Is lengthening my teeth after impression ok?

[billy]

I'm getting my impressions for Ibraces next week.

But am scheduled to get some dental bonding work done to lengthen a few of my front teeth in a few weeks.

After my teeth are lengthened, will the ibraces bonding tray still fit correctly when I get my ibraces put on?

Do you know if there's any way to cut the ibraces bonding tray to make space for my lengthened teeth?

Does the tray fit like a mouthguard?

[Zoso]

Were I you, I'd leave any cosmetic work of this sort until after braces.

[Sunny]

Unless your ortho has approved this cosmetic work, please don't get it done without consulting with her/him first Billy.

Most people leave cosmetic work until after they've finished ortho treatment, due to the affect the treatment can have on their teeth.

Please discuss this thoroughly with your ortho first. Good luck!

[MCOMarkhamOrthodontist]

The short answer is no. The first reason is that you will want to make sure your gum levels line up before trying to match up the incisal edges. The second reason is that the impression makes a custom tray to fit your teeth. The following image will give you a better idea...

http://www.lingualcare.com/doctor/pi...aloccluson.jpg

Good luck!

[billy]

I just want to extend two teeth by a mm or so.

Can't the orthodontist create a little space in the tray to make room? Is that possible?

And if he does this, won't the teeth surrounding the extended teeth make sure the tray fits in its place?

[Sunny]

Billy talk to your ortho about what you'd like to do. This is your professional and he may be able to do something to make your teeth a mm longer, but whatever, please don't do anything to your teeth (other than take great care of them), after you've had your impressions done.

Good luck!

[Zoso]

Billy, as Dr. Tam explained above, you need first to have your orthodontic treatment, since one aspect of this is correcting the levels of the teeth. What he is saying is that these teeth you are wanting to lengthen may apear too short because they are too high in the gums. If this is so, your ortho would bring them down during treatment (called extrusion or levelling) and no bonding would be needed. (Or if it is lower teeth we're speaking of, they are too low in the gums and could be brought up - still extrusion/levelling) He'd want to do this not only for the bite, but also because then your gumline would be nice and even too.

You can imagine that levelling the teeth properly is far better than bonding, since the latter does not last a lifetime and would need to be replaced, especially (I would think) if it is particularly extensive bonding along the edge of the teeth that bites (what Dr. Tam referred to as the incisal edge).

Please wait until after your braces are off to do any cosmetic work that you may at that stage feel remains necessary. If you do it now, you will not only invalidate those iBraces impressions (so the brackets are unlikely to be placed as precisely as necessary, if they can be placed at all) but you'll also potentially leave yourself with cosmetic work (that you've paid for!) that needs to be undone once your orthodontist gets your teeth where they are supposed to be.