Braces at 30 - What happened at my private dental implants consultation?

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Braces at 30 - What happened at my private dental implants consultation_

Last Wednesday I had my top brace taken off and then on Thursday I picked up a clear plastic Essix retainer which I have to wear full time for now. 

My bottom brace is still on to close two more gaps and hopefully it will be removed in June. 

Now I’ve had my top brace off I wanted to get the ball rolling with the next steps of my ‘braces at 30’ journey – the false teeth!

I went for a dental implant consultation and will share what happened in this blog post.

 

Braces at 30 - What happened at my private dental implants consultation

 

Free stock image sourced from Pexels

Choose an orthodontist and dentist in one place!

I decided to enquire about dental implants and had a consultation at a private dentist on Saturday. 

My orthodontist’s surgery is just that – that is, they only do orthodontics, nothing else. 

If I could start over I would probably choose somewhere that does that whole lot – braces, false teeth, the lot.  That way I think the whole experience would be smoother and they can easily consult with each other. 

My experience has been a bit broken up as I go to the dentist for one thing and the orthodontist in another town for another!  It’s not very streamlined.

I never knew this though and at the start I asked my dentist and they referred me.  I never thought about searching for somewhere that did the entire experience from start to finish in one place. 

If you are thinking of getting a brace and will also need false teeth, then I’d recommend looking for somewhere that can do the lot.  If it’s just to straighten teeth then a standalone orthodontist is just fine.

Implants instead of false teeth and veneers?

My original plan was to have a veneer over the peg tooth and a bridge with false tooth on the other side.  I need false teeth for both my lateral incisors.  But when my brace was removed, my peg tooth was wobbly! 

Yikes!

This got me thinking that perhaps implants would be the better option on both sides.  I should just have the peg tooth removed.

Implants are a lifetime option.  If I have a veneer and bridge they will need replacing every 7-10 years, whereas an implant should last forever.  It would just be like having my own teeth!

The other positive is I can then have a permanent retainer bonded to the back of the teeth.  Something I can’t have with a veneer and bridge. 

This means I can have the implants and bonded retainers and be done with the whole experience!  I’d have my mouth back and wouldn’t need to even use the removable retainer again.  It’s the ideal option.

Implant consultation

So I had a consultation with an implant specialist to see if I am suitable.  I’m glad I went as he did an x-ray of my teeth and discovered why my peg tooth is wobbly. 

It’s actually eating itself from the inside out, also known as internal resorption.  My body is basically eating the minerals from the tooth and now it’s wobbly.  It will definitely need to come out.

The peg tooth side (left side) is absolutely suitable for an implant.  That’s great news. 

But he’s not sure about the right side where I already have the entire tooth sized gap.  Though the gap we can see for the tooth is the right size, the roots in the gums are not in line.  They actually both bend towards each other leaving a much smaller gap for an artificial root to be placed.  The implant is around 3.5mm and my gap is approx. 3.7-3.8mm.  Eek!

If the implant touches the surrounding teeth then they can become damaged and have to come out too!  Not ideal!

It’s very close so to get a better idea he took a CT scan (nice questionable dose of radiation there for me) and he’s going to properly investigate my images to see if it’s a possibility or not.

I’ll find out what he thinks today or tomorrow so I have all fingers crossed that he can do an implant for both teeth.  Otherwise I’ll still have to have a bridge on one side and the removable retainer which isn’t the most perfect option.

 

Related teeth blog posts

 

Braces and bridges at 30– Was it worth it?

 

Awesome foods for strong teeth

 

Is teeth whitening worth the cost? + foods to avoid for a whiter smile

 

Struggling to brush your toddler’s teeth? Try the Brush-Baby!

 

Dental hygiene tips to improve your smile + self confidence

 

How to afford dental treatments

 

Good food for teeth + a healthy mouth

 

 

 

My entire braces & false teeth journey from start to finish!

 

First orthodontist consultation

 

Making the decision to get false teeth and braces at 30

 

Braces booking appointment and moulds

 

Dentist appointment to check teeth for removal

 

Two weeks until I get braces

 

Two baby teeth removed ready for adult braces

 

Top brace fitting

 

Braces at 30 - day 2

 

Braces at 30 - day 3

 

One week with adult braces

 

18 days with adult braces

 

One month with adult braces

 

What happened at my first brace tightening appointment

 

3 months with adult braces

 

4 months with adult braces and another tightening appointment

 

One week after my third braces tightening

 

Bottom brace fitting and biting blocks

 

5th brace tightening

 

6th brace tightening and update

 

7th brace tightening and update

 

Elastics added to my braces from top to bottom

 

False tooth impression taken for my brace

 

Temporary false tooth on brace

 

Braces closing gaps and improving overbite

 

18 months with a brace

 

13th braces tightening appointment

 

22 months with an adult brace before and after

 

15th tightening appointment braces photos

 

2 year update with adult braces

 

17th brace tightening at 24 months with an adult brace

 

My last braces tightening appointment?

 

The embarrassing day I get my top brace removed

 

Essix retainer with false tooth - fitting and photos

 

Dental implants consultation

 

Can I get dental implants?

 

20th braces tightening appointment

 

Peg tooth extraction

 

28 months - bottom brace removed!

 

12 reasons I hate the clear Essix retainer

 

Hawley retainer fitting appointment

 

The partial denture disappointment

 

5 weeks until I get my bridges and false teeth!

 

The final result of my braces at 30 and false teeth

 

Before and after braces photos

 

My teeth whitening experience

 

 

 

Braces blog posts

 

12 reasons I hate the clear plastic Essix retainer

 

Braces at 30 - read my entire adult braces experience here

 

Disappointment with my NHS denture

 

The decision to have two bridges with false teeth

 

Was having braces and false teeth worth it?

 

How much do adult braces cost? + 4 ways to finance them

 

Adult braces: what are biting blocks?

 

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Braces at 30 - What happened at my private dental implants consultation_