If you follow all the instructions your dentist gives you... how long will it take?

[Vix]

I know this is really a broad question to answer, but I think a lot of my fears stem from the unknown and how long it will take for me to go from the teeth I have now, to the really dreadful ugly middle part of repairing my teeth (this is where I imagine my teeth having huge gaps and/or missing teeth), to having the smile I always wanted.

Roughly speaking, if you have moderate-severe gum disease, how long can recovery take? Can you get braces? If you can get braces, generally how long after treating your gum disease will you be able to get them?

Also can your dentist leave you missing a front tooth for an indefinite amount of time until the area is healed?

 

[Gordon]

Roughly speaking, if you have moderate-severe gum disease, how long can recovery take? Can you get braces? If you can get braces, generally how long after treating your gum disease will you be able to get them?

There's no recovery as such. With treatment gum disease can be stopped, but you can't go back to where you were before.
Yes, you can get braces if you want/need them. Needs to be done very carefully though for somebody with severe gum disease. You could get them fairly quickly after the treatment but most dentists will want to hold off to see that the patient is maintaining things properly before starting.

Also can your dentist leave you missing a front tooth for an indefinite amount of time until the area is healed?

I wouldn't leave anyone missing a front tooth for any time at all...

 

[Vix]

There's no recovery as such. With treatment gum disease can be stopped, but you can't go back to where you were before.
Yes, you can get braces if you want/need them. Needs to be done very carefully though for somebody with severe gum disease. You could get them fairly quickly after the treatment but most dentists will want to hold off to see that the patient is maintaining things properly before starting.


I wouldn't leave anyone missing a front tooth for any time at all...

Thank you for your reply. Would the likes of Invisalign be an option (with all procedure being done as requested by the dentist) or just strictly traditional braces?

 

[Gordon]

It basically depends on whether the malocclusion is suitable for Invisalign or not, not all cases are suitable.