Marks left on teeth after braces??

[N&B'smom]

DS13 will be getting his braces off soon. They have always told him his hygiene looked good. Today I was there with DD9 (they're keeping an eye on her, she only has 4 baby teeth left and her teeth are a mess!!)....anyway, the Ortho told me they had been very worried about my DS's hygiene early on but he's really turned it around and is doing great. (they NEVER once told me there was an issue) Then he said they were concerned he'd have scarring but since he's improved they aren't sure but might still have a little.

I'm FREAKING out. I've been on him since day 1 making sure he does what he's supposed to do, brushing/flossing/etc. They never once told me they thought there was any issue and now that he's within a couple months of having them removed they spring that on me! I would have rather him not even get braces if that's the case!! His teeth weren't bad at all!!

I'm so worried and bummed. Just wondering if anyone else has experience with this.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Sounds like they are covering their butts. Maybe they spotted some discoloration and are now trying to blame "hygiene".

I would definitely ask why they never once mentioned a hygiene issue. Ask D's if they ever said that to him.

 

[Southernmiss]

Our ortho fussed at our older boys a couple of times, even the one who had been the best at taking care of his teeth. I received a couple of letters in the mail about his oral care from the ortho yikes! But their teeth turned out beautifully. We got their teeth cleaned by their regular dentist right after the braces came off.

I am sure your son's teeth are fine. Don't stress over it.

Out third son, who was our worst at taking care of his teeth now has braces and is doing amazing with his home care. Yay!

 

[canadianjovigirl]

Having gone thru 2 kids and braces. My boy goes Monday to get his herbst applicance off, and still one to go i am all to aware of the staining they are talking about.

My daughter had none and took meticulous care of her teeth with/without braces so there is no evidence of her ever having them other then her perfect smile.

My boy does have some light discoloration around where the brackets were cemented to the teeth and yes that is from poor brushing around the brackets. We have had his teeth cleaned at the dentist twice since the braces came of and it is still noticeable and i am told it will fade, but never will go completely away. I inquired about whitening them and they said it would still whiten different shades.

Our ortho did advise about this before and during treatment - especially when my son was not brushing correctly.

Sorry you were not aware of the brushing issue.

 

[LongLiveDisney]

I've had a similar issue with braces. I used perfect hygiene and there were no problems with my teeth. Then when I got them off, they must have scraped the glue off too hard and damaged my enamel on two of my teeth. They're rough and peeling a bit now and look scratched. The orthodontist won't do anything about it. Just...ugh.

Just a little story. Good luck OP.

 

[gratefulfred]

Yes I have the decalcification marks on my teeth where the brackets were glued. My current dentist claims that it wasn't from poor brushing, but because the braces were left on to long. He said they should only be on for two years, mine were on for three

 

[EMom]

Yes I have the decalcification marks on my teeth where the brackets were glued. My current dentist claims that it wasn't from poor brushing, but because the braces were left on to long. He said they should only be on for two years, mine were on for three

This. It is likely decalcification. I am furious at DD's ortho for not mentioning it until the damage was done. It took a visit to DD's dentist to realize what was happening. It is the calcium softening and it will ruin teeth.

We immediately took off DD's braces and started using some paste that remineralizes the affected areas. It has already reversed some of the damage, but we have a long road ahead of us and there will always be some permanent damage that will probably cost a fortune to repair. I could strangle the ortho.

Had I known the very health of her teeth was at risk, she'd never have gotten the braces.

 

[anniemck]

DS13 will be getting his braces off soon. They have always told him his hygiene looked good. Today I was there with DD9 (they're keeping an eye on her, she only has 4 baby teeth left and her teeth are a mess!!)....anyway, the Ortho told me they had been very worried about my DS's hygiene early on but he's really turned it around and is doing great. (they NEVER once told me there was an issue) Then he said they were concerned he'd have scarring but since he's improved they aren't sure but might still have a little.

I'm FREAKING out. I've been on him since day 1 making sure he does what he's supposed to do, brushing/flossing/etc. They never once told me they thought there was any issue and now that he's within a couple months of having them removed they spring that on me! I would have rather him not even get braces if that's the case!! His teeth weren't bad at all!!

I'm so worried and bummed. Just wondering if anyone else has experience with this.

if his teeth weren't bad, then why the braces?
I can remember when my middle daughter was 5 and they said she was going to need braces and wanted to start at 8, um no at 5 she hadn't even lost her first tooth yet, she was 6 1/2 when she did that... her teeth are perfect now.

 

[*JoGo*]

We were told from the first consultation and repeatedly afterwards that if he does not take proper care of his teeth, there will be decalcification which causes the white marks. The ortho said if they notice any, the braces will be removed and treatment ended. At each appt he receives a grade. If he gets two Cs in a row he has to go to class to learn to brush his teeth and is put on probation.

 

[sookie]

DS13 will be getting his braces off soon. They have always told him his hygiene looked good. Today I was there with DD9 (they're keeping an eye on her, she only has 4 baby teeth left and her teeth are a mess!!)....anyway, the Ortho told me they had been very worried about my DS's hygiene early on but he's really turned it around and is doing great. (they NEVER once told me there was an issue) Then he said they were concerned he'd have scarring but since he's improved they aren't sure but might still have a little.

I'm FREAKING out. I've been on him since day 1 making sure he does what he's supposed to do, brushing/flossing/etc. They never once told me they thought there was any issue and now that he's within a couple months of having them removed they spring that on me! I would have rather him not even get braces if that's the case!! His teeth weren't bad at all!!

I'm so worried and bummed. Just wondering if anyone else has experience with this.

It happens - small changes. Not huge changes - those are not normal.

I mean, I had my 9 year old DD in braces. There were times I was worried that she was not brushing as well as she should because she was little / immature. I would have asked them why we weren't bringing him in for extra cleanings if that was an issue.

Also - get him a water pic - there is a special tip you can get to clean around ortho appliances. Teach him to use it properly though - you can damage the gums if you use a water pic and the different tips improperly. But using it every day helps - and I could not believe the stuff I was getting out from my teeth when I used it. And I didn't even use it with my ortho. My DD and husband used theirs with their ortho and they got tons of stuff out. Gross!!

I believe you can also do some bleaching to help even out the tone if he has a lot of discoloration. Even without intervention, any uneven discoloration will probably even out over time after the braces are removed even if there is some uneven tone. At least - I thought that was what they told me when I asked right before I got mine off - but I got mine off and they were OK. Right before my wedding... so I'm not sure. I guess you would just have to ask depending on what is causing the changes.

My husband had braces on for 3 years. He makes a LOT of buildup - especially on the bottom. He did not have discoloration and I think that if anyone would have discoloration - it would be him. I love him dearly, but we have him on extra cleanings without ortho because he just makes a lot of plaque. He flosses and brushes more than I do, and he just has to have the extra cleanings. I think it is more of a diet thing than a compliance thing sometimes (getting all of that build up). I am always getting onto him and sending him back in to brush and floss again.

 

[sookie]

This. It is likely decalcification. I am furious at DD's ortho for not mentioning it until the damage was done. It took a visit to DD's dentist to realize what was happening. It is the calcium softening and it will ruin teeth.

We immediately took off DD's braces and started using some paste that remineralizes the affected areas. It has already reversed some of the damage, but we have a long road ahead of us and there will always be some permanent damage that will probably cost a fortune to repair. I could strangle the ortho.

Had I known the very health of her teeth was at risk, she'd never have gotten the braces.

Oh no. That is so awful. Do you feel like they intervened early? Something like that doesn't happen overnight. Almost seems like malpractice!

 

[TwoCortWort]

DS13 will be getting his braces off soon. They have always told him his hygiene looked good. Today I was there with DD9 (they're keeping an eye on her, she only has 4 baby teeth left and her teeth are a mess!!)....anyway, the Ortho told me they had been very worried about my DS's hygiene early on but he's really turned it around and is doing great. (they NEVER once told me there was an issue) Then he said they were concerned he'd have scarring but since he's improved they aren't sure but might still have a little.

I'm FREAKING out. I've been on him since day 1 making sure he does what he's supposed to do, brushing/flossing/etc. They never once told me they thought there was any issue and now that he's within a couple months of having them removed they spring that on me! I would have rather him not even get braces if that's the case!! His teeth weren't bad at all!!

I'm so worried and bummed. Just wondering if anyone else has experience with this.

Let me tell you now if I came out on the other side of braces without scarring, then your son will be fine. Unless they have changed stuff since I had them. My ortho was the devil in disguise and seriously jumped on me for every little thing. He scarred me emotionally more than anything. I say I got straight teeth out of it but a forever fear of the dentist. I was advised to get my teeth cleaned ASAP after getting them off, which I did the following day. But don't have anything left over to show I had them. The only scars I have are on my gums where the pallet expander wouldn't come off and yeah did some damage.

But I honestly have never heard of this...hope he is fine.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

DS had his braces on for 4 years and he didn't have any marks on his teeth. I agree that it's a "cover the butt" preemptive strike. I think your son's teeth will look great!

 

[DisneyATlast]

My 8 year old has had a couple of devices put in to push her teeth forward and I'm not sure yet if she'll need braces.

However, I'm not going to have her get them unless her teeth are really, really out of whack. The sad thing about the dentist (and healthcare in general) is that if they can, they will. Just because an orthodontist says a kid NEEDS braces doesn't necessarily make it true.

I probably could've used braces as a kid, but I didn't get them. My teeth are not perfectly straight, but I've gotten enough compliments on my "nice teeth" throughout my life that I guess they turned out okay!

I work with a lady in her 30's who has horrible, horrible staining on her teeth. It's really the first thing you notice and it's impossible not to.

 

[spacecoast95]

Hi there,

I had braces in the 70's. I have before and after pictures.
My teeth were white before and discolored after the braces came off.
I remember my parents talking about it, my father wasn't happy.
The dentists kept saying, the teeth will be find after cleaning and polishing.
Then the dentists blamed the discoloration on tetracycline.
It wasn't tetracycline, it was always the braces.
Through the years I tried teeth bleaching- nothing helped, all the bleaching did was make my teeth so sensitive they ached unless I used Sensodyne toothpaste everyday which has been everyday for 18 years now.
If I could go back, I would not have had braces on my teeth.

 

[AnAmericanInDisney]

You could get veneers for discolored teeth. They're expensive, but worth it.

 

[elphaba91]

if his teeth weren't bad, then why the braces? I can remember when my middle daughter was 5 and they said she was going to need braces and wanted to start at 8, um no at 5 she hadn't even lost her first tooth yet, she was 6 1/2 when she did that... her teeth are perfect now.

One of our neighbours had braces when she was little. Every single time it was a public holiday long weekend she would lose a baby tooth. The tooth would then get all tangled up in the braces and it was very painful but, being a public holiday, it was extremely difficult to get into a dentist/ortho. She then had to get braces again in high school, so it was a big waste of time and money.

For the staining, I would suggest trying Eucryl tooth powder. It's sold in pharmacies in the UK and Australia, but you can also get it on Amazon. It's brilliant at getting rid of stains.

 

[EMom]

DS13 will be getting his braces off soon. They have always told him his hygiene looked good. Today I was there with DD9 (they're keeping an eye on her, she only has 4 baby teeth left and her teeth are a mess!!)....anyway, the Ortho told me they had been very worried about my DS's hygiene early on but he's really turned it around and is doing great. (they NEVER once told me there was an issue) Then he said they were concerned he'd have scarring but since he's improved they aren't sure but might still have a little.

I'm FREAKING out. I've been on him since day 1 making sure he does what he's supposed to do, brushing/flossing/etc. They never once told me they thought there was any issue and now that he's within a couple months of having them removed they spring that on me! I would have rather him not even get braces if that's the case!! His teeth weren't bad at all!!

I'm so worried and bummed. Just wondering if anyone else has experience with this.

My DD had NO cavities her whole life. Gorgeous teeth. She got braces because of one tooth coming in way high. The ortho said something like, "She needs to brush a little better," a few times and that was it. No alarms. Then our pediatric dentist got a look at her teeth and had a fit. She had decalcification....that was the discoloration. She demanded the braces come off that day in order to save the teeth from further decay.

I couldn't see it because it was behind the brackets mostly. But the orthoshad seen it and kept quiet. My DD's teeth are ruined. She has had cavity after cavity. Not normal cavities. Just chunks of tooth falling out. I could kill the ortho. If I could go back, I'd pull the one badly placed tooth and skip the braces. My dentist used some kind of paste that remineralizes the teeth to save as much as of them as possible before she started restoring them.

We owe our dentist big time. My DD's perfect teeth are far from perfect now and the ortho and all her staff should rot as far as I'm concerned. They never let me know there was a problem. Go to a decent dentist and get it checked out.

 

[spacecoast95]

I had braces in the 70's. I have before and after pictures.
My teeth were white before the braces and grey, dark, after the braces.

I remember my parents talking about it and how my father was unhappy.

First the orthodontist and dentist said, a cleaning and polishing will make the teeth white again, that it was a hygiene issue. Well, it didn't work.

Then, the problem was blamed on tetracycline stains,- no, not tetracycline stains either.

I have had my teeth cleaned many times through the years and even had bleaching done 3 times. The only thing that was achieved was extremely sensitive teeth that ache if I do not use Sensodyne toothpaste everyday and that is for 18 years now.

The hygiene excuse and the tetracycline stain excuse is exactly what it is, an excuse and a coverup for the orthodontist.

If I could go back, I would NEVER have had braces. My teeth weren't bad, they could've stayed the way they were.

My parents kept saying im going to have beautiful teeth after the braces.
I didn't have beautiful teeth after the braces!

The only braces I would use today are invisalign. I would not let an orthodontist cement anything on my teeth ever!

Why should we get braces to only have to get veneers after?
It shouldn't happen to begin with!

A big disappointment and a big disappointment in the dental profession for not correcting that problem!

 

[DvF Diva]

I had my braces removed in my teens, about 25 years ago now, and there was some scarring on my enamel from the glue/scraping. My hygiene was perfectly fine and there was no discoloration, but there was scarring of the enamel. It wasn't so bad that you could obviously see it, but as a teen, I probably spent lots of time scrutinizing myself closely in the mirror and I could see the scarring.
25 years later and my front teeth look perfectly smooth, so the scarring probably just wore down and became smooth over time.

Hopefully, any scarring won't be noticeable, and the positive effects of the orthodontics on your DS's teeth alignment/jaw alignment/face muscles/neck muscles/shoulder muscles will outweigh any cosmetic negatives -- which can probably be taken care of with teeth whitening/bleaching or enamel smoothing. Or by time.

Congrats to your DS on the braces removal!