[linnealand]

My top left eye tooth is out of place - it's straight, but it grew in a bit behind my other teeth. It has created other problems, pushing the tooth to its right into a slight diagonal and wearing the point off the tooth it hits when I bite down. People always tell me that it's not noticeable, but it drives me crazy! I wore a retainer for it when I was 13, but it impaired my speech and smelled disgusting despite daily cleanings in efferdent, and I went through three of them (breaking 2 and losing 1) before my mother told me that she was not going to pay for any more orthodontic work. Now I'm 28. I really want a perfect smile, especially because I also model, and I want my teeth to be perfect one day for my wedding pictures. About 6 years ago I made an appointment with my dentist to get the tooth worn down and covered with a crown, but when I went to get it done the man who was supposed to do it (not my dentist) told me that it was absolutely crazy to do that to a perfectly healthy tooth. Per his recommendation, I got up out of the chair and left. Here I am, years later, and I still have this problem.

What would be the best option in this situation? Another dentist recommended braces, and I saw the orthodontist in his office, but I'm not so sure that I want to be one of those adults with braces for a year. Please help!

[flossie]

To get the smile that you want, orthodontics is the best choice. There are braces now that are less noticeable, you may be able to request them. When the ortho treatment is complete ask the orthodonist to cement a permanent retainer behind your front teeth to stop the teeth from shifting again.