Month 12: Extraction and Remodeling

Summary

From months 6-12, my doctors continued shifting my teeth every 2-3 weeks and eventually (and fortunately) closed the large gaps between my canines. During this time, I had to part ways with my baby tooth and my other teeth were remodeled to be more aesthetically pleasing (good-bye crooked lines, hello straightness).

Extraction

Despite missing 6 adult teeth, I was still required to extract my enduring baby (i.e., deciduous, in medical terms) tooth to further progress. Miraculously, my baby molar never fell out even nearly after thirty years, which I credit to good daily cleaning habits. However, the complication was that I had lost notable bone density in the surrounding area so, out of precaution, I sought out a periodontist instead of a general dentist to extract and eventually drill in an implant. The extraction itself was relatively painless thanks to both anesthesia and my tooth’s shallow root, which was starting to loosen from my bite shifting so it naturally did not require as much force to pull compared to that required of an adult tooth. The long and short of it was that the extraction was needed because the size of the baby tooth was bigger than its adult counterpart, thereby contributing to overcrowding.

Baby tooth hanging on by a thread via shallow roots

Remodeling

During this time period, my doctors started remodeling my teeth through a combination of adding composite resin and IPR (Interproximal Reduction) to reduce my black triangles (also referred to as open gingival embrasures, which are the spaces between the gum and teeth line and often resemble triangle gaps). These were reductions of millimeters in size and made my teeth more “snug” together.