Did you have braces as a child, only to have your teeth move as an adult? Solutions?

Cecilia2

Cecilia2

O.G.
Mar 26, 2007
545
2
#1
I'm think I have one of the world's smallest adult heads! I have some family photos of myself and my nephews, and in the photos, you can see that my adult head is significantly smaller than my 7 yr old nephew's head. The result is that there has never been enough room in there for my teeth, and several have been removed because of that.

I had braces as a child, and got a good result. Unfortunately, over time, three teeth....one in particular, have moved up, as 'up' is the only place they have to go. My dentist told me that Invisalign isn't terribly successful with 'up/down' issues, and works best with 'side to side' issues. Any thoughts about that? I just dread the idea of regular braces again.

If anyone has been through this, or is a professional in the dentistry/orthodontics field, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
 
#2
Did you wear your retainers when you got your braces off?

My sister had braces and her teeth were PERFECT when she got them off. Unfortunately, she didn't wear her retainers and they moved a bit. They still look nice, but not "perfect" like before.

I didn't know teeth could grow up. Are you having any issues with your gums?
 
#3
Jeneen said:
Did you wear your retainers when you got your braces off?

My sister had braces and her teeth were PERFECT when she got them off. Unfortunately, she didn't wear her retainers and they moved a bit. They still look nice, but not "perfect" like before.

I didn't know teeth could grow up. Are you having any issues with your gums?
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I did wear a retainer, but that was many years ago. My lower teeth just seem to want to move forward, (My upper teeth are fine) and crowd into the front.....the most visible area wouldn't you know.

My dentists have said that I have a 'difficult mouth,' because there's just not a lot of room in there. X-rays are challenging for the dentists and me, but they do get done. I think it has something to do with the bones in there. I will consult with an orthodontist eventually. I just want to hear some opinions before I visit.
 
#4
A bonded retainer is the solution you're looking for. You'll need to have the braces put back on, and when they're taken off, have a bonded retainer installed on the back of the teeth. I think they run about $300, and the teeth will never shift again. I've had mine since 2003, and am really happy with it. My upper teeth still shifted even wearing a regular retainer as told, so these will be re-bracketed (probably Invisalign) to get them back to being perfect, and I want a bonded retainer put on the uppers (which a lot of orthos don't do and many recommend against as there can be that biting off issue, but I'm more than willing to deal with that consequence).
 
#6
^ My sister had one also, and her teeth did not shift at all. She only had braces on her top teeth, though. For some reason, both my siblings and I have very straight bottom teeth.

It's happened to a few people that I know, but the shifting is very slight and hardly noticeable. They are not bothered enough to get braces again or bother fixing it.
 
#7
I had braces at 14 and wore my retainers for a little while then stopped. Bad move on my part. I also never had my wisdom teeth out because my dentist told me I would be fine. Another bad move. The teeth shifted because of it. I got Invisalign Express at 24. I had good results (not as good as metal braces but unless you REALLY examine the teeth, you can't tell). My lowers were crowded and uneven (sounds similar to what you have... some teeth were "lower" than others in the gum and it made my gumline look uneven.) My bottoms look great now and are very even. I also have the bonded retainer on my lowers. I love it. I'm not 100% satisfied with my uppers (the shape of the teeth) so will eventually get veneers. Once I get the veneers, I am getting the bonded retainer on the uppers as well. For now, I continue wearing my last Invisalign tray as a retainer on the uppers. If you don't want regular braces or invisalign, you may want to check out lingual braces. They are more expensive, but are glued to the backs of the teeth and work like metal braces.
 
#9
I have a bonded retainer. Never had an issue with my teeth moving, or with the retainer. I've had it for about 10 years, it will never be removed, and I think it felt totally normal within a week of having it put in. Some dentists I've met don't agree with it, and I can certainly see why - it doesn't sound optimal to have a wire permanently stuck to your teeth solely because of the small chance your teeth may move a little. Personally I'm really happy about it, I wouldn't ever think about it although I do need special floss.

For the record I don't think twice when I see an adult with braces. If I did I would probably be thinking more power to them, it is a wonderful thing to have beautiful teeth and in developed countries it shouldn't be denied to anyone. At most you'd only have them for a couple of years.
 
#10
Cecilia2 said:
This is seriously some excellent info! Thank you, everyone! I've never even heard of bonded retainers. Do you feel it? Is it permanent?
Click to expand...

I feel mine a little bit but it is MUCH better than the old metal retainers! I just had it put on a few months ago though so I could still be adjusting. My ortho said I have to keep it on for a minimum of 6 months but can then keep it on as long as I would like. I will try to go a few years and then have it either removed or replaced, just because I don't want any cavaties underneath the glue. It is glued on just as braces are glued, and is very thin and across the back of the front 6 teeth. Once a week, I also have to wear an invisalign-like retainer at night, but I take it out as soon as I wake up.
 
#11
I have the bond on the back of my lower teeth, and they've still shifted a little. Teeth are gonna shift whether we like it or not. It's how much they differ from when the braces come off that is the cause for concern.

My upper teeth aren't nearly as perfect as they were when I had my braces (it's also my fault for not wearing my braces in about...6 months or so), but they're still really straight so I don't care all that much. At the same time, I has braces on for many, many years so they might never truly shift too far from their forced place.
 
#12
I have a bonded retainer on my uppers. I have had it for over a year and everything is fine. My dentist recommended it because even with a take out retainer, my teeth would move throughout the day. I had to basically wear my retainer throughout the day so my upper teeth would not move. I'm glad I have it and no problems with it at all.
 
#13
My bottom teeth have moved quite a bit but not so much that I would get braces again. I have retainers that I can wear I just don't wear them as often as I should. My top teeth haven't moved at all. My orthodontist said that it is common for the bottom teeth to move a lot more. I did wear my bottom retainer for 8 weeks 20+ hours a day to straighten them out over the summer and then I had a bonded retainer put on. I hated it and had it taken out a month later.
 
#14
I had braces as a kid, stopped wearing the retainers, and my teeth moved also. Braces suck even more when you pay for them yourself for a second round! After round 2 with the braces, I now have a bonded retainer on the bottom and wear one every other night on top. The bonded only bothers me when I gloss or get a seed or something stuck in the wire. I also have a backup lower retainer in case a wire break...the orthodontist said they can move out of place quickly.

Good luck!
 
#15
had braces 5 years. teeth were perfect only to have my wisdom teeth shift the bottoms into a hot mess at the age of 25. sucks but my top teeth are still perfect and thats all people see anyway
 
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