Quote:
Originally posted by Tomservo
Okay, I'm a liberal... anything you can do about that?
Seriously, I brush twice a day, floss once a day, and use Listerine maybe 3-4 times a day (To avoid cancer sores- a result of all the snickers bars mentioned in another post). So, I try to keep care of my teeth to a fair degree.
However! My bite is *straight*. No overbite, no underbite. My top teeth slam right down on my bottom, and while it's all even and pretty, I'm pretty sure I'll grind my lower teeth to nothing over the years unless I give myself a mild bite differential. One dentist suggested I get braces to correct this- and I'm strongly considering this. I'm 31- so it's not the most common thing in the world. I also still have my lower wisdom teeth, I wonder if removing them would help the braces?
Any advice is welcome, unless it involves voting Republican. Heh.
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Don't worry Tom, being a doctor I'm good with diseases, even the socialist disease.
As for braces it depends on how bad your bite is off. Braces can cure grinding but not always and if you are a strong grinder you may stop while in treatment, only to start again later. I've seen it work and fail for grinding and there is no way to predict it. Since your dentist didn't recommend a nightguard I will assume your bite is a bit worse then you think it is, and they may help. As for your age, 31 is nothing. My oldest patient is in her 60's (teeth can still shift as you get older), and I have MANY patients over 30.
As for the wisdom teeth, odds are they won't help with braces. I have never found it useful to have them removed. If the teeth are fully in the mouth there is normally no reason to take them out. There are SOME procedures in orthodontics where removing them might make things easier, but not many.