Getting Invisalign and looking for advice

[Electric Boobs]

Hi all,

So I need this for my top front incisors which are tilted inwards. The front left of my right incisor takes all the force when I bite. I chipped a few pieces off my right incisor (left in photo) and you can see the crack. The dentist said he needed to sand off some of the tooth on the other side in order to make create space to do the aligning, so you might notice the difference between the two photos. But what other changes could I make to my teeth while I'm at it? I wasn't actually recommended it for my bottom teeth, but I decided to go ahead with bottom aligning too, as I've a few crooked teeth there... particularly the bottom lateral incisor on the right (left in photo). After asking I was surprised to hear my dentist say that he'd be able to move teeth up and down as well. After sending off the impressions he said he'd she'd come up with a plan and that I could tweak that plan if I wanted to. He says he just needs to rotate the incisors, and that he might need to bring the teeth a bit outwards, so he mightn't need to do any IPR.

My initial thoughts were that I'd like to bring my upper teeth down a bit as they can't really be seen when I talk. It's mainly the lower teeth the show when I talk. I had to sneer (rather than smile) for the below photo. I think this is due to two reasons; firstly that I've a lip that comes further down than most, and secondly that I've grinded some of them away due to bruxism. Having a closer look at my upper teeth I realised that my lateral incisors could be brought down a bit when compared to the others. But I'm wondering could this have some sort other visual consequence that I mightn't anticipate. It would of course bring down the gum line in that area... which should be fine as I'd never really smile enough to have my gums showing.

The other thing is that (as I have bruxism) 20 months ago this dentist added some composite material onto my upper canines, in order to stop side-to-side grinding. I don't know if you can tell that by looking at them, but you'll notice they are a bit longer than the lateral incisors. The point being is that it gave me a thought... I'm wondering if I could ask him - to instead - do the same to my upper lateral incisors as what he did to my canines in order to give them more length. I figure if I could get my upper teeth a bit longer I might be able to get a smile like Bryan Cranston, where you don't see too much of his upper set, but you still see a bit.

My dentist said he could do it all in about 4 months, with me visiting him once a month. So with each tray being in use for 10 days, I'd basically be seeing him every once for every 3 trays. I'm wondering does that sound quite fast, considering that I'm 34 years old? I also what this to be done in a way that will ensure my teeth are quite stable into old age.

And in case it's relevant, here's a photo of my night guards both old and new. It's the old one that I wear as I'm afraid to wear the new one after cracking that incisor off it two months ago while sleeping.

Also, feel free to share any thought about how much of my teeth you think I've grinded off over the years.

Thank you

 

[MattKW]

Impossible to say. Why not go to an orthodontist and get a more detailed analysis and possibly other options? It's worth the money for at least a consultation.
BTW, canines are usually longer than lateral incisors, but sometimes wear down over time.

 

[Electric Boobs]

Impossible to say. Why not go to an orthodontist and get a more detailed analysis and possibly other options? It's worth the money for at least a consultation.
BTW, canines are usually longer than lateral incisors, but sometimes wear down over time.

Ah please... say something about my teeth!

 

[MattKW]

Ah please... say something about my teeth!

I couldn't give an ortho opinion based just on photos.

 

[Electric Boobs]

I couldn't give an ortho opinion based just on photos.

Oh right, that's fine. If you'd like to shed any light on the following, please do.

So in my 3rd invisalign appointment yesterday my dentist showed me his 150 day plan for the treatment. I asked him if it would be possible to do it more slowly as I'd heard (rightly or wrongly) that orthodontic treatment reduces the lifespan of teeth. He explained that there's a certain amount of bone loss during any orthodontic treatment, and that it's inconsequential. I didn't think to ask at the time, but if I lose bone in one place, then does that mean that I'll be gaining it in another? He said that if I was more comfortable that he could have it done over 200 days instead... he just clicked a button and the software displays the trays accordingly.

I was under the impression that the amount of bone loss was related to the amount of time the course takes, but he then explained that the amount of bone loss is related to the amount of movement, and not the amount of time. It all sounded fine but then when I later read the agreement form and in the "risks and inconveniences" section it read "the length of the roots of the teeth may be shortened during orthodontic treatment and may become a threat to the useful life of teeth". What do you think?

Thanks