Hey friends! Latest AGGA/CAB video update is up on YouTube, and as promised, below is a snapshot from my CBCT scan.
First, to summarize the video: this was supposed to be the appointment where my dentist showed me my CBCT results, told me that I had plenty of space and bone for implants (as expected), and referred me to the implant dentist for an initial consultation and to get on the books.
INSTEAD, he told me that despite having 7mm gaps in my mouth, I do not have 7mm gaps between the roots below the surface, which means not enough room for implants.
This was a huge bomb drop, since we’d been aligned from the beginning that the plan was to do implants, and he never once had any doubts that that would be possible for me. Up until he looked at the CBCT.
I was pretty taken aback, and he said that if I “held his feet to the fire,” he’d definitely try some things to make enough space – uprighting the teeth on each side, maybe doing a couple more bump-outs in the front, etc. But in his professional opinion, he thinks we should skip the implants and just bring my molars forward to close the gaps.
I pressed him on this pretty good, voicing concerns about relapse being more likely without implants, difficulty moving molars without losing growth, etc, but he’s extremely confident that he can give me great results this way. He said that if there was any part of him that thought we were sacrificing results by not doing implants, he would figure out how to make the implants work.
He also said that he’s thrilled with how my jaw looked on the CBCT, so he just wants to keep everything in place where it’s at, and again, is extremely confident he can do that by simply bringing my molars forward.
So, I’m trusting him. No implants. Bringing molars forward. I’ll most certainly not be out of braces by the end of this year, but it’s possible I could still be out of them by my 28th birthday in early March…wish me luck.
(And…skipping the implants does save me about $10k. So that softens the blow a bit.)
Hi Alyssa,
thank you very much for your work with your blog and videos! Very detailed and informative. And since there is not a lot of hard facts and information out there, rather some people seem to shout very loud from one direction, your input is highly appreciated.
I am a functional prosthetic and biological dentist (no orthodontist!) myself and I am looking for a functional orthodontic solution for my brother, myself and my patients. So I am just learning about the AGGA/CAB and having a proposition to receive treatment myself. By the infos, that I found on the internet I am very unsure at this point. So I could learn a lot from your experience!
So, I`ve been super interested, when I saw your post on with the after CBCT. My question is: Do you have any evaluation of your front teeth and maxillary arch? Especially concerning the bone in the front? Can you post some picture of the sagital slices on the front teeth (#12 and 13 e.g.)?
By the way, as a hollistic, biological and functional dentist (2nd generation) I can agree on your decision to close the gaps with the molars. Maybe implants would be actually possible, but bearing some risk and a not so optimal situation probably.
I would be super interested what your x-ray says about the front teeth, since it is such a major concern with the whole AGGA/CAB procedure.
Thank you, whishing you all the best!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Thanks so much for your comment, and apologies for my delayed response!
I don’t currently have an evaluation of my front teeth and maxillary arch from my most recent CBCT. I’ll have to ask my dentist to go over that with me. (I’m certainly curious as well, but we always have such limited time at my appointments and there’s always much to discuss!)
I’m assuming if I ask for what you say, “sagital slices on the front teeth,” he will know what that means? I’m getting a copy of the CBCT, but I’m guessing there won’t be any way for me to open/read it on my personal computer, so I imagine I’ll have to ask him for any images I want.
I certainly appreciate your take on the molars vs. implants situation! At the moment I’m a bit stressed out at some noticeable retraction of my front teeth that I’m already noticing as we move the molars, but I’m going to discuss with my dentist (and maybe get a second opinion from an orthodontist as well) and come up with the best plan of action.
I will do my best to get an assessment of my front teeth along with images from the CBCT scan to post, and please feel free to respond with any more questions/comments!
Alyssa