Braces and Dental Implants

Are you missing one or more teeth? If your dentist has discussed with you the treatment of dental implants to fill in the gap from a missing tooth, it’s wise to ask yourself and your dentist if orthodontic treatment would be aesthetically and functionally beneficial

 Do I really need braces before getting an implant?

Dental implants are a bio-compatible titanium screw placed in the bone of the upper or lower jaw, which connects to a crown that replaces a missing tooth. If you have an improper relationship of your upper teeth to your lower teeth, it will most likely be unable to be corrected after placing a dental implant. Ask your dentist if you have any bite problems that may or have already caused dental damage. Do you have crowded teeth, gaps, a large overbite, or teeth that stick out? If you think you may want that improved later, now may actually be your best opportunity! Braces can also be used to create enough space for proper implant placement or, if there’s already space available for a replacement tooth, braces can hold the area open so the adjacent teeth don’t move into the required space.

Why can’t implants be moved with braces?

Implants are not surrounded by the cells needed to remodel bone, which are only present on the outer surface of natural teeth. The only instances in which implants appear to move are when 1) the crown is loose or 2) the implant is loose and failing.

Braces after implants

If you already have an implant (or several), orthodontic treatment may still be a possibility for you. With some limitations, front teeth can still be straightened. Under some (rare) circumstances, implants may even be used to pull back front teeth in order to correct dental crowding or close spaces while achieving an improved bite. In those cases, a special appliance may be made in order to use your implant as an anchor to push or pull the front teeth.

A conversation with our experts Abdoney Orthodontics can get your dental treatment moving in the right direction. We have three convenient locations in South Tampa, Riverview, and Valrico, where our doctors can assess your unique situation and advise on when braces, implants or both would be most appropriate.