I had a special situation where one of my left front teeth was caught in the bone and couldn’t come down. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I started orthodontic treatment at a university hospital.
Because all my other teeth had already settled into place while one front tooth was missing, at first, I started orthodontic treatment to create space for the front tooth to come out.
Only after enough space had been created did I undergo surgery. Fortunately, the tooth inside was a normal tooth, so they helped the tooth come down properly into the space prepared in advance, and I continued orthodontic treatment so the tooth that came down could be positioned neatly.
At one point, they gave me something like a cap that attached to the orthodontic appliance. When I wore it, it seemed like a device that pulled the orthodontic appliance backward so the teeth would not protrude. They told me to wear it diligently, but I think I didn’t wear it much because it was bothersome.
After orthodontic treatment ended, I did wear my retainer for over 3 years, but I’m not sure if I didn’t take care of it well; it broke, and after that I didn’t wear it. Currently, my teeth are maintained in a well-aligned state after orthodontic treatment, and if there is anything that has changed, one lower tooth looks very slightly crooked, but unless you look closely, it’s not noticeable, and there are no functional issues, so I’m living fine.
Unlike other people, my process had many steps, so I think it took more than 2 years. And because it was a university hospital, it took a lot of time and money, but I truly think I did the right thing.