My Braces Journey: Impacted Canine ** PHOTO UPDATE **

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#46 Post by **metalgear84** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:07 am

Hey Buddy!

I can only imagine your frustration. I got braces last month to have my impacted canines brought down. I should be having surgery to have them exposed in a month

I'm scared to have my baby teeth removed and be left with two holes in my mouth. I wonder if they can cover it up with something while the impacted find their place...

Your smile looks decent from the pics--can barely tell that you're missing the canines....

Best of luck to you!

(i will create a post with my story and some pics sometime soon--cheers)

I think we're about the same age---i'm 23, u? going to school/work?

#47 Post by **ollielloyd** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 10:03 am

I'm actually just turned 18

Remember to post pictures of your exposure!

My otho rang confused about the operation? She was like..what operation are you talking about it already has a chain attatched? I was like..you said you wwanted to expose and remove bone?

Ugh...I can feel the tooth if I put a pin in my gum...not In my gum..more follow the chain since my gum has split a little...it's pretty far back..just lying under the gum though....if only it'd come DOWN a tiny bit it could be pulled forward!!

Are there any other methods for pulling down canines APART from using a piece of elastic thread?

Thanks all

#48 Post by **ollielloyd** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:32 am

Update: 31/03/08.

Had check up today. Tightened elastic. I expressed concerns - and she confirmed, it will be a while yet. On my last link...she doesnt know how much longer.

Told me implant would be bad since i dont have much bone, and also there is an aleoplasty or something they can do to actually move the tooth, but it may give weird bone shape.

Ugh..I dunno. general bad mood. hoping and praying this tooth pokes through.

#49 Post by **ollielloyd** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:02 am

Update today...

Nothing is happening. No canine. Nothing. I am seriously considering some sort of tooth repositioning surgery if there's still no show after my next appointment.

"stubborn canine" ...thats all my orthodontist said...grrr i am so mad...

#50 Post by **lilu1304** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:10 pm

Hello All,

I am so excited there are other people going through what I am experiencing right now! It would have been nicer if we shared vacation stories instead but alas...

Here is my story. I have an impacted canine on my left side. I had the baby canine which was really small compared to the permanent tooth. August 2006 I got braces on my upper jaw to make room for the permanent tooth. I was 28 at that time... Too old for those kind of procedures, I thought, but was willing to take the risk. The other teeth were collaborating and in June 2007 I had enough room for the permanent and was ready to have a surgery. I had the baby canine extracted and a gold chain placed on the permanent tooth. The surgery was not that bad, I was pretty swollen and was heavily salivating...

. I was stupid enough not to take the next day off from work. Anyway, it's been a year since the surgery and I feel that the tooth has hardly moved. The ortho clipped off links from the chain so it almost seemed like it was moving. However, it has not erupted yet. BTW, the tooth's name is Kurt; I thought it sounds stubborn enough, plus it should be a male, with this poor sense of direction

. I had two procedures, where the ortho burned the gum with a laser and created a hole so that Kurt can graciously erupt but nothing worked. I am seeing the surgeon on Thursday to see if there is any hope. I thought that one year should be plenty of time for the tooth to erupt. I'm afraid that the longer it stays in the gum, the less likely it is to grow out. During that one year, I had a hole where the baby tooth used to be. It's not pretty at all. I work with clients and I am always conscious of my smile. The worst part is client lunches, for some reason that open space always fills up with food:(. The most horrifying experience was when I had a meal with spinach and the spinach got tied around the arch wire and I could literally feel it hanging! I kept silent the whole time...No pain, no gain, I guess.

I am looking forward to hearing your stories and input. Good luck to all and I will keep you posted on my progress!

#51 Post by **ollielloyd** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 12:53 pm

Hey Lilu, you seem to share my pain. I am so self-concsious, and hate to smile. My tooth after over a year has not yet "erupted"...although...

Update.

Upon asking my orthondontist if there were any more operations avalible to speed up the process and salvage my lost canine, she told me no respectable surgeon would help. Great!

However, since my last appointment, I think I may actually be able to see the tooth... Well infact, I can see the tooth...it's still damn far away though! I can only really see if I look super close in the mirror. I tried to take a few photos and none came out well, apart from this one. I circled where the tooth is visible in the bottom photo; can any of you actually see it or is it just my mind?

If there is enough tooth showing I know a bracket isnt avalible yet since its too high and set back in the gum, but I was thinking maybe a hook I could attatch elastics to to put continous tension on the tooth at a stronger level? At the moment if she pulls the elastic too tight it pulls up my arch wire and my other teeth move! Not great.

I have an appointment Wednesday so I shall update you all. Thanks

#52 Post by **lilu1304** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 1:29 pm

Ollie - This is great that you can see the tooth!!! It's coming down which is the best news possible. I guess the tooth has repositioned itself correctly and with time will grow all the way. I think I see it, it looks like just the tip of the tooth.

I saw my surgeon this week and I'm having a second exposure surgery in July. They told me they would remove more gum tissue and even try to move the impacted tooth a little bit just to help it erupt...As long as it works, I don't mind having ten more surgeries if necessary.

This is a weird comment your ortho made. To be honest, I feel there is some disconnect between the oral surgeon and the ortho. My ortho did not suggest a second surgery and I wasn't even aware it was an option until I saw the surgeon. I think it makes sense to be proactive and look for alternatives. It was funny though when I saw the pictures you posted. I have hundreds of the same kind of shots of my upper jaw. I look at them, compare them, and look again and compare...

Good luck with your Wednesday appointment. Let us know how that goes.

#53 Post by **ollielloyd** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:21 am

Today I had an appointment.

When I walked in she told she had spoken to the surgeon about a few more options...but when I told her I could see the tooth she was very excited and asked why I hadnt rung to tell her! LOL.

So anyways, she attatched some big button thing - with more elastic...I now have 2 buttons on the tooth each with elastic. The big button is pulling the tooth towards the arch wire, whilst the small is pulling it down.

My appointment August 13th...kind of far away...but hey, lets hope this gets the tooth coming down!

#54 Post by **papelbon416** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:06 am

i feel your pain, well kinda. i just had my surgery wednesday but instead of having that tooth 2 away from my front, it is right next to it so my gap is more noticeable. i have a small mouth so they had to extract my lateral incisor and move the canine to its position.
i still have putty over where the tooth will be (eventually)
i am going into my senior year which also sucks because i am the oldest person in my school (only 117 in my grade) that has braces and even freshman are getting them off.
i hope yours comes down soon enough!
cuz it will give me some hope too

#55 Post by **ollielloyd** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:22 am

This second button doesnt seemed to have moved much or at all in 2 weeks...I feel a little pain occassionally, but no dramatic movement I was hoping for

Looks like I'm moving to Australia and transfering orthodontists! Great. Not. I was seriously hoping this would be over...no such luck clearly.

What a nightmare I've had...3 years and no canine. Man, this sucks.

Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:52 am

Ollie, what is interesting to me is that the ortho is worried about tying the impacted canine so tight that the archwire bends. In my case they tied it so tight that the archwire did bend and the teeth around it moved a little. My ortho was not concerned as he figured he could move the other teeth back once the canine came in. And I think its interesting that they have your appointments spread out so far. I went in once a week to have that tie tightened up until it could be attached to the archwire. And my canine was extremely sore the whole time from all the tugging. The first time they attached it to the archwire they used a thermal wire and used an ice cube to bend it...it was bent at least 45 degrees. When it straightened out (and pulled the canine with it) I had about 1/4" of archwire poking out the back molar.

Maybe a change in ortho for you will be a good thing for this process.

#57 Post by **ollielloyd** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:33 pm

I can't help but think you are right...at this stage, where she knows how badly I am trying to get them off, I find it pretty bad my next appointment is August, and then October after that....I've got some photos to show you where I'm at...

You can now see my 2nd button, it looks like its attatched to the tooth, but as far as I know , that's basically a huge lump of white glue/cement attatched to the tooth itself...which yes, was slightly visible.

You can kinda see it's bent my archwire a bit...but yeah. Only thing is I'm going to Australia for my gap year, so not sure what the chances are that they would operate if they thought they needed to? I'll be on a working tourist visa...worries me a little how serious they may take it? I dunno...

Anyways, here are some photos. Feedback is more than welcome. Thanks!

#58 Post by **ollielloyd** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:39 am

me and my ortho here have agreed to continue until I leave for Australia (14th August!) Wish me luck finding a new Sydney ortho guys!

#59 Post by **purpleteeth** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:44 pm

All I can say is OUCH -- that looks so painful. I just found out someone I go to church with, her daughter, is going through the same process.... impacted canine. Now I know what it looks like and it looks like a nightmare!!

#60 Post by **ollielloyd** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:35 am

Unfortunatly (this sounds weird) it's not painful, at all...kinda wish I could feel pressure or pain from the canine, to show its moving...but nothing

It's meant to be a straight forward procedure; I just seem to have very bad luck and nothing is really shifting. :/ Hmn. Good luck with your friends daughter!

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My Braces Journey: Impacted Canine PHOTO UPDATE

Impacted Canine - Adult