Do your second molars touch?

[dantocanada]

I'm getting my braces off in 3 weeks and I'm wondering why my second molars (on top) don't even come close to touching - at least a mm gap. They also appear to be misaligned. These are two teeth that were never bracketed. Is it because they don't matter? My ortho didn't seem to concerned when I mentioned it. I know you can't see those teeth, but still..I went through a lot of pain and money...shouldn't my back teeth touch? Anyone else have back molars that don't touch after treatment?

[lambchop]

Do you mean they're not touching the bottom teeth, or that there's a gap between your teeth on the top?

[dantocanada]

Sorry, yes, I mean the top second molars don't touch the bottom molars.

[lambchop]

It doesn't sound like you're ready to have them off yet...at the end of July, I will have had mine on for four years, double the amount of time they estimated, but both of my orthos are being sticklers for things like making sure gaps are closed, my midline is as close to perfect as possible, and my bite is good (which means molars touching). As frustrated as I am at times, I'm also really happy that these guys actually seem to want to get it right, even if they are losing money on me! Can you ask about delaying the removal and increasing or changing your elastic wear to try to close your bite?

[Featheryy1221]

My second molars touch, but mine always have, even pre-braces. If I were in your position I would wait to get them off until they do. 2nd molars are used for grinding food and I imagine not having them touch would end up with your teeth that are touching getting worn down over the years.

There's no real rush to get them off. I saw in your story you were quoted until around December 2015, so i can't see your ortho's rush to get them off 6 months in advance if you still have bite issues.

Just my personal opinion anyway.

[MrPlenty]

All my molars touch. But then again I just started.

[dantocanada]

Thanks for your feedback.

Yeah, I thought so. It doesn't make sense. I'll have to ask on Friday at my last adjustment. Featheryy1221, you're right - I was originally quoted December 2015, so I guess another couple months wouldn't be the end of the world. After all, I'm on an 18 month pay plan, so I don't even finish paying for my treatment until January.I was just so excited about the prospect of being braces free by mid July.

[Featheryy1221]

Thanks for your feedback.

Yeah, I thought so. It doesn't make sense. I'll have to ask on Friday at my last adjustment. Featheryy1221, you're right - I was originally quoted December 2015, so I guess another couple months wouldn't be the end of the world. After all, I'm on an 18 month pay plan, so I don't even finish paying for my treatment until January.I was just so excited about the prospect of being braces free by mid July.

I understand. They told me my next appointment is a possible debrace day (July 14th). And I'm soo ready to get these things off, though I'm not getting my hopes up. Haha.

I'm surprised if you still have to pay until January that they're thinking of taking them off. My ortho assistant told me that the debracing would depend on if my ortho thought i was ready and if I finished paying them off (I did last appointment). Maybe yours is just more flexible and trusting.

[ljms]

I'm in the finishing stage now. My orthodontist's goal for the next few weeks is to over-correct the depth of my bite because, once the braces come off, teeth will settle somewhat.

Maybe that's what's going on with you. Your ortho wants the height of the corrected teeth to be a bit higher than the ones that aren't corrected so they will touch once they settle.

[dantocanada]

Featheryy1221, I can't believe an ortho would actually make a patient endure additional treatment simply because they want all their money. Mine doesn't seem concerned. After all, everyone signs a contract - so I guess technically if you don't pay, they can sue you. Anyways, I'm crossing my fingers for you that yours will be ready to come off too - very exciting, isn't it? I'm supposed to be getting mine off on the 16th! I can hardly wait...I've already made an appointment with my dentist for a cleaning and a consultation for whitening and some cosmetic bonding.

ljms, I think you may be right. I've been doing some research, and I remember my ortho mumbling quietly (after I asked about their lack of alignment on my last visit, before I realized they weren't even close to touching) something about she thought they would have dropped into place by now. I thought I misunderstood her at the time, so maybe there is something to this. Anyways, the mystery will be resolved when I go for my last adjustment on Friday.

[Featheryy1221]

Featheryy1221, I can't believe an ortho would actually make a patient endure additional treatment simply because they want all their money. Mine doesn't seem concerned. After all, everyone signs a contract - so I guess technically if you don't pay, they can sue you. Anyways, I'm crossing my fingers for you that yours will be ready to come off too - very exciting, isn't it? I'm supposed to be getting mine off on the 16th! I can hardly wait...I've already made an appointment with my dentist for a cleaning and a consultation for whitening and some cosmetic bonding.

Yeah, I can see your point, especially with families/people who can't pay it off due to medical bills or layoffs. My office would understand that sort of situation though. They're actually the only office I went to with flexible payments per month. I can see their point though, and keeping them on until they're paid off seems fairly common.

In any event, it's nice that yours isn't concerned. I hope your adjustment Friday goes well and that you get some answers to your molar question and that you are good to go for debracing. We'll possibly be debrace buddies then!
Good luck!

[dantocanada]

Well, looks like my over-exuberance at getting my braces off on the 16th of July was a little premature. Sure enough, I went in for my final adjustment this morning and brought up the issue of the second molars not touching. My ortho agreed that they should be touching, but that she had thought they would settle into place on their own. However, since that doesn't seem to be happening, she decided to bracket those two molars and attached them with a wire to the first molar next to it. Also assigned to wear box elastics (at night only - thankfully) on my back two molars on both sides to bring them down. And, of course, they aren't sure that 3 weeks will be enough time to do the job, so it looks like I may not get de-braced until August now. Oh well, I guess an extra couple of weeks isn't the end of the world after all the time and money I've put into this project. It's been 2 hours now, and they are already starting to hurt...so much for a pain free last few weeks in braces

[ortho74]

At least you know you are getting close. With as much time and money as you've invested you want to make sure they're touching back there. Good luck with the final part of your treatment.

[Featheryy1221]

Sorry you won't be getting yours off next appointment. But it's worth extra time if you are dealing with bite issues. I'd try not to get too set on an August debrace date either, making those teeth fit properly could take a bit of time.

It will all be worth it.