Any adults with dental braces?
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free skin care · Sat Mar 25, 2006 9:30 am

I'm getting my braces on this Wednesday. I don't NEED them. My 2 middle front teeth touch ever slow slightly my bottom middle teeth and they wear each other (tiny chips at the edges). I could've fixed it with veneers, "instant orthodontics" they say, but I'd be terrified to lose so much of my natural healthy teeth.

That's on the outside. Inside, it would correct one of my molars. I still have all wisdom teeth and there's space between one wisdom tooth and tooth #7, and so I can't chew effectively with it. And big spaces between teeth usually lead to gum problems. If I leave it alone, it'll come back to haunt me later, for sure.

So for the sake of preservation of my teeth, I went the long and expensive route - braces!! I'm getting ceramic brackets, not metal, hopefully that will help me feel better.

What bothers me the most, nobody is being supportive. I have otherwise naturally very white straight teeth and people look at me like I'm crazy, why would I want to wear braces? This really puts some serious dents into my plan. I don't want to have to explain to everyone why I'm doing this either, I start sounding apologetic.

Has anyone had braces as an adult? Have you found that you were taken less seriously at work because of this? I'm 26 and afraid I might look even younger which would definitely affect my "earning power".

Sorry for the rant I'm just looking for some encouragement Very Happy

I'm so close to doing this but I have more and more doubts.

free skin care · Sat Mar 25, 2006 9:58 am

Oh, I am so sorry to hear what you are going thru. It seems braces are a right of passage for teens- not adults. I really don't know why that is either.

I had a spring retainer. It looks just like a regular retainer, but it does move the teeth. It is much slower (and easier to remove....which is bad Very Happy

)but it could be an option for you to explore.

There are also those clear trays (I think they work like a spring retainer, but I'm not sure) and years ago I know local dentists offered braces on the inside of teeth for adults. I have no idea if it is still an option (I remember my ortho doing it when I had my work done).

What ever you decide, I think you should proceed even if those around you don't support you. These are your teeth and you have every right to make them better and healthier.

Besides, there is no reason you can't make up silly stories to people who annoy you...

"Your teeth look fine. Don't waste your money. Why do you NEED braces?"
"Oh <chuckle> you should have seen them after that 'fill in blank' <bar fight, car jacking, suit sale at Nordstorms, etc>. My front four teeth were knocked out and I NEED the braces to hold my teeth in place until the dentin soldifies around them. Oh, and here's your sign." Very Happy

free skin care · Sat Mar 25, 2006 10:32 am

I had braces in my mid 20s. Metal ones..didn't matter to me, I wanted straight teeth. Now they have the invisalign that work well...have you looked into those.
IMO, whatever someone needs to do to make them feel better is fine by me. Don't worry what other people think!!!

free skin care · Sat Mar 25, 2006 10:39 am

I'm in my mid-20s as well (26).
Invisalign doesn't work well for closing gaps especially on molars, so that's not an option for me.

Thanks for support Smile

free skin care · Sat Mar 25, 2006 4:23 pm

I don't know if it counts as an "adult" but I got braces at 19 and got them off right before my 21st birthday. It was one of the best things I ever did for myself (I paid for them myself-quite an accomplishment at that age I think- lol). People with properly aligned teeth have healthier teeth and keep them longer into old age. (My ortho even said that the act of having braces forces the roots to make stronger ties or whatever and you keep your teeth longer). I felt a little wierd sometimes, but mostly I would forget I had them on. It's only a short time, and you'll probably be glad you did it once it's over! Right now I'm only 23, so the memory is still fresh and it's really not that bad. I know this isn't an issue for you, but having crooked teeth was more embarrasing than the braces. At least with braces people knew I was doing something about them. Smile

free skin care · Sat Mar 25, 2006 6:23 pm

I think it is good idea to straighten your teeth. You will appreciate it later in life.

free skin care · Sat Mar 25, 2006 6:28 pm

pumaka wrote:

What bothers me the most, nobody is being supportive. I have otherwise naturally very white straight teeth and people look at me like I'm crazy, why would I want to wear braces? This really puts some serious dents into my plan. I don't want to have to explain to everyone why I'm doing this either, I start sounding apologetic.

.

I think you can find the best support on this forum Very Happy

. Don't pay attention even if someone will look at you like if you are crazy.
The most important thing is you will resulve your problem and your teeth will be healthy for long time.
HTH
Lara

free skin care · Sat Mar 25, 2006 6:49 pm

My daughter and I both got braces together. She was 14 and I was 45.

Honestly, I received tons of positive feedback from total strangers supporting my decision to get them at such a late stage. Even though my teeth didn't appear to be very crooked, they were wearing down because of the off-centered bite.

My neighbor had said he wished he had the guts to get them - and he finally did last year at age 50.

Whatever makes you feel better about yourself, I say go for it.

free skin care · Sat Mar 25, 2006 7:02 pm

Pumaka: Go ahead and do it NOW!!! I'm thinking of getting one myself very soon and I'll be 47 soon. I wish I had it done when I was younger!!!

free skin care · Sat Mar 25, 2006 8:08 pm

That's kind of my thinking: I'll have to do it sooner or later anyway, and sooner is better any way you look at it. Time is going to go by whether I get braces or not and it goes faster with each passing year.

I don't have dental insurance so this $5800 is coming straight out of my pocket, possibly after-tax money, too, because we don't have Health Savings plans in Canada like they allow in the States. This is a pretty big decision for me, both financially and emotionally. So... thank you everyone, really, for reminding me I have to do it for me. And I know (I think Smile

) that I'm making the right decision but it's good to hear that I'm not alone in this and that it's not that weird Smile

free skin care · Sat Mar 25, 2006 9:03 pm

Absolutely do it! It took me several months to talk myself into it, but I finally went through with it and got my braces six months ago at the age of 52. Like you, my problems weren't obvious, but they were structurally significant enough that I could potentially have even larger problems down the road. And I initially worried about what I would look like or what other people would think about a middle-aged lady with braces. But it was what I thought was best for me, so the heck with what anyone else thought.

As it turns out, nobody thinks it's strange - in fact, they usually think it's pretty cool. And lots of people have said that they're considering braces themselves. I've noticed more and more adults with braces, and my ortho said that his practice is 50% adult these days.

Despite my initial hesitation, I haven't regretted it for a minute (and I've got the really visible metal kind because they're supposed to give me the best results in the shortest amount of time). Bottom line - go for it. You won't regret it later in life.

free skin care · Mon Mar 27, 2006 11:12 am

pumaka wrote:

Has anyone had braces as an adult? Have you found that you were taken less seriously at work because of this? I'm 26 and afraid I might look even younger which would definitely affect my "earning power".

Getting braces into adulthood is becoming so much more common that I really don't think it will be an issue for you. Moreover, showing responsibility for the long-term care of your teeth shows maturity, not youth.

Knock 'em dead and make sure you smile even bigger than before! You'll do GREAT! Very Happy

free skin care · Mon Mar 27, 2006 1:08 pm

Do NOT explain yourself to people - nobody is owed any explanation about your dental decisions!!!!!!

Good for you for taking the plunge! I would like to get them, myself, but I really hate getting dental work done! Let us know how it goes, maybe you will inspire me. Very Happy

Mon Mar 27, 2006 1:12 pm

I'm just going through this myself...I'll be 30 shortly and wanted to get braces for a long time but simply couldn't afford it. According to my orthodontist my jaw was not big enough for the regular amount of teeth so I had to have 8(!!!)teeth removed before the whole procedure could be started (4 of them right before Christmas). I'm getting metal brackets as they are supposed to be more effective (but are obviously less esthetic...). I'm getting them fixed in parts so I have some time to get used to it all; the whole procedure will take approx. 2 years. I'm not regretting it so far and am really looking forward to the final result!

free skin care · Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:32 pm

WOAH 8 TEETH!!!! God bless you, woman....ack!

free skin care · Mon Apr 03, 2006 10:18 am

Hiya, I'm 27 and still have braces Smile

You will not regret it, fixing one's teeth really can change your appearance Smile

Just be prepared for a lot of blisters in your mouth for the first month, but it's alllll worth it Smile

go for it gurl !

free skin care · Mon Apr 03, 2006 10:21 am

Hi Jozie,
it's been 5 days since I got braced, and I have no blisters or sores. What I do have is changes! I can already see (and feel of course) the movement. It's very encouraging. So far it seems I don't have any of the typical discomforts, just an occasional lisp Smile

Tue Apr 04, 2006 2:26 am

pumaka wrote:

Hi Jozie,
it's been 5 days since I got braced, and I have no blisters or sores. What I do have is changes! I can already see (and feel of course) the movement. It's very encouraging. So far it seems I don't have any of the typical discomforts, just an occasional lisp Smile

Sounds great! You've inspired me to also investigate getting braces. My teeth are not bad but they could be better and I have been told that the results of braces would actually be beneficial for me in later years.

free skin care · Tue Apr 04, 2006 5:28 am

Here's a pic of my mouth just after I had the braces fitted:

Dont mind cement in the center and the saliva, I was still just getting used to them Smile

Drooled like a dog for the first 2 days.

But otherwise I think it's not too bad, they're not that noticeable and my teeth have already moved to accomodate for the brackets, so I can actually close the front teeth now. I feel very good about this decision so far. Sooner is better than later in this case.

Mabsy, that was my reasoning for doing it now, too. Because it *will* get worse with time and I'd have to do it anyway.

And the younger you are, the more they can do and the faster your teeth move.

Hope you find it in yourself to take the plunge! Smile

You know "you're worth it", haha!

Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:08 am

That looks pretty good! And, to be honest, I thought my teeth were ok but yours are way better than mine. Looks like I really *do* need braces Smile

So, you've already noticed that your teeth have moved?

I'm looking at three options: the braces that go at the back of your teeth, the ceramic braces (like yours) and invisalign. My guess is once I find out the price of invisalign I will be down to two options... Confused

free skin care · Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:28 am

Mabsy,
Invisalign is not that much more expensive, but it has only 50% success rate with a lot of people having to wear traditional braces afterwards - for 6-8 months to finish up everything. Invisalign works by correcting each arch independently, and in a lot of people it has made their bite worse even in those that started off with a good bite.

I'm not trying to put it down, it's just very few people are good "Invisalign cases". I'm very happy my ortho just said outright that I shouldnt' waste my time with that (I need to move some molars and that would be hard for Invisalign to do). I later read a bunch of feedback on it (in online forums) both good and bad, and frankly I wouldn't go with Invisalign if it was free.

I'm not saying it wouldn't work for you, I don't know.

Now, LINGUAL braces - those will be much more expensive than both Invisalign or ceramics. There are also some disadvantages to it that I wouldn't be prepared to deal with. My treatment coordinator at the ortho's office has ceramics on lowers and lingual at the top, and her speech is still off after like 14 months in those things. She said that if you're prepared to deal with speech problems and tongue getting shredded for a few MONTHS, then that's the way to go. THey're much more expensive, too, like I mentioned. Linguals take about 6 times longer to adjust (50minutes as opposed to 5-10 for regular braces) and I guess you really need to find an expert who would be able to work with them and achieve a good result.

Whew... sorry for ranting. Check outwww.archwired.com for some excellent info and they have a very informative forum, too.

Re: Movement
I'm at Phase 1, phase where the arches are supposed to be aligned into a nice smooth line with no curves. I only have curves at the bottom at the molars but they're already straightening, I can see and feel it. Nothing has changed in the front and it won't change much at all Sad

Not much payoff in doing it for health, not cosmetic reasons Smile

A friend of mine got his braces when he was 27. He got the metal kind and wore them for 3.5 years (a really serious case). Even though his braces didn't bother him at all he said that taking the braces off was better than sex Smile

free skin care · Tue Apr 04, 2006 12:26 pm

WOw - your teeth DO look great! I guess I might need braces too!! How long do you have to wear them for?

free skin care · Tue Apr 04, 2006 3:28 pm

Thanks, Chimera. Estimated treatment time for me is 18 months, but that's just an estimate. Depending on how quickly my teeth move it may take more or less time.

Wed Apr 05, 2006 12:05 am

Thanks so much for the advice and the link pumaka! The lingual braces aren't sounding that good anymore.... I have also read about problems with invisalign but I'm going to discuss this with the dentist and see if it might be suitable for me. I've had a couple of molars taken out years ago and therefore I gather that it's only the front that has to align nicely.

free skin care · Sun Apr 09, 2006 5:03 pm

Hiya pumaka,

Yup! It's it great?! Just always regularly visit your Ortho, so that the adjustments can be made, then the faster you can be done with them! And I didn't mind the pain so much because I knew that the "metals" were actually working and lining up my teeth. Can I just share, they extractd 8 teeth before I got braced! Smile

I had 4 wisdoms impacted and the other four from the front side of the mouth removed (dunno what you call them). Anyways, I have no gaps now, but I still wear them coz the ortho is fixing "my bite" (something about alining the Heights) I want them removed already coz everyone says they are already straight... Very Happy

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