My ortho has said that eventually (I don't know if "eventually" is during or after braces) that I will need to have some of my teeth "built up" because they are too small. What exactly does this entail? I'm assuming it's something I'll have to have a dentist do, and not my ortho. At what part of treatment does this happen? It isn't like porcelain veneers, is it? Those are much to expensive for me to afford - I hope this "build up" talk isn't going to be something too pricey!

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Braced September 23, 2010
Estimated Treatment Time: 24 months

My Journey

Maybe bonding.

I had my lateral incisors (I think that's what they're called) built up; they were TINY. I think the most common ways to build up teeth are through veneers and composite bonding, but there may be others. I elected to go the bonding route because it's MUCH cheaper than getting veneers (I paid around $400 total for both teeth, then got reimbursed a chunk of that from my insurance).

The procedure is pretty easy and painless, and it's done by a dentist. Basically, the bonding material is sculpted to your tooth in the desired shape, then hardened with a curing light. Before the bonding material is applied, the tooth is prepped to roughen its surface, which I guess helps the material bond to the tooth. Usually, anesthetic is not needed.

I had my teeth bonded while I was still in braces (the ortho removed the brackets from the affected teeth right before the procedure, and put them back on right after), but I think a lot of people wait until after their treatment is complete. I'm not sure why my ortho wanted the bonding to be done during treatment.

I really like my bonded teeth, you can't even tell the difference between the buildups and my "real" teeth. I'd recommend shopping for an experienced cosmetic/aesthetic dentist to do the procedure though, apparently it's kind of artform that not everyone can do well.

Thanks so much for your reply! You made me feel better and more scared at the same time, haha. I'm worried about it being done incorrectly and my teeth not looking the same. I have super, super tiny teeth (you can see my pics in my story, but seriously they look even smaller in person, believe it not) so I will absolutely have to have build ups! About $200/tooth is likely do-able, so that makes me feel better! Now I just have to see if my ortho can recommend a dentist he trusts to do these build ups. I'm really excited about that part because no matter how straight the braces make my teeth, they're not going to look better until they're the proper size.

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Braced September 23, 2010
Estimated Treatment Time: 24 months

My Journey

MyLittleTeeth: I would also like to thank you for your reply. My ortho said that my lateral incisors are on the small size and might need to be built up after the braces come off, but won't know for sure until treatment progresses. I don't really want to have this done, because I kinda like my teeth and they don't look small to me.....but I will hope for the best and trust the ortho's opinion. I have been very worried that if I have to build them up, they will not match my other teeth and look fake. Makes me happy to know that someone out there had this done with good results.

Glad I could help out . Good luck to you both with the rest of your treatment!