New to orthodontics.. questions! :)

[CindyRB8603]

Hi! I'm new to this world of orthodontics! I'm 26 years old. I have my consultation appointment next wednesday. My regular dentist gave me the referral info. I was looking at the website for the office.. He does Invisalign, Clarity SL Brackets by 3M, and regular metal braces. What is the difference from the Clarity SL brackets and regular braces? Besides obviously the clarity are clear! haha.

I've got a slight overbite and was told in the past a small crossbite. My dentist yesterday told me my midline was off too. I saw an orthodontist a few years ago where I used to live, and he told i'd be a good candidate for Invsalign, I'd be done with it in 6 months & that I didn't need to have my wisdom teeth removed (when there was not enough room for them to begin with) and yada yada yada, but then casually threw in at the end of our consultation that if did invalign, I might still have to have braces afterward. So, i never returned.

I did bring up one thing that I know with my regular dentist, will have to be corrected with veeners or crowns, is the the tooth that is sideways and the k-9/eye tooth i dont know what its called, will not match up with the other side, he seems to agree with that.. the teeth on the other side in front have crowns. I had a 3 or 4 of my front teeth knocked out when I was 4, so back then they stapled the teeth back in, and they were weak and ended up cracking/breaking when I was in middle school. So we did root canals and crowned them.

Hopefully you guys can answer these questions or help me with questions I should ask the orthodontist. These are some of the ones i've come up with.

I have 5 porcelain crowns (soon to be 6)... How would regular braces/clarity braces effect them? I've spent a lot of money on them over the years and don't want to have to replace them. 2 of the crowns are on my front teeth.
Will having root canals done effect the movement of the tooth?
are there food restrictions for the different kinds of braces?
Price differences for the different kinds of braces?
what does the amount cover?
(i've already got a panoramic x-ray and full mouth xrays done at my regular dentist, so insurance will cover them)
Time of treatment (I'm moving in 2 years. husband is in the marine corps)

Anything else I should ask?
here are a few pics of my teeth



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome to this forum Cindy!

The difference in the brackets is the look and the ceramic will be slightly larger. In general ceramic look and feel better, due to the smoothness of the finish. Ceramic brackets don't stain and therefore there is no difference with what you eat.

You need to talk to your ortho about your crowns. Hopefully the answer will be no issues, but you need to ask the expert about this.

My teeth that have had root canals present no issues ... but again, this is a question for your expert.

The food restrictions are mostly self imposed ones. As long as you're careful with hard and chewy foods, there really are no changes that need to be made to your died. With our younger patients we do ask them to not eat hard and very chewy foods, this is mostly due to concerns that they may not take enough care, but many still eat them and most are fine. With adults we just recommend common sense.

We charge the same no matter what type, but different ortho's have different ways of pricing and also within countries some areas are more expensive than others. The only 'real' way to compare costs is for you to compare apples with apples, which means comparing with other ortho's who use similar hardwear in your area. Also remember that cheap may mean a cheap job and most expensive may not mean best. This is more about you finding the person you feel most comfortable with to treat you.

You need to ask your ortho what your cost covers as this varies. Usually it covers all the hardware you'll need during your treatment eg, brackets, powerchains, elastics etc, and retainers. It may not include some types of retainers ... it may not include retainers. The only way to be sure is to ask.

Treatment time is always an estimate, but explain to your ortho that you'll be moving in two years and therefore you need to know how your treatment will be going at that time. Most ortho's suggest a time line of 18-24 months. Sometimes if treatment is easier (mostly alignment issues) it may be shorter, whereas mostly bite issues may take longer. Again ... this is a question only your ortho can answer. If he says longer than two years, make sure you ask if he'll help you find a new ortho when you have to move.

Good luck!

[lauralea]

welcome to bracesreview!