My braces are off, I have a question

[Vess28]

Hi, guys!

I've finally took my braces off wast week (I'm 27)! I've been wearing them (upper & lower braces) for a 6 years and 10 months, from January 2004. Man, so much time passed!

The reason I put them on was because my left canine needed a help to grow out, and to rotate it. The treatment with my canine was over in about 2-3 years (at that time I had only upper braces), but then I was suggested to get a lower braces in order to correct my very slight overbite. I agreed, and got my lower braces. After about 4 additional years of wearing elastic, my overbite was a bit corrected, but still had a little way to go. My ortho agreed that the maximum was achieved with these braces, and suggested to continue treating my very, very slight overbite with upper Hawley that has a slight ridge. For my lower teeth, I wear Essix retainers 24/7.

I don't really care about correcting my barely-existing overbite, one of the reasons is because when I push my lower teeth to my upper, they connect, and I dislike that feeling. I don't want for my teeth to collide as I speak! I tried telling this to my ortho, but she told me not to worry about their job.

So what I what to ask is do you think I can stop wearing both my Essix retainers and Hawley after about two months (after my teeth adjust a bit to not having braces)? I know retainers are for life (so that teeth don't move in their previous position), but I had straight teeth before my braces, and I don't really care about my micro-overbite. I've been dealing with all kind of braces for almost half of my live now (since '98, when I was 15, I wore Hawley for 6 years, and when that didn't produce desirable results, I switched to fixed braces in '04, when I was 21), and quite frankly, I'm feed up with it. Still, I'm scared about disobeying my ortho, because of my phobia that my teeth might move in altogether different ways without using my retainers. But my teeth were next to perfect (except for my canine) prior to any ortho treatment. Any word of advise?

Your thoughts are much appreciated!

[Sunny]

I think you need to talk to your ortho again. If you don't wear any retainers, your teeth will move and there's no way of being certain how they will move. The outcome could be very different to what you're hoping for, and that would be terrible.

Good luck with finding a 'middle' area with your ortho!

[Vess28]

If you don't wear any retainers, your teeth will move and there's no way of being certain how they will move.

Yeah, I wear them every day & night. Do you know if there's some medical issue to having a (minor) overbite, or is this issue purely cosmetic?

[Sunny]

If it's not bothering you ... then I don't think you need to be too concerned. Consult with another ortho if you want another opinion. Good luck!

[Vess28]

I just got back from my dentist. Damn, quite a few of my teeth have caries! Seven years of wearing braces sure took it's tool. I guess that's the biggest drawback to wearing braces for a very long time :-/ The worst was the teeth that had 'braces rings' attached to them. Make sure you check your teeth.

[Sunny]

Wearing braces does not cause cavities ... the person wearing them not making sure there oral hygiene is A1 and have twice yearly checks with their dentist are the main reasons.

Good luck!

[Vess28]

Wearing braces does not cause cavities ... the person wearing them not making sure there oral hygiene is A1 and have twice yearly checks with their dentist are the main reasons.

True. However, years ago my dentist said she cannot fix my two front teeth until I got my braces are off... she said brackets would be a bother for some reason. I hope she didn't lie to me!

Also, is it true that after some age in your life (like 55), your teeth can root out spontaneously? Like you lose calcium from your body? My mom is scaring me that my grandma also had beautiful teeth in her youth, but when she got older, they all had to be replaced with fake teeth. I blamed grandma's poor oral hygiene, but my mom said that doesn't matter. So I'm afraid did I inherit bad teeth?

[Sunny]

There are medical problems that can affect some people's teeth, but this is something that should be told to you well before it became a problem and therefore you can take precautions to prevent any problems.

Teeth that have been moved may have root reabsorption ... especially if they've been moved 'back and forwards' often. Root reabsorption can mean tooth loss. Some people don't go to their dentist twice a year and therefore the health of there teeth and gums aren't checked. Gum disease can result in the loss of teeth ... but regular checkups by your dentist can prevent this.

Poor hygiene and lack of dental attention are the main reasons for tooth loss.

Take good care of your teeth and visit your dentist regularly and everything should be good!

[Vess28]

Teeth that have been moved may have root reabsorption ... especially if they've been moved 'back and forwards' often. Root reabsorption can mean tooth loss.

Can root of a teeth regenerate itself after some time, or is it permanently damaged? How will this affect me if I have root reabsorption? Does that mean my teeth will fall out few years from now? If so, I'm going to sue my ortho; she should have warned me about reabsorption!

[coconut]

If so, I'm going to sue my ortho; she should have warned me about reabsorption!

You may find that risk of root reabsorption was mentioned in the contract or conditions you accepted when you started treatment. Dig out the paperwork and have a look. If this is so (and in the event that you do have root reabsorption) then arguing a case against your ortho may be futile.

[Vess28]

You may find that risk of root reabsorption was mentioned in the contract or conditions you accepted when you started treatment. Dig out the paperwork and have a look. If this is so (and in the event that you do have root reabsorption) then arguing a case against your ortho may be futile.

Thanks. I'm going to X-ray my teeth tomorrow. I sure hope I didn't developed this, it would ruin my life. Right now, I'm very scared and wished my ortho X-rayed my teeth earlier in my treatment. Then I wouldn't worry so much. Now the waiting for results is going to kill me.
.....................

Edit: Good news you guys; I asked my ortho about root reabsorption and she said I'm not the case that is at risk of it She assured me there's a zero chance that I have it. It's a huge relief, but I think I still might do the X-ray of my teeth, just in case. What's the harm of being 10000% sure, right?

[Sunny]

Most people who have ortho treatment will have root reabsorption of some degree, luckily for most of us who followed the rules our ortho gave us, especially re elastic wear, it is minimal. The risk goes higher the longer you have braces and for this reason my ortho has been having my teeth x-rayed every year, so we can compare them. I have extra long roots, which is a nusiance, but at least my roots continue to look good.

Ongoing movement caused by unstable teeth being moved by retainers, can also add to root reabsorption. Also not all root reabsorption shows up during or soon after treatment, it can take a few years or even longer.

Once roots have shortened, it's permanent, but it doesn't always mean that those teeth will fall out, but it does put them at a high risk. Another reason why it's important to see a dentist twice a year.

I doubt you'd do anything other than affect your bank balance in a negative way to sue about something like this, as orthodontic treatment is a choice with risks attached. The person being treated has to take responsibility for being informed.

It's great your ortho has checked your x-rays and found no change in the roots of your teeth and here's hoping that's the way it stays!

My family have a history of lousy teeth, mostly due to poor oral hygiene and rarely having seen a dentist, except when they were consumed by toothache. This is not passed on ... instead it's up to us to take responsibility for these things.

Good luck!

[Vess28]

Once roots have shortened, it's permanent, but it doesn't always mean that those teeth will fall out, but it does put them at a high risk. Another reason why it's important to see a dentist twice a year.

Yeah, but I wish this was mentioned when my mom asked one of the specialists if there's any danger to teeth the longer I wear braces. Instead of mentioning root reabsorption, she said it's perfectly safe for teeth to wear braces so long. So I feel a little mislead.

I don't think my ortho checked my x-rays when she said there's no chance of root reabsorption. She was talking to me across the phone, during her work time. Even if she had my x-rays, they would be 5 years old at least, so they could tell her a little about my current condition, I suppose. I need to make new x-rays soon, so I can finally put root reabsorption issue behind (it's bugging me quite a bit).

[Sunny]

You definitely need current x-rays ... but there's no point worrying about what they show, as there's not a thing you can do about that. Here's hoping it's all good news!

[Vess28]

You definitely need current x-rays ... but there's no point worrying about what they show, as there's not a thing you can do about that.

Could my ortho know with certainty I couldn't get root reabsorption from the beginning of my treatment, or was she 'pulling my leg' when she said that? If she needs x-rays to tell for sure, I can't believe she didn't x-ray me at least once a year during my active treatment. In that case, I feel like it was her mistake. I may have been uninformed, but it was her job to check for root reabsorption via x-rays, right?

[coconut]

This is really a conversation you should be having with your ortho.

[Sunny]

Please don't keep stressing about something that may not even be a problem for you. Most ortho's will do x-rays before they take a person's braces off ... which is usually around the 18-36 month mark. This x-ray shows where the roots of the teeth are, so that they can see if the teeth are placed in positions that will be stable, and also so they can check the roots of the teeth for re-absorption.

Because of my extended treatment due to changes having to be made due to an impacted canine not moving, my ortho chose to have my mouth x-rayed yearly so that he could compare teeth root placement and check for re-absorption.

Talk to your ortho at your next appointment. You have not mentioned any symptoms that would suggest you have any issues with the roots of your teeth. Reading back on what you wrote ... the reason most people have to get their teeth removed is due to poor oral hygiene ... accumulating in gum disease, which can result in the teeth becoming loose and falling out. This is not the same as root re-absorption, which is usually to do with teeth being moved too much, too fast, too often ... etc.

As coconut has noted ... your ortho is the person to talk to! Good luck!