Teeth Moving!

Updated on November 23, 2011
A.E. asks from Tahoe City, CA
7 answers

I am 37 years old and had braces/retainer in high school. My teeth definitely are not as straight as they used to be but lately I have noticed one of my front teeth is moving back quite a bit and my mouth seems sore and sensitive. Have any of you had this happen before? I am hoping I can get by with just a retainer to avoid a lot of expense. I have an appointment on 12/6 with an orthodontist. I have very health teeth otherwise and go to the dentist every 9 mos. Do you think I will need braces?

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H.M.

answers from Denver on

Just a follow up - DO NOT DO INVISALIGN - it really doesn't work that well - especially if you have crowding. Trust me - $3000 later my teeth still aren't great (even wearing them every night) so please get another opinion or two before shelling out the money.

Umm - this has happened to me not once but twice - I had braces in high school and then did a full course of Invisalign in 2006 - and yep - my teeth have moved again - despite wearing the retainer.

Unless you want the big expensive of doing braces again I would ask to be fitted with a retainer to "hold" them in their current position. Or you can order a retainer mold on line (I got one through Amazon) do your own mold at home and have a retainer shipped to you for about $80.

Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

S.M.

answers from Lansing on

My front teeth move as well and my dentist recommended Invisalign, which is really expensive but apparantley works great!

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J.S.

answers from Sacramento on

I ntoiced some gaps betweeen my front bottom teeth. I, too, had braces in middle school, but stopped wearing my retainer in college. I went to an orthodontist and was told that not only do I have gaps, but a cross bite as well. He recommended braces or Invisalign. I will definitely get a 2nd opinion from another ortho before making a decision, but will likely do Invisalign. My brother, who also had braces as a kid, did Invisalign as an adult several years ago and has had excellent results. I saw the other poster's warning about Invisalign...I wonder if that's the case with all types of braces???

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A.O.

answers from San Francisco on

This happened to me, both top and bottom. For the bottom they put in a permanent retainer. This is great, but a real pain when it comes to flossing. For the top I have an invasalign. This just takes discipline to put in every night, but when I am consistent with it I see the teeth straighten up.

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E.S.

answers from San Francisco on

i had this same thing happen! (wonder if it has anything to do with pregnancy hormones?!? they get blamed for everything else ~ i'm adding Shifting Teeth to the list!)
ANYWAY, my ortho said i did need braces. got them on the bottom first (as those had moved way more), then the top. will have had them on 1 year as of next month. coming off next month, too (FINGERS CROSSED!).
good luck to you!

oh, and braces weren't that expensive since we used our Flex $ (money for medical expenses taken out pre-taxes) AND we paid up front, so got more of a discount from my ortho. was only ~$3K
and i chose NOT to do Invisalign b/c it would take much longer.

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A.M.

answers from San Francisco on

I had a lot of gum/tooth sensitivity with pregnancy and nursing, and my gums began to receed. With menopause, the same thing began again and my teeth really started moving around. I now use a night guard while I sleep, which has helped stop the movement and the sensitivity. Now I need to decide if we can afford gum surgery (it sounds very painful) and possibly braces, if I want to straighten my teeth again. The night guard has the benefit over a retainer is, like me, you clench or grind your teeth when you sleep.

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L.D.

answers from Modesto on

Our teeth move forward and crowd up more as we age - regardless of whether we had braces or not earlier in life. My dentist explained this to me when I complained about my teeth moving. Only an orthodontist can tell you if a retainer or braces will be helpful. You are lucky you can afford to have this treated, I wish I could. Good luck.

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