I Have Fillings (Can I Still Get Braces?)

Can you still get braces if you have fillings? When you visit an orthodontist, this professional is concerned with straightening your teeth. They don’t perform standard dental procedures so your first visit to an orthodontic office could be when you’re an adult. If you’re concerned about your dental work interfering with the braces, learn a little bit more about the oral cavity. In short, it’s possible to straighten your teeth with fillings already in your mouth.

 

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Why Fillings Were Necessary

Being concerned with fillings and orthodontic work means that you’ve had issues with your teeth before. You might have crooked teeth that make it difficult to access the crevices with standard toothbrushes. Because the teeth overlap, cavities form in these areas. In the past, dentists filled these cavities so that further tooth decay didn’t occur.

It’s actually a good idea to have orthodontic work, including Invisalign, with fillings because future cavities can be avoided. Straight teeth can be brushed and flossed with ease, and difficult areas are now perfectly accessible. You’ll always have your current fillings in place, but you can have better oral hygiene as a result of orthodontia resources.

 

When Spacers Must be Installed

Fillings can pose some challenges to the orthodontist when they’re relatively large. The material might spillover between the teeth to protect them, but this creates an obstacle for bracket and wire installations. Your orthodontia professional will tell you if spacers are needed. In essence, the expert must space out those filled teeth so that any bracketry can be properly aligned with the teeth.

Professionals use rubber and metal bands, depending on the situation, to space out filled teeth. They’re left in the mouth during the treatment so that every tooth has the right spacing. Once the patient completes the treatment, the spacers are removed. In fact, some patients need spacers between teeth that don’t have any fillings. Straightening teeth requires some creative resources at times.

 

No Material Concerns

The filling material doesn’t pose any harm to the metal installation. It’s designed to harden immediately after a dentist adds it to a declining tooth. The filling acts as if it’s part of the tooth. Gold, amalgam, and silver remain in place during the entire, smile-straightening process.

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Some patients might be concerned about fillings and working with Invisalign aligners. If a filling has a slightly rounded section, it might rub on the aligning tools. Patients shouldn’t worry about this fact because the aligners are specifically designed for every contour across the tooth. If a filling does stick up a bit, the aligner takes this anomaly into consideration. The teeth can always be straightened with a professional’s evaluation.

 

Dealing With a Filling First

Orthodontists don’t automatically place brackets and wires on a patient’s smile until all dental work is taken care of beforehand. Once the metal pieces are in place, most dental work is difficult to complete. A modified cleaning is often employed until the orthodontic work is completed. Fillings, in particular, must be completed before the brackets are glued to the teeth.

Most orthodontists will request a mental evaluation before the bracketry installation. With a clean bill of health, the professional can move forward with the treatment. Patients will usually schedule appointments within days of each other so that a cleaning and bracketry installation can be completed by the separate experts.

 

Caring for Your Teeth With Braces

Continue to brush and floss your teeth with the bracketry installed in your mouth. The professionals can show you how to floss with the wires in place. As a flossing alternative, use a water flosser to keep those teeth clean. Your original fillings don’t affect the treatment, but you don’t want to create new problems by forgoing the daily care. When the professionals remove the wires during a visit, ask about brushing your teeth before they add the new materials. You’ll have a chance to brush the areas that are normally hidden by the wire.

 

Cavity Concerns During Treatment

While you’re under treatment with an orthodontic professional, the visits to the office are constant. Each appointment includes rinsing and cleaning the teeth to a certain degree. Developing cavities is nearly impossible because of the frequent evaluations. If a cavity does arise, however, it won’t be ignored.

Professionals will schedule a filling while you have the brackets and wires on. It may be necessary to remove one or more brackets in order to reach the cavity. The filling process takes only a few minutes, which doesn’t impact your orthodontic treatment at all. The brackets and wiring are reattached to your teeth so that you can continue with a successful, straightening process.

 

Considering Braces at an Earlier Age

Fillings aren’t an issue when you receive orthodontic treatment early on in life. The ideal time to straighten the teeth is immediately after the baby teeth have fallen out. In most cases, the emerging teeth don’t have any cavities in the first place. Children and teenagers also have soft jaws, which contributes to a faster treatment time than for adults.

Adults are welcome to improve their smiles as long as they go through the motions of filling every cavity beforehand. Once the brackets and wires are taken off, you want your smile to remain untouched for as long as possible.

 

Schedule an Examination Today

In Marin County, Calif., you can visit Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics to have an examination and treatment from these professionals:

Dr. Jasmine Gorton
Dr. Bill Schmohl

An orthodontist will discuss orthodontic options with you to repair problems such as crowded teeth, crossbites or overbites. Depending on your malocclusions, you can wear one of these devices:

• Retainers
Invisalign
• WildSmiles
• Braces with colors
• Traditional or Damon Clear

We also offer WowSmiles and Acceledent options to our orthodontic patients. Schedule an appointment by calling 415-459-8006 today.

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Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics
900 Larkspur Landing Circle
Suite 200
Larkspur CA 94939
Tel: (415)-459-8006

 

I Have Fillings (Can I Still Get Braces?)