Case Study: Cory

This young man’s parents reached out to my office insisting that they did not want any teeth pulled. I did not like the lack of lip support that this young man displayed with the canines being completely blocked-out of the dental arches which is just how he would look if we removed four bicuspid teeth. Hoping to enhance his lip support and create more space for his tongue, we used the Damon bracket system which is known for treating challenging crowded cases, and we told the patient that we would start treatment with the intent not to remove teeth, but if the gums begin to recede, we may have no other choice but to remove teeth. His parents were happy to hear this, and we began treatment right away.

In just over a year and a half we were able to achieve space to correct the crowding by gently expanding the dental arches without using any bulky appliances. The gingival tissues were very healthy and there was only mild recession on the lower left canine which has remained stable since removal of braces in 2014.

The patient was especially happy about the width of his smile and not having any teeth pulled. I am always amazed how much these young men mature in such a short period of time. I was happy that we did not remove healthy teeth as the removal of teeth has recently been implicated in contributing to sleep apnea.