, 32, just got fully braced yesterday! I think.you have made tremendous progress! Your teeth look great! I know you are anxious, but your end result is going to be perfect. Braces are some kind of magic, lol, and I can't believe the difference in your bottoms after 1 day! Looking great!!!! How long do you have to wear braces? Your top teeth look almost perfect already!

[Quins]

quote="Alee"]Hi Quins, I'm Amanda, 32, just got fully braced yesterday! I think.you have made tremendous progress! Your teeth look great! I know you are anxious, but your end result is going to be perfect. Braces are some kind of magic, lol, and I can't believe the difference in your bottoms after 1 day! Looking great!!!! How long do you have to wear braces? Your top teeth look almost perfect already![/quote]


Hi Amanda. Thanks for the inspiration. I need to wear braces for two years. Then permanent retention on lower teeth and two years retention for the top teeth. Will most probably need a bone graft on lower front teeth due to the surgery I had to remove the tooth. Otherwise I am doing good. My mouth just hurts like crazy .

Thanks for the reply.

Kind Regards
Quintin

[Alee]

Pleased to meet you Quintin! The same tooth you re missing on the bottom, on me I chipped that tooth when I was like 12, I've had it fixed 3 times over the years, and my ortho said he may want to pull it bc it may break during treatment, and if it chips it will be just a small piece of tooth. He said since i have small teeth a brace might not fit it. I told him idont want it pulled if we can help it. My dentist said after braces come off he can put a permanent cap on it so I never have to worry about it again. Why did you have to get that tooth pulled? Good luck with the bone graft. I have to wear braces for 18-24 months, I'm hoping for 18 months, but I expect the latter!

[Quins]

Hi Amanda I had a root canal on the tooth 12 years ago. Well in June I decided to get braces and all was good and waiting for the day of braces. One evening I realized something was wrong with the tooth. I had a very faint grey line below the gum but between the teeth. It was a hole. Went to the dentist and she said it wasnt a hole and I told her that it was. She poked arount then all of a sudden she saw what I meant. It was a hole in the root. She fixed the tooth but because it was a root canal it was severely weakened and would fracture in the near future. Dentist suggested I have the tooth pulled. Made an appointment for extraction after I explained to the ortho what was going on and ortho said it was ok. Ortho told me I would have overjet as a result. Went to have it extracted and it took less than a minute for the crown to break of at the gum. It then became a surgical extraction. Well the root would not come out and just kept breaking in small pieces hence to aveolar bone removal to get the root out. As for the overjet. I have not suffered any effect yet because i learnt to move my jaw back all the way when closing my mouth over the years. With everything going on my bite and stress on my TMJ have been relieved and my jaw is now much better fitting for my bite.All I can do now is sit and wait

[Alee]

Man i feel for.you, sounds like a lot of bull, and pain! I'm sure though the end result will be beautiful. Good luck with everything. I've noticed some things as my teeth have began to move that worry me too. The tooth I chipped seems to be a little weird, I'm going to have my dentist take a look. Its almost like the chip went down to below the gumline. It doesn't look bad or have a hole, just looks chipped at the bottom.