Can I still get braces?

I'm 26 years old, and I still have one temporary tooth (upper canine). When I was a teenager, the dentist advised me to not get braces until all temporary teeth fall out and I have a complete set of permanent teeth. My dental x-ray does not show any permanent tooth above the remaining canine. Should I forget about the braces then ?

Can I still get braces?
I've worked in the dental industry for years, and though I've now changed professions, I think I can give you an accurate answer on this:





First of all, retaining one primary tooth is not horribly uncommon, so don't sweat it. You will be able to get braces, but you'll have to have a little more work than the usual person that requires orthodontic treatment.





Most people need braces due to "crowding" of the teeth. Before the braces are put on, an orthodontist will remove either 2 or all 4 of the first or second bicuspids to make room to realign the teeth with braces. Since usually only one bicuspid shows during a smile (in the so called "smile zone") these removed teeth are usually not noticeable after braces treatment by anyone except by your dentist (as soon as I see a patient with only one set of bicuspids I always ask "so how long did you wear braces?") Heh.





In your case, you will not need to have any bicuspids removed on the side where you still have that primary cuspid left. The best option there would be to remove the primary cuspid and then put a permanant crown (porcelain fused to metal) on one of the bicuspids on that side and have the lab fashion the crown to look like the normal adult cuspid and match the cuspid on your other side. That will even everything out, give you space for orthodontic braces treatment, and as an added bonus give you a tooth that is of normal size and shape for that position! :) You can't crown the primary tooth though, because primary tooth root structure is so limited, there won't be enough root to structurally hold for it's purpose....but a bicuspid can be made to look like a cuspid easily with the right prep and lab work....so don't sweat it.





Only catch is you'll probably have to work with two doctors...an orthodontic specialist for the braces and a general practitioner dentist for the extractions and crown, but most ortho cases need that anyway so it isn't too much out of the ordinary....these sort of cases come by often, so don't feel left out!





EDIT to coolkittenwinx who posted after me....he did have it checked out, and in his post he noted that there was no permanant tooth on the x-ray. This is about right, about 50% of cases where people retained one primary tooth either have no tooth there (the body just never formed the follicle needed to make a tooth) and the other 50% will have a permanant tooth way up in the maxillary bone laying horizontally with no chance of ever being exposed. The posters case is the more preferable for the procedure I mentioned, since no permanant tooth is present (and thus doesn't need to be surgically removed and will not interfere with orthodontic treatment) ;)
Reply:Only a dentist can answer this one accurately.
Reply:If you aren't getting laid and people are telling you that your teeth are crooked as hell, I say its time to consider braces regardless of your age.....
Reply:i suggest getting a second opinoin. some people never loose all of their "baby" teeth and if there is no permanent tooth above the temporary tooth then i dont see why you wouldn't be able to get braces. but make an appointment to see an orthodontist... they would know best.
Reply:YEAH I THINK SO BUT YOU SHOULD GO FOR A SECOND OPINION
Reply:Forget about the braces dear just keep it natural. If it doesn't hurt you it doesn't matter. Chill and enjoy.
Reply:I would get that checked because you should have lost all your teeth by now. The tooth may be lodged or not even be there. I would get an xray and check it out, before you even think about braces. My brother had to for his front upper tooth. He had to get surgery which followed braces. CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!!!



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