Re: Why do you have to have braces?

[Guest guest]

Very well put Kate. Loved the scientific but easy to understand

explanation:-)

Sara

> Hi!

>

> First of all - I'm 30 and never had braces, so they weren't any

sort of an option for me.

>

> Second of all - and the biggest reason why they are important -

they act as a support frame for your teeth and mandible / maxilla

when it is sectioned out. They are somewhat of an external fixator,

and you don't want any chance of movement while your bones are

knitting back together!

>

> Pull all your teeth out? Are you crazy? I argued with my

orthodontist over the surgery vs. extractions... I have a clotting

disorder which worries him to the point he's convinced I will bleed

out on the table, and he tried to get me to concede to having ONE

tooth pulled which could cosmetically correct my misalignment, rather

than functional correction with surgery. I have absolutely NO

intentions of losing even one tooth - you don't get another one!

>

> Roots that are too big? Is this your personal conclusion, or a

radiographic interpretation? I've never heard of such a creature,

but my ortho experience is more of the four-footed variety.

>

> Here's how the upper can help you - when your maxilla is adjusted,

it will affect where your mandible will rest. Think of it as a

swinging gate... the way your mandible is hinged, it can continue to

swing upwards, if your maxilla wasn't there. My maxilla is going to

be impacted, which will give my mandible several more mm of " swing "

space, which will in effect give me a chin and stretch out some of

the redundant skin under my neck. It's really an engineering concept

which I find fascinating!

>

> Kate

>

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> Katrina M. Hissam

> OSU College of Veterinary Medicine

> Class of 2007

>

> ~my karma ran over my dogma

> __________________________________________________

>