Baby teeth?!

Message

#16 Post by **mary88** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 5:41 am

Metal, I had pretty much the same exact problem. I am 40 and also had 2 baby teeth. One came out no problem(both canines) the other one was fused to the jaw bone. I had the canine that was fused extracted which left a big gap that left me very self conscience but after just one month in braces my second tooth that needed to be pulled down is almost completetely down(it is on an odd angle but that can be fixed when it gets bracketed next month) So hang in there the gap will fill in before you know it. Good Luck Mary88

#17 Post by **metalchic** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:28 am

Thanks Mary, that's encouraging. My problem is I do not have a permanent tooth behind the baby tooth. I don't know what his plan of action is going to be. If I remember correctly, I think we were going to let this little space close up with the braces and the other top baby tooth we were going to remove after the braces come off and replace it with an implant. It is in a really bad spot to remove right now (cosmetically) and there is no permanent tooth behind it to fill the void. UGH. I wonder what causes this to happen. I have another place where I did lose the baby tooth by my canines but the permanent tooth never came in, I have become used to it and really don't notice it. That is until now. So, I think he is eventually (towards the end of treatment) going to open that space up and I'll have an implant put there.

Oh what we do to look pretty.

#18 Post by **Betty Bat** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:23 am

I have the "baby teeth with no permanent teeth behind them" issue also. I've got springs right now to open up the spot on the right, where my baby tooth was pulled 40 (!) years ago, and to keep the spot on the left open.

It would probably be easier and cheaper for us, Metalchic, if we had the impacted teeth behind the baby ones. Isn't it tough to be so special? :-)

#19 Post by **metalchic** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:37 am

SPRINGS? Yikes? He never mentioned SPRINGS. Oh the questions just keep coming. I have no idea what is going to come of the space where this baby tooth currently lies...will we close it ? Will it remain exposed during my entire braces treatment UGH. Now that I am reading this, am I going to have springs to open the space in the front where I am missing the tooth next to my canine (the other one where the baby tooth actually came out when I was a child but there was no permanent tooth behind that one)? I do not want to walk around without a tooth in the front for even a minute much less a month or so. It's not that I didn't take care of my teeth, my permanent teeth just didn't want to play with others. Darn it.

#20 Post by **metalchic** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:38 am

Karen you are just a wealth of knowledge! Thanks again.....I have my final consult next week with my ortho and I am adding this to my list (flipper).

#21 Post by **njbeachbetty** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:54 am

Hello. I have had the same issue as you. My baby tooth with no permenant tooth underneath was extracted two months ago. My dentist and ortho said there was no way to build it up. Worse yet, it was completely fused to my jaw - ouch. Really, it's a good thing to get it out. Putting it off can make it worse. It renders that part of your mouth useless for chewing if the top and bottom teeth don't meet. I'm going to get an implant after my ortho work is done. Good luck!

#22 Post by **metalchic** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:09 am

Betty -- what did you do about the gap left by the extracted baby tooth?

#23 Post by **njbeachbetty** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:47 am

metalchic wrote:Betty -- what did you do about the gap left by the extracted baby tooth?

My ortho gave me an essex retainer, which I don't wear... the teeth on either side moved a bit, but still that baby tooth was so wide that the new tooth will still fit. Besides, I'm getting Invisalign in May for the lower and upper, which I will wear. After that's through and the space was maintained, I'll get the implant done. It's really not much different than when the baby tooth was there - it was so low that I couldn't use it! (See image of before it was extracted) I wish I had gotten it out sooner.

#24 Post by **metalchic** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 12:20 pm

Your baby tooth is exactly like mine! Little shorty! Unfortunately I have one on top too and I am not a candidate for invisalign so mine will be a little more involved than yours. I'm looking forward to getting started.

GOOD LUCK and thanks for sharing.

#25 Post by **Betty Bat** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 3:50 pm

Well, I didn't do anything about my first extracted tooth for 40 years. Now, I'm going to get implants for both of them. Mine are lower premolars, so it never showed very much. What showed was the other teeth shifting around.