Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

Can Invisalign Help a Narrow Smile

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I needed braces when I was younger, but the dentist said I needed a palate expander. My parents decided that was too expensive and never went through with treatment. Now I’m an adult and still need orthodontics. I have heard Invisalign is a way for adults to straighten their teeth without anyone knowing. Will that work for me, as someone with a narrow smile or will I still need a palate expander?

Kelly

Dear Kelly,

Upper Invisalign Aligner

You are too old for a palate expander at this point in your life. Those are designed to be used on children whose mouths are more malleable. Once you get past around twelve years old, these are no longer going to work. That doesn’t mean things are hopeless.

You can still have orthodontics as an adult. Invisalign could be a good choice for you. In the past, it only worked for the most ideal cases. These days, they can take on all but the most challenging bites.

When you have a narrow bite and there is no longer the option of using a palate expander, it often means you have to extract some teeth to make room for a correctly positioned bite. Fortunately, with computer-aided orthodontics, such as clear braces like Invisalign or Clear Correct, you can often see what your smile will look like before you go forward.

Giving Yourself a Mini-Smile Makeover with Invisalign

One hidden benefit of Invisalign is the aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. Your dentist can provide you with a professional strength whitening gel. You can wear the gel in your Invisalign aligners for a set period of time each day.

You’ll simultaneously be able to straighten and whiten your teeth without anyone knowing.

Advantages of Invisalign

You’ll find there are quite a few advantages to Invisalign over traditional braces:

  • You’ll be able to straighten your teeth in half the time as traditional braces
  • No uncomfortable metal wires and brackets
  • No one will know you’re wearing orthodontics
  • Your final aligners can double as your retainer when your procedure is finished.

The key for you will be to get with a good orthodontist who can look at your case and make some recommendations specific to your bite.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.

Solution for a Huge Tooth Gap

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I have a tooth gap big enough to almost fit another tooth in. My dentist suggested Lumineers. I can’t imagine that scenario turning out well. What would I have? A center tooth like a cyclops? Eeww! I do want a solution though. What do you recommend? Please don’t say Lumineers. I might cry.

Luna

Dear Luna,

A woman placing her Invisaliagn aligners

Orthodontics no longer has to mean metal braces

I’m glad you have more sense than your dentist. You’re right that Lumineers would end up a disaster. With such a large gap you’d need one of the top cosmetic dentists in the world to make that look natural. I have a much better solution for you.

Commonly, a tooth gap is repaired using dental bonding. This closes the gap with a composite resin. However, again, the size of the gap you’re dealing with would make this challenging.

In your particular case, I’d suggest orthodontics. As an adult, you won’t want a mouth full of metal even if it means closing your tooth gap naturally. Instead, Invisalign will be a fantastic solution, but without being uncomfortable and unsightly. They have one of the highest patient satisfaction rates too.

Getting a Mini Smile Makeover with Invisalign

Many people find that by combining teeth whitening with Invisalign, they get a mini smile makeover of sorts. The Invisalign gives them beautiful straight teeth, while the teeth whitening takes years off their appearance and makes them a brilliant white color.

One thing to be aware of with teeth whitening is it will only whiten natural tooth structure. If you have other dental work, such as crowns or fillings, those won’t whiten from the solution. Instead, they’ll have to be redone in order to get them to match your new white color.

I hope this helps you. Again, I’m glad you sought out advice instead of just listening to your dentist’s disastrously bad suggestion.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Noah.

Smile Club or Professional Orthodontics

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I’ve been trying to do save up for orthodontics for a long time. I’m getting close, but just read something about Smile Care Club. It’s a lot less expensive than the orthodontics. Is it okay for me to use that and then save the rest of the money for something else?

Lisa A.

Dear Lisa,

The best thing about the Smile Club is the cost savings. I just want you to think about it ahead of time. They have you send x-rays, but there are some things, such as gum disease, which is very hard to discern by x-rays alone. It usually takes a physical exam as well.

Gum disease is serious and can creep up on you silently. If you get this type of orthodontics while having gum disease, it will make the situation significantly worse. That puts you at risk of losing your teeth. In that case, instead of spending a little extra money up front, you’ll end up spending thousands to replace lost teeth.

The other thing to bear in mind is things which can go wrong during the treatment. Sometimes, as teeth are brought together, there needs to be some mild shaving to ensure they come together well. In that case you’d need to see a dentist. You’d want it to be a dentist invested in your case, but you won’t have one of those.

Smile Club keeps up with you by photos and phone. I feel one on one monitoring in person is the safest way to go, especially for the patient. This is designed to be a mail order substitute for Invisalign. You’d be better served getting actual Invisalign and the personal attention you both need and deserve during your treatment.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Noah.

Do I Need to Keep Wearing My Retainer?

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When I was a teenager, I had to get braces and was told to wear a retainer for a month all day and then later, only at night. My upper front teeth relapsed a bit, so I spoke with a new orthodontist who said new braces would fix this problem. He also suggested I could use my old retainer to get the teeth pretty straight and then have a new retainer made. He mentioned six months of daily full time wear and then at night would do the job.
I’ve worn the new retainer fulltime for nearly three years and notice one tooth seems to shift after a few hours of not wearing the retainer. So now, I feel like I can’t go more than a few hours without the retainer. Am I imagining this or does this occur sometimes? And if it happens, what are the repercussions? What should I do?
– Justin in Oklahoma

Justin,
You’re probably not imagining that your teeth are moving. Clearly, one tooth in particular, seems to be changing position a bit. You should continue to wear the retainer all the time, day and night. If you don’t want to wear it during the day, you have a couple choices.
Your first choice is to get a permanent retainer bonded to the insides of your teeth. This could be done on the upper or lower teeth. The only issue is cleaning your teeth – you’d need to use a floss threader to adequately clean your teeth. If you’re okay with this, this may be a good solution.
If you’re not keen on this, your other option is to have a tooth bleaching splint created. This clear bleaching tray holds your teeth in position and isn’t as noticeable as the basic orthodontic retainer.
A dentist should see you to determine why your teeth haven’t stabilized. It isn’t good for your teeth to change position so you need to keep using the retainer to avoid this issue. Hopefully, over time, the movement will stop.

This blog brought to you by Tulsa dentist, Dr. Noah.

No crowns unless I get braces?

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Have you ever heard of a dentist refusing to place crowns without having braces done? Here’s what is going on. I went into my dentist today to to talk to him about replacing my old crowns that are on my front teeth. It has been about 15 years or so since they were originally put on and he told me that I need to have full orthodontic braces first. Pretty much I was told that I won’t be able to get new crowns if I don’t do the braces first. The problem is that I cannot afford to have braces and all I really want is to have the crowns replaced. I would consider his other recommendations at a later time, just not right now. I really don’t think my front teeth are that crooked, so I don’t know what to do. Can you provide any insight?

– Tom from Missouri

Tom,

It is not a good sign when a dentist gives you an ultimatum or places restrictions on what treatment they will provide. It sounds like he is only willing to do the perfect scenario and doesn’t seem to understand your budget concerns. Although a treatment may not always be ideal, doing something is most likely better than nothing if you can afford it.

It is possible to have the crowns fixed without having to do the braces. You could wait until you can afford the orthodontics or you could bypass it altogether if you choose.

Take a look around to see if you can find a dentist that is a bit more understanding about your budgetary constraints and will work with you.

For your front teeth it would be best to have all-porcelain crowns done. This is because if you have porcelain fused to metal crowns, then you run the risk of them ending up looking fake. Also, you may have a dark line that is visible along your gum line. But make sure that the dentist you choose is experienced and seems comfortable doing porcelain crowns. You don’t want to push a dentist out of their comfort zone because you may not end up with the results you want.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

This post is sponsored by Tulsa dentist Region Dental.

Related link: Invisalign

Crooked teeth from thumb sucking

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I sucked my thumb until I was 13 years old and my teeth are misaligned. My top teeth are curved upward but it’s not the typical overbite that you would expect. Do you know what I can do to have my teeth corrected? I’m ready to stop hiding my smile.

– Janie in Virginia

Janie,

Misalignment of your teeth is not too surprising having sucked your thumb for such a long period of time. An orthodontist will be able to help you straighten your teeth. Based on how you described the shape of your teeth, it sounds like they are not only out of position but they have an inaccurate inclination. Braces will correct both of your problems.

If you are the parent of a thumb sucker, the best advice is to not make too big of a deal out of the behavior. If you put too much pressure on your child and make too big of an issue of things, it may create a complex in your child and reinforce it. I really wouldn’t worry too much about it until your child is school age. There is no long-term, permanent damage that is done before the age of seven. This is because that is when a child typically loses their baby teeth. If you play it cool, when your child begins going to school they may experience peer pressure from their classmates and friends to stop the behavior.

The reason Janice’s teeth suffered from thumb sucking is due to the fact that she sucked her thumb until she was 13 years old. This means her permanent teeth had fully come in. If your child is over the age of seven and not showing signs of quitting, then you may need to step in. Be sure to use positive reinforcement versus causing shame or embarrassment. Again, you don’t want to create an emotional complex in your child or your plan could backfire. You will have the most success if the child wants to quit. Although, there are aids that you can find at the drug store to help break the habit. The products are bitter to the taste and can be painted on the thumb causing an unpleasant reminder of the habit. Again, be encouraging in your approach.

This post is sponsored by Tulsa dentist Region Dental.

Related links: Invisalign