Dental Trends of the Future: Leaving the Past Behind

If you should have dental restorations (such as dental crowns or veneers) and then need braces at a later stage, you might be concerned that your orthodontic treatment won't be as effective as it needs to be due to the fact that several of your teeth were restored with the addition of various ceramic dental prostheses. Orthodontics and dental restorations—can they work in harmony with each other?

Root Structure

It's quite straightforward. Certain types of dental restorations (namely crowns and veneers) are attached to the portion of your tooth that's visible above the gum line. The tooth's root structure and the periodontal ligaments that help to anchor it are unaffected by the restoration. 

The Application of Pressure

These periodontal ligaments offer the teeth a degree of flexibility. This isn't to say that your teeth regularly move (or at least, they certainly shouldn't), but they can be coerced into repositioning themselves due to the pressure exerted by your braces. The brackets of your dental braces apply pressure to the teeth, encouraging them into the optimal configuration. 

New Bone Development

Beneath the gum line, the bone that holds the teeth is remodeled, with nonessential bone being lost, while new bone concurrently develops to support the teeth in their new position. As long as the tooth's root structure is intact, this bone remodeling process is possible, and it doesn't matter if the teeth have had restorations applied to them.

The Surfaces of Your Teeth

However, because braces involve pressure being applied to the surfaces of your teeth, you might be wondering that because certain teeth now have surfaces made of ceramic, will the braces still be able to apply the necessary amount of pressure to enable bone remodeling?

Scratched and Scuffed

Your dental restorations are not an impediment to the success of your orthodontic treatment. That being said, once the realignment of your teeth has been completed, your restorations may not be as pristine as they were at the beginning of the process. It's possible for the brackets applied to your restorations to scratch or scuff the underlying ceramic. The restorations may still be perfectly functional, but it's now a matter of aesthetics. While an orthodontist will do everything they can to avoid damage to your dental restorations, you must acknowledge the possibility that replacement might be required once your orthodontic treatment has concluded.

Dental restorations that don't affect the tooth's roots won't impede braces, but new restorations might be necessary after your orthodontic work has been successful.

Contact a local orthodontist to learn more about braces.