I had braces but the orthodontist didn’t tell me that the gap to my front teeth would come back literally the next day after stopping my retainer. There is a small mass of tissue between my front teeth. I don’t know if that is the cause or not. Either way, because of this shifting I wore my retainer until it broke. I’d recently tried teeth effects bands, but then a friend sent me an article about how dangerous these are and that people are losing their teeth because of them. Is that true? Is there anything I can do about this gap?

Casey

Dear Casey,

First, the most important thing is that you stop using the Teeth Effects Bands. Your friend is right. These can cause serious problems. They are basically just rubber bands worn on the teeth. Here are the two types of complications (thus far) seen with these:

First, because they lack controlled movement by a professional orthodontist, there is no time for the bone to integrate with tooth movement. There have been cases when teeth have come loose or even been pulled out of its socket. In other cases, the bands have worked their way up and under the gums of the person wearing them causing pain, infection, and even teeth falling out.

While some patients can just wear their retainer the prescribed time, after their braces treatment is finished, others need to continue with it their entire lives. Based on what you’ve said, I see a few options for you. Please bear in mind that I haven’t actually examined you or seen where the problem is coming from.

Option 1: Have the small mass of tissue removed, then have another retainer made to wear short term.

Option 2: Have another retainer made and wear it long term.

Option 3: Have a permanent retainer made. These are bonded to your teeth and can even be bonded behind them so no one sees them.

See an orthodontist you trust and get this taken care of. But, please, for the sake of your teeth, stop using those Teeth Effects Bands.

This blog is brought to you by Bee Cave Orthodontist Dr. Alberto Tostado.

I have two dental crowns that are way old and need to be replaced. They look awful. The dentist who did the crowns retired and now I have to go to the person who bought the practice from him. He said before he can replace my crowns, I need full orthodontics. I don’t know if that is true or if it is because he just added an orthodontist to his practice. Either way, I feel I am too old for braces. I will be honest and say that I have teeth that aren’t perfect, they could probably stand to be straightened a little, However, I am not sure why it is necessary when my first dentist was able to put the crowns on just fine. Also, can you even get braces if you have dental crowns?

Nathan

Dear Nathan,

I’ll start with your last question. Can you get braces if you have dental crowns? Yes, that is definitely possible. Do you need them in order to get your crowns replaced? I doubt it. Like you, I am wondering how it was possible for your last dentist to provide you with the crowns without braces, but this dentist insists they are necessary. If I were in your place, I would get a second opinion.

Invisible Braces for Adults

If it turns out you do need braces for some strange reason, or you just decide you want to straighten your teeth regardless of the crowns, you do not have to get those traditional wire and metal braces from years gone by. I have a feeling that is what you meant when you said that you were too old for braces.

These days, you can get your teeth straightened using clear aligners. This will be more efficient for you plus, nothing has to be cemented onto your teeth, which is a big plus when you have dental work, such as dental crowns in your mouth.

Most people have heard of Invisalign, which many dentists offer. Some orthodontists, like Dr. Tostado, offer them as well. He also offers another type, Spark Aligners. These are only offered through orthodontists and have some benefits over Invisalign.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by Bee Cave Orthodontist Dr. Alberto Tostado.

I went to see an orthodontist hoping to get Invisalign to straighten my teeth.  A couple of my friends did it and you really couldn’t tell that they were wearing braces at all!  At my age, that is encouraging! However, when I went to see the orthodontist he said it doesn’t work for misalignment and I will need to go the traditional braces route. That was a bit disheartening. Plus, I’ll admit a bit confusing. Should I seek a second opinion or am I stuck with braces?

Madison

Dear Madison,

I am glad you wrote. The whole point of Invisalign is to fix misaligned teeth. I definitely recommend a second opinion because I see three different possibilities here. The first is that the orthodontist you saw has not kept up with the advancements in his field. Many still “only do braces” because that is what they were trained in. There are orthodontists, however, that have kept up and received training in Invisalign as well as other invisible braces type of systems. When you get your second opinion, call and find out if the office does Invisalign before going in. Some won’t recommend a service they don’t offer.

A second possibility is that your case has some complicating factors. If so, then the dentist should have mentioned that to you. However, I’m leaning toward that not being the case because you didn’t mention anything unusual about your bite, just basic misalignment.

A third possibility is the orthodontist does not realize how much Invisalign has improved. This also goes along with not keeping up with their field. When Invisalign first came out, it was only useful for the most ideal cases. That is not true any longer. These days, Invisalign can handle all but the most complicated cases.

Barring that, I feel confident you can get Invisalign to straighten your teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Bee Cave Orthodontist Dr. Alberto Tostado.