Temporary Ortohodontic Implants???

[Chris2006]

My orthodontist told me at my last visit that he will use temporary steel clamps which will be implanted temporarily in my jaw. Apparently it is a new feature and I will be his first patient to receive this treatment. My orthodontist is very tight-lipped and I'm worried like hell what am I getting myself into. I'm concerned what risks may be involved, like damage to the jaw bone and roots. I'm also not sure if this is a necessary procedure or whether I'm being tried out on something new?

Any kind of feadback on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

[mistake56]

I don't know if this is the same thing, but my daughter's open bite was treated through the use of small titanium implants that were screwed into her upper jaw. The orthodontist used those implants to intrude the top back molars and close the bite. I must say...the results have been nothing short of miraculous. After less than two years in braces she had them removed last week and this week we are going to the oral surgeon to have the implants removed. Her bite looks fabulous. And we avoided the jaw surgery that is often used to treat a severe open bite. There is a lot of information out there on it. It is a fairly new procedure, but not what you would call experimental. Do a Google search on skeletal anchorage for orthodontics and see what you can find.

[jennv]

My orthodontist told me at my last visit that he will use temporary steel clamps which will be implanted temporarily in my jaw. Apparently it is a new feature and I will be his first patient to receive this treatment. My orthodontist is very tight-lipped and I'm worried like hell what am I getting myself into. I'm concerned what risks may be involved, like damage to the jaw bone and roots. I'm also not sure if this is a necessary procedure or whether I'm being tried out on something new?

Any kind of feadback on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

My ortho also told me I was going to need this at the beginning of my treatment because I am missing some molars. My top teeth were canted (angled down to the right) and he would normally have used molars to create the force to straighten them out but since the molar was not there he needed to use an implant to have as the strength point. He learned about the procedure at a conference and I was going to be the first he ever tried it on and he was going to talk the oral surgeon into doing it for free since I was going to be their "trial" case. I was scared but also excited for something new.

My teeth ended up straightening out on their own (or through the normal treatment) and I never ended up getting this procedure done. Sorry I'm not much more help!

Good luck if you do have it done!

[paw655]

In medical/dental situations, the doctor is supposed to make sure that the patient understands what the procedure is about, also known as the patient providing "Informed Consent."

If you do not believe, for any reason, you are fully informed to the extent you can make a reasonable decision and not one based on the ortho rushing you along, then stop everything then and there and arrange for a consult to get clarification.

Also, you should verify is he doing this procedure as part of a study or research project? If so, he is absolutely mandated to give you information. Even if you are just the first patient he is trying this procedure on, you DO NOT have to consent to it until you have been shown why he needs to do this procedure as opposed to something less invasive and more proven.

It may be awkward at first to challenge him, but the points you raised are good and won't get answered without making him open up a little.

Keep us posted.