Nervous about lower incisor extraction

[Grayskies]

Hi, I'm looking for opinions on this. I'm 37 and have ONE crooked tooth in my whole mouth, the rest are pretty straight . The crooked one is one of my lower central incisors. Its pushed wayyy back. Since I have a pretty deep bite, you can't see it when I smile but you can see it when I talk, and I also hate the way it feels. I can't properly brush it because it is pushed so far back. my dentist wants to extract it and put braces on my lowers only. He says it'll be easier and faster and less expensive to do it that way. I have an appointment in June to have this done but after doing some research and finding this forum I'm really concerned now! I'm hearing that this way of doing it can cause a worse overbite/overjet. I'm hearing of people having regrets and wishing they never did it because their overbite/overjet is so bad now. I want to hear about other people's experiences and outcomes. I don't think I'm allowed to post pictures yet but I will when I can. Did anyone have a good experience doing this? Or do you regret it? Thanks in advance :)

[sandiego88]

I haven't had experience in this, but I've read a lot about orthodontics in general. I wonder why he wouldn't just make space for that tooth and widen your arch versus pulling it and making your arch narrower? If I was you, I would get an opinion from a board certified orthodontist. Most people recommend getting three consults before deciding on an orthodontist. They are free in the US.

[Grayskies]

Well he says it is possible to move it forward rather than extracting it and closing the gap, but it would be a lot more time and money. I called the office and told all my newfound concerns to the receptionist who in turn consulted the dentist. She called me back to say that my overbite/jet won't be made worse. But I'm still not sure. I just don't know and I don't want to have regrets. Maybe I will go get another opinion like you suggested.

[sandiego88]

You should definitely see an orthodontist versus a dentist for this. That's weird that it would cost more money to just straighten vs pull and straighten. Not sure how you feel about it, but losing an incisor would make it appear that your midline is off. I show bottom teeth when I smile, so I would be against losing one unless it was absolutely necessary. An orthodontist could probably do a little IPR on your bottom teeth then straighten if there is concern that there isn't enough space in your arch. I had a really bad experience for my first round of orthodontics so make sure to get more than one opinion/consult.

[Beckett]

You told us what your dentist says, but what does a real orthodontist say? Teeth shouldn't be be dealt with whichever way is fast and cheap. You'll end up with a smile that matches your effort. Losing a central incisor is a big deal and can have a major effect on the way your teeth fit together. Find a board certified orthodontist and have a full consultation, including telling him the quick fix your dentist is pushing for. The best thing isn't always the fast and cheap solution. Yeah, it might mean a bigger chunk of time and money, but you only have one set of teeth for your entire life. They're worth it

[pcspinheiro]

I myself would strongly advise against removing a healthy tooth (let alone a front tooth!) for the possible sake of cost and/or speed. You might soon regret it bitterly and there's no going back from the procedure. From what I understood you will still have to wear braces so consider that decision carefully. If you decide to have the tooth removed DON'T and consider it again. Extraction regret is a complain, trust me...

[Beemur]

I had my lower left central incisor extracted just over a month ago for invisalign. It was completely last resort though, me and my ortho were moving things around on the clincheck for ages before he came to the realization that it was the lower incisor extraction or a completely non-functional bite. I didn't want upper jaw expansion surgery so this was my only option to keep my mouth functional. He knew 100% that I didn't want to negatively impact my facial structure and he assured me it wouldn't, he knows aesthetics was my number 1 priority haha. Would I have chosen this option just because it was cheap and easy? absolutely not. I chose this option because it was to give me a far better outcome than keeping the tooth, my lower arch is crowded so it definitely needed the space anyway. Do I miss my tooth? at first, yes. I felt like crying because I had just taken out a perfectly functioning, white pearly tooth haha. But now that my teeth are moving, I don't regret it one little bit. My bite already feels so much better, I literally feel the less crowding in my mouth and it closes easier already, if that makes sense. The midline will be off obviously because there are three teeth there instead of four incisors but it won't bother me one bit and that's all that matters to me. So I guess, is your dentist worried about how you will function and look or just worried about how long it will take and cost?

[Grayskies]

Beemur I'm glad you are having good results and thank you for the responses. May I ask how your bite was before? Did you have an overbite? Or overjet?

[Heidirs]

From what I've read, some people just don't have the room for all their teeth, and in that case teeth need to be pulled. Otherwise there is no real way to straighten them without them flaring. But in your case,

I'd have real concerns about an ortho who wants to remove a perfectly healthy tooth just because it's "easier/cheaper/faster."

[Grayskies]

Maybe I should just learn to live with my crooked tooth. It bothers me...a lot. Just the feeling of it mostly. It obstructs my tongue space. And I'd be lying if I said the way it looks doesn't bother me too. I cannot afford full ortho. I wonder what else can be done.

[Beemur]

Grayskies,
My bite before didn't bother me but my ortho said it was bad haha I have class III malocclusion and my two upper front teeth sit pretty deeply over my two lower teeth so I definitely had deepness to my bite but only in my two front teeth, my two lateral incisors on the bottom were the ones pushed back a bit behind my lower canines and central incisors, so they are being moved forward now that a lower central incisor has been removed. My tongue definitely sat uncomfortably against the two lower lateral incisors because they were pushed back. If you can afford it, you should definitely go for a second opinion at another orthodontist, you might find one that will give you another opinion or give you an idea if there is any other option if you don't feel good about extraction