Dentists- wonky front tooth, what can be done?

sofababe

One of my front top teeth sticks out and slightly overlaps the other, it seems to be getting worse. I'm starting to get a bit "Nanny McPhee" frankly :eek:

Twenty years ago I had all of my wisdom teeth out as they were impacted, travelling along the gum and pushing the others together. About 10 years before that I had the first double tooth on the same side removed to make way for the back ones to come through comfortably. Basically, I have a very small palette and more teeth than mouth. All that and a Simpsons style overbite :rotfl:

So, to straighten the front ones am I looking at a brace, or an extraction of a tooth further back to make some room, then a brace? I don't imagine for a moment that any option is available on the NHS, so what sort of cost would I be facing? And would I go to my normal dentist, or find a cosmetic dentist (if such a thing exists)?

Rich1984

Depends on what type of brace you get and what extra work needs doing. For example you might need a tooth or teeth removed to make room for movement. As an adult it becomes more difficult for teeth to move as your jaw line has finished developing. I had to have a perfectly healthy tooth removed for a brace. Cost me £100. The brace then cost me £1900 so it's not cheap. Mine were fixed braces, but clear fixed. Regular train tracks will be cheaper.

Invisalign braces are the best in terms of appearance. They are like a gumshield. But they cost considerably more.

Toothsmith

It's an orthodontist you will need to see. Have a word with your own dentist first, and see if he will refer you to one.

Invisalign is only good for certain cases. The orthodontist will give you options that are good for your particular case.

Try and avoid 'quick fixes' that involve chopping Up perfectly healthy teeth! That is why I would avoid any one who advertises themselves as a 'cosmetic dentist'!

jadorevintage

sofababe wrote: »

One of my front top teeth sticks out and slightly overlaps the other, it seems to be getting worse. I'm starting to get a bit "Nanny McPhee" frankly :eek:

Twenty years ago I had all of my wisdom teeth out as they were impacted, travelling along the gum and pushing the others together. About 10 years before that I had the first double tooth on the same side removed to make way for the back ones to come through comfortably. Basically, I have a very small palette and more teeth than mouth. All that and a Simpsons style overbite :rotfl:

So, to straighten the front ones am I looking at a brace, or an extraction of a tooth further back to make some room, then a brace? I don't imagine for a moment that any option is available on the NHS, so what sort of cost would I be facing? And would I go to my normal dentist, or find a cosmetic dentist (if such a thing exists)?

I have similar problems. I have a slight overbite but my teeth have always been straight (just that the teeth on my top jaw are too long so my teeth don't "fit" together.

Likewise, I think I have too many teeth for my mouth and three of my wisdom teeth have been removed as they all got impacted and infected. The fourth is stuck under the gum at the moment but because it's on my lower jaw my current dentist won't remove it or refer me (because of the risk of knocking the nerves). It irked me when I went to the dentist last month and saw a different dentist who basically accused me of being a liar when I said I wanted braces once my final wisdom tooth was removed because the other wisdom teeth had caused movement, mainly in my top jaw. The dentist said it was impossible that the wisdom teeth could have caused the movement!!

I'm looking to start Invisalign treatment soon. It depends where you live as to costs. I'm in Surrey and it's probably going to cost me around £2,500 for the whole treatment (and that is the lowest cost given to me - my normal dentist wanted me to go to their normal London practice and pay £3,500!). I think "train tracks" are cheaper and I had been told they would cost just under £1,000, again, depending where you are.

brook2jack

Teeth move forward over the years naturally (it's called mesial drift) and research has shown this happens with or without wisdom teeth.

It's one of the reasons dentists no longer remove wisdom teeth routinely and also why these days you are advised if you have a brace you have to wear retainers for life or have wires to hold teeth in place.

So your dentist is correct wisdom teeth do not push teeth forward, they move that way naturally over the years.