Will wearing braces accelerate tooth decay?

[rockie577]

I am 25 and my teeth are always bad since I was young. A month ago I want to make my teeth look better. I went to see a dentist and he suggested me to do deep clean ( which cost $400 total). He did a Xray and he found that I have a lot of teeth decay (15 surfaces). At that time I told him i would like to fix those in really bad consition and do others when I have insurance. He did 7 teeth filling and I think he did a great job ($700). Now he strongly recommend that I need to fix the rest of the teeth with minor decay before I have braces....

Do you think braces will accelerate tooth decay? I really want to have my braces as soon as possible. He told me my treatment time will be 1.5 - 2 years.

Any opinion would be appreciated.
Thanks!

[Sunny]

It's great you;re getting the health of your teeth and gums sorted and will then correct your bite.

It's essential that the condition of your teeth is spot on before beginning ortho treatment, as it's not always easy to get to all areas of the teeth once treatment starts, which means fixing the decay in your teeth may not be possible to be done correctly. It would be a terrible waste of your time and money to have ortho treatment and then have teeth removed due to not starting with them in the best condition possible.

Most orthodontist require their patients to see a dentist for a complete oral checkup before treatment is started. If there's signs of gum problems, the ortho may also require a report from a periodontist before treatment is started.

Good luck with getting your teeth sorted and then having an ortho work on your bite and smile!

[MCOMarkhamOrthodontist]

To answer your question directly, with proper oral hygiene, the teeth with caries will continue to get worse with or without braces. Cavities that are deep enough may necessitate root canals and crowns. Those that are not salvageable may need to be extracted. While you may be saving money in the short term, it will likely cost you more in the long term.

The only teeth that should not be restored before orthodontics should be ones that would be removed during treatment.