Extraction instead of braces?

[Phoenix]

Hi

I have front lower crowded teeth and I recently saw a cosmetic dentist regarding correcting my crowding with Veneers. He advised against veneers, saying that my lower teeth might become very sensitive with dental veneers and advised braces instead.

I am 25 years old and dont think I would like to wear braces for 18 months and was looking to see if Invisalign could do the same job without the braces? Also another option that came to my mind was having one of the teeth at the front removed and hopefully with the space created, the other crowded teeth could move into that space and solve the tooth crowding problem. Is that also a possibility?

[Dr Ehsan J. Esfahani]

Hello Phoenix,

Thank you for your post.

Invisalign clear braces can correct crowded lower front teeth, and in cases where the crowding is moderate or severe, superficial tooth recontouring and reshaping is necessary to straighten and align the teeth. We would need to see you for an assessment to confirm if you are suitable for invisalign. Not all cases can be treated with invisalign and conventional braces is sometimes the treatment of choice.

It is not a good idea to remove a tooth and then wait for the teeth crowding to resolve. The crowding may not improve and a brace is then needed to close the space and align the front lower crowded teeth. Three lower incisors is not an ideal cosmetic result, but in some cases its the treatment of choice. You should consider removing a tooth only after seeing a orthodontist.