do i really need a tooth extracted? pls any help wud be good

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#1 Post by **girlie06** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:48 pm

Hi i am currently thinking about getting invisalign. I went to the orthodontist and he said i was a good candidate and right at the end i asked him "will i need to have any extractions?" and he said "yes, one of the front bottom teeth". I was a bit in shock because i've seen other cases of crowding like mine on websites that didnt need extractions and just the thought of removing a healthy tooth kills me. Im going to go back next time and ask him if i could not do the extraction and just do a bit more filing...or maybe i could get normal wire braces on the bottom teeth if that means i could keep that tooth. My bite is fine its just the crookedness appearance i want to fix. Heres a pic of my teeth, if you have any advice for me.

i hope these links work

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/ ... 11/018.jpg

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/ ... 11/020.jpg

oh and im 25 years old if that makes a difference

#2 Post by bb » Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:59 pm

maybe i could get normal wire braces on the bottom teeth if that means i could keep that tooth.

Sounds like a good option.

#3 Post by **girlie06** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 7:07 pm

thanks both of u for your quick replies...what you say makes sense because my upper teeth are much larger than my bottom teeth...thanks ill ask him.

#4 Post by **PaulInc** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 8:14 pm

I'd ask for a few opinions, because i bet at least one will give you the option of no extractions. Not that i know if one will be better than the other, i dont, but i have a doubt in my mind whether extractions are "required" in many cases.

#5 Post by **Wobblydeb** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:40 am

Gosh, your teeth are the closest to mine I have seen yet on this board.

I was also recommended a lower incisor extraction by an orthodontist. I wasn't keen, as my teeth had already been perfectly straight 15 years earlier after fixed braces as a teenager.

I was undecided so my dentist obtained two different clinchecks - one with extraction and one without extraction. I didn't like the overjet following the extraction route, and although it meant a lot of IPR (shaving between teeth) opted for no extraction. Because Invisalign cannot shift the big molars, my IPR starts at the premolars, and all the other teeth are being shuffled backwards slightly to make space...

I cannot say whether this was the best decision yet, although I am happy so far. My lower trays haven't always fit perfectly thanks to the amount of crowding, but there is definitely more space for the lower incisors than I started with! You can see piccies on this board by clicking on the WWW button in my signature below.

#6 Post by **bint3gra** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:29 pm

I'd get a second opinion. My bottom teeth are very similar to yours in the sense of overcrowding. I'm actually gettting a space created on my top teeth to put back a healthy tooth that was removed by my dentist when I was in high school.

#7 Post by **SwsMiss** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 10:21 pm

We have a very similar case. I'm flying across the country every few weeks to see my Ortho because he is top rated. He suggested I have a lower lateral removed...and I did (last week).

I was EXTREMELY nervous about removing a perfectly good tooth; however, he showed me photos of other cases just like mine (before/after) and I was amazed that you could not tell the difference! The teeth looked absolutely wonderful!

He reasoned that with as much crowding as had occured, it would be very likely (especially on the lowers) that the teeth would again shift. Which makes sense...they were all there in the first place and "jostled" each other to the point of crookedness.

I was a bit dismayed at first but after our conversation and viewing other cases...I really do think this will be best. I hope!