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Question:
Brace Pain: I am a 54-year old female 9 months into braces, with an end result of surgery to realign my jaws / bite / structure.
I am barely able to make it through the day due to pain and feel I will not make the 18 month date until surgery, and another 6 months after that.
If I have the braces removed now, will the teeth just return to their original position or become worse? My orthodontist is reluctant to remove them just yet.
I know he has my best interests in mind, but the pain is too much at my age I guess, and it's hard to describe pain level. One tooth, a root canal, is loose and moves. The endodontic doctor was amazed I can endure this.
In GENERAL, what do teeth do that do if braces halted? ....Visitor from AZ
Answer:
Yes.
Unless you retain the teeth permanently or a removable retainer is worn consistently. It is hard to imagine you are experiencing this much pain. The pain from orthodontics is very short lived and should subside within 3-5 days after an adjustment.
You may have some teeth that are abcessed and may require root canal therapy, which should have been addressed prior to initiating orthodontics.
Another problem could be some ongoing periodontal disease. This could be causing pain in the periodontal ligament in conjunction with orthodontic forces. If so, the braces should never have
been placed until the periodontal disease was eliminated around each affected tooth.
I would consider seeing a periodontist prior to removing the braces and let him do a thorough evaluation. He can also determine if the problem is a periapical abcess and refer you to an endodontist.
James J. Awbrey, D.M.D.
4895 Windward Parkway, Suite 200
Alpharetta, Georgia GA 30004
(770) 751-1688
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