Braces - Is Fine Tuning each Tooth (to be straight) the Final Ste

[kellogg9]

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I am talking about still wearing brackets but nearing the stage of getting them out for retainers.

I have had braces in for about 1 year now (12 months). I was given an estimate of 14-18 months for the entire wearing of braces to be completed. Right now i am using rubbers in a certain alignment on both sides of my mouth. This is to correct my upper/lower biting alignment (to create a slight overbite).

I am almost done with wearing braces but although I have noticed some of my teeth are quite straight other teeth appear crooked (lower anterior). So i was wondering is the final step after the rubbers fix the overbite issue to now start correcting misaligned brackets on each tooth so that those teeth can start to move around to their final straightened position? Because it seems those crooked teeth are due to incorrectly placed brackets on that particular tooth and the ortho would need to remove the bracket and reposition to the correct area on the tooth to allow the tooth to rotate straight.

I was originally thinking that any incorrectly placed bracket would be fixed during the entire year but i get the impression the ortho is more focused on correcting the biting alignment of the uppper/lower jaw first and then they go about looking at each individual bracket. Am i understanding that right? Seems kind of inefficient since if i were in their position i would do both at the same time resulting in quicker straightened teeth (get the patient out the door quick)

Can anyone give me insight into the whole final steps (before taking out brackets)?

Note: My ortho is on vacation leave for 3 weeks so that is why i am asking here.

 

[ortho lurker]

Your doctor may place detailing bends in the wire to align the teeth before he/she removes your braces.

 

[kellogg9]

Your doctor may place detailing bends in the wire to align the teeth before he/she removes your braces.

THanks for the great reply...But i am curious...how about a tooth (my maxillary canine) that is misaligned in a way where it's slighly mesially palatal? How would a detailing bend correct that? From what i gather it would require a bracket to be repositioned (taken off and glued back on) to correct the tooth so that its messial surface was back in alignment with surrounding teeth. Do i have that right?

 

[jda02624]

THanks for the great reply...But i am curious...how about a tooth (my maxillary canine) that is misaligned in a way where it's slighly mesially palatal? How would a detailing bend correct that? From what i gather it would require a bracket to be repositioned (taken off and glued back on) to correct the tooth so that its messial surface was back in alignment with surrounding teeth. Do i have that right?

I depends on how much the tooth is out of alignment and how your doctor prefers to finish. If it is minor movement that is needed, your doc can possibly detail the wire to move the tooth. When needed, I personally will reposition any brackets to ideal in the middle of treatment so that any additional alignment issues require only minor detailing bends. Some orthos will place a million bends to finish instead of repositioning. Everyone practices in their own way.
My recommendation is to ask your doctor about the tooth the next time you see him/her. I love it when my patients ask me questions or point out any concerns. Don't wait until you are at your debond appointment. Talk to your doctor and make sure they address your concerns.

 

[kellogg9]

I depends on how much the tooth is out of alignment and how your doctor prefers to finish. If it is minor movement that is needed, your doc can possibly detail the wire to move the tooth. When needed, I personally will reposition any brackets to ideal in the middle of treatment so that any additional alignment issues require only minor detailing bends. Some orthos will place a million bends to finish instead of repositioning. Everyone practices in their own way.
My recommendation is to ask your doctor about the tooth the next time you see him/her. I love it when my patients ask me questions or point out any concerns. Don't wait until you are at your debond appointment. Talk to your doctor and make sure they address your concerns.

Great reply. And i will speak to my doctor when he gets back from cvacation However i have some Quick questions:

1. From what i read online about detail bends it seems it more about shifting the tooth up or down in place. How does detailing bends work to move a tooth to perform a "roll" or "yaw"? It seems the bends are strictly limited to wire bends in an up or down position.
   
2. I assume u are American so i am not familiar with how u # teeth but here in Canada my right-side maxillary canine (known as tooth # 2.3) is what is concerning me. Can you give me the proper more concise description of this tooth's current misaligned position. Its mesial surface is a bit palatal than it should be. So in that way you can see the tooth needs to "yaw" back into alignment (shift in a counterclockwise direction if staring from a birds eye top-down view) with the lateral incisor. How do u say that properly in dental speak?