Metal Mouth Message Board

Hey!

So I've had braces for about 18 months now and my orthodontist thinks I'm just about ready to have my braces taken off. MY only concern is my back teeth don't really fit together like they did before. When I bite down the top molars are offset about half a tooth towards my cheek, so when I bite down only about half the molar is making contact with my bottom teeth. I brought this up with my ortho at my last adjustment and she didn't seem too concerned. Is this how they are supposed to fit?

Thanks!

The outer (buccal) cusps of the lower molars should fit into the groove that runs down the middle of the upper molars. They work much better for chewing that way. Is there one molar that doesn't line up with the others?

[quote="FlossWrangler"]The outer (buccal) cusps of the lower molars should fit into the groove that runs down the middle of the upper molars. They work much better for chewing that way. Is there one molar that doesn't line up with the others?[/quote]

Yes, it's just that one molar on each side that sticks out a lot more than the others. When I run my tongue along the back I can feel about half of the top of the bottom molar, but not the rest. I guess I'll bring this up with my ortho again.

That happened to me as well. When the elastics pulled my lower teeth across to sit below the middle of my top teeth my left molar moved across as well. This is partly because I had a tooth removed years ago (because it was not straight). Now the braces are off my retainers on the bottom do not include my molars. I will be interested to see of it moves back. I still seem to be able to chew all right.