I'm getting braces!!!

L

lesliew

Cathlete
I've always been self-conscious about my crooked teeth, I have some crowding and one front tooth sticks out more than the other, so I decided to get braces at the ripe old age of 40! I'm just sorry I didn't do this sooner! I had the spacers put on today and the braces will go on next week. Right now, it feels like I've just eaten 4 ears of corn on the cob! Fortunately, my mouth isn't sore.

They're not going to be cheap, but I didn't need any extractions--which would have run the cost up--and I only have to wear them for 18 months. My back teeth are in perfect alignment, so it's just the front teeth that need correcting.

One more thing! I'm going to have to avoid all the foods that I love, anything hard and crunchy. No more bagels, pretzels, potato chips, cheese doodles, croutons on my salads, etc...I'm a big carb head! Now maybe I can lose those last stubborn 5 pounds!:7

Anyone else get braces as an adult?
 
That's awesome!!! My dh is getting braces next year - he starts the process in January! He's 27 years old and none too pleased about the aspect of having those big things on his teeth. Also for about 18 months. He also has to have jaw surgery to align his teeth correctly. I hear you on the avoiding foods you love - that is stinky! I'm not sure I could go without bagels for that long...
good luck! let us know how it goes!
-Kelli
 
Out of curiousity, have you looked into getting the invisiline teeth straightening? i had braces twices when i was a teen, first cause i didn't have space for adult teeth so i had to get things pulled, and then two years after the first set i had them again to straighten my front teeth. Braces aren't hte most fun, expect the real pain to happen after you get the brackets and wire put on, that's when it hurts, so pop a couple painkillers before you go and get that done. as for skipping food, i know the docs say that to be on the safe side, but if you have the stronger x shaped bracket instead of the h shaped bracket, you can eat more foods. i was bad, i used to chew ice...anyway, good luck on the braces, you're pretty much guaranteed to love the results! but make sure you drink NO coffee or anything that stains, you could easily end up with white spots on your teeth when you get them taken off.
 
Yes! I am just in the very beginning stages of considering getting braces as an adult. It's funny that you started this thread because I was just at the dentist today inquiring about it. I'm looking into both the invisaline and the traditional type of braces. I guess the invisaline requires you be the "right candidate" for those type of braces, which I don't know yet if I am. At any rate, I like the idea of being able to take them off to brush your teeth etc. For everyone out there who has had braces of any type, can you share your wisdom...some of the braces do's and dont's?

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

:D Nicole
 
I don't have any experience with this but a close friend of mine got them at 45. Like you, she wore them for about 18 months and was very pleased with the results! It's never too late! :) :)

Jo
 
Hi there!

Yep, got my braces last May 2003 at 41yrs. old. I had 4 teeth pulled. I will get them removed in Nov. 2005 and I can't wait!! As far as the carb foods go...hmmm, I find that I miss my crunchy high fiber foods the most: apples, celery, carrots. It is the soft cabs that will try to find their way into your diet...ice cream, soft potatoes, cream based yummy things, noodles....you get the picture.

I have two teenagers and we are all in braces. I am the biggest whiner of all. I just think old bones have the hardest time shifting. My kids are never as sore as I am. Congrats! It is a big moove. dmd:D
 
Hi,
I am 46 and had braces for 2 years. I got them at 44. I am so pleased with the way my teeth came out. I wear my retainer every night. I had a space between my 2 front teeth which always bothered me. The reason I got braces was because my teeth got knocked loose and I needed braces to hold them in place and the bonus was closing the space.
I found using a water pik to be very helpful and a floss threader. Food really gets stuck. I have a wire behind my front teeth that I will always have that felt weird at first but you get used to it. What a wonderful feeling to get your braces off. Good Luck.

Susan:7
 
I had braces in high school for around 18-24 months. I didn't give up any foods, they say to but after a while you just do what you want to. Yes there was some mouth pain after the adjustments each month but it goes away. I had to have teeth pulled before I got the braces because my mouth was too small for all the teeth. I flossed everyday also, it is hard to get the floss under the wires but you get good at it after a while.

I also had the wire on the back of my teeth to keep them in place but after about 10 years the dentist wanted it off and talked with the orthodontist and he agreed that I could get it off. It was strange to walk back in that office years later and your the oldest one there with all these kids. I would still have that wire on my teeth if it wasn't for the dentist. He figured after 10 years the teeth wouldn't move and he was right. So glad to get it off.

Rhonda
 
Nope - but I had them as a teenager. They might not hurt yet...but just wait! Of course, I had the old fashioned "full metal jacket" kind and I don't know what kind you're getting. I remember eating soup for a week after each visit to get the wires tightened.

It's SOOOOO worth it, though. I had a set of teeth like an alligator (1" overbite and spaces between the top teeth). Now I'm beautiful like Farrah Fawcett (NOT!).

Seems a little extreme to have to give up all those things. I remember that I wasn't supposed to eat hard candy and gum. But I ate them anyway and only had a broken bracket once. I was only 13 - 15, so you couldn't expect me to follow the rules!
 
I had braces when I was only 11 and I had them removed when I was 13.My mouth would have been a mess if I didn't get them.Everything was going everywhere! Back then it only cost my parents $1600 which isn't bad.
I have noticed lately that my front tooth is starting to move.Which happens to our teeth as we get older.I need to get a new retainer.If my teeth happen to go even a little bit haywire again, I would diffently get braces.I wouldn't even look like myself if my teeth don't stay the way they are.
Get ready for some pain...but its worth it in the end.
Lori:)
 
Congrats! I am 44 and am going for my final consult today!!! My teeth are out of alighnment. Very little on the crooked part. My upper are off to the left and my lower are off to the right. Actually it's like they are too straight. They go in at the bottom which explains why my gums had surgery in September for receeding. That wasn't fun.

I investigated the invisalign but like someone said before they are for special cases. The braces that I am getting have a bracket that doesn't use rubber bands. I could have gotten braces at my dentist due to the fact my SIL works there but opted to keep family and business apart and went to someone who does them for adults. Have you heard of the web sit www.archwired.com?? It is for adults with braces. Cost is between $3000-$6000. I will know after this morning.

Good Luck and Can't wait to hear about your progress.

Dawn
 
I am 41 and I just got braces in Sept. I have not given up any foods, I just chew more carefully. I do still eat popcorn on occassion which I know is a big no-no. I have to have mine for about 9 months, and then I am going to have surgery on my upper jaw to align them. They are sore when you first get them on, then they are not so bad!!!!
Lori
 
I'm 33 and had braces last year (they were removed this April). My teeth were not terribly crooked in the first place, so I only needed to wear them for a year. The first 2 weeks were pretty bad (painful, food choices limited, LOTS of toothbrushing). After that, they were simply an annoyance. I had the metal ones on the bottom and ceramic ones on the top (a little less noticeable when you smile). I wish I would have gotten ceramic on both (since you can see my bottom teeth more than other people's when I talk/smile). Regardless, I felt really self-conscious and didn't smile very much.

Some things that helped:
1. A water pik
2. A sonicare toothbrush
3. A travel toothbrush and toothpaste.

Eventually, I ate almost everything. Popcorn, small ice cubes, etc. I also chewed gum after 5 months (Freedent) because I couldn't stand it any longer. I never broke a bracket.

The mere fact that I had to brush my teeth IMMEDIATELY after eating kept me from snacking. So I ended up losing some bodyfat, which is a plus. It was an annoyance to go out for dinner or on vacation, however because I HAD to brush my teeth so much.

I have much better oral hygiene now. Even though my braces are off, I brush after every meal/snack.

Couple of things to keep in mind:
1. Don't brush hard. No one ever told me that brushing too hard could be a problem. Since it was difficult to get to some areas of my teeth due to the brackets/wires, I ended up brushing too hard and have worn away some enamel on several teeth up near the gum-line and ALSO have some gum recession that will need to be fixed via gum-grafting. No one ever told me that gum tissue does not regenerate. When it's gone, it's gone. So be careful with your gums.

2. Braces may not fix all your problems. The size and shape of your teeth will not be fixed by braces. My main problem was that the shape of my 2 front teeth gave the impression that they were crooked (they were thicker on the outer edge than on the inner edge). Even after braces, they still looked crooked from the front due to the way light reflected off of them. This disappointed me greatly because I had spent a lot of money and time and irritation on braces to fix this problem (mainly) and it still wasn't fixed.

Eventually, I had to see a cosmetic dentist and ended up getting 6 porcelain veneers on my top front teeth. In hind-sight, I should have gone to the cosmetic dentist in the first place. Although my Orthodontist is great -- I really wish he would have educated me on the fact that braces aren't going to fix my main concern (ie, my front teeth looking crooked).

Now trying to get the 2 to communicate with each other has been a nightmare. Instead of talking to each other regarding my treatment, they expected me to pass messages to each of them or ask questions. Of course the questions are like "well, ask if #2 sublingual blah, blah, blah..." -- like I understand the dental lingo well enough to relay the question. Maybe it's some kind of territorial thing. I'm not sure.

Anyway, sorry to go off on a tangent. I'm very happy with my teeth now but still need to get the gum situation fixed (not looking forward to that) and have the most expensive mouth of anyone I know :)

Good Luck!!!! You will be happy you did it!

Shonie
 
another little helpful tidbit. flossing has been mentions a lot. definitely helps! i'm not sure they sell this in stores, but my orthodontist gave me packs of a special floss for people with braces. it's regular floss, but the one end has a hard lead that allows you to go up over the bracket and wire. definitely get this, it saves a lot of time.
 
Great to see so many responses! And thanks for all the tips! I'll have to look into a water pik and sonic care toothbrush because I'm sure it's going to be tough getting my teeth clean with just an ordinary toothbrush. I'm getting the traditional metal brackets and wires. My orthodontist told me the plastic braces can stain, his daughter's actually turned day-glow yellow after she drank some instant soup and he had to change them, which in the end would cost more money. Also, he doesn't recommend the invisable braces because they don't have a high success rate. BTW, he didn't tell me I won't be able to eat my favorite carbs for the next 18 months, just for the first couple of weeks because my mouth will be sore. But, I think things like bagels and potato chips will making cleaning difficult. So I might as well avoid them all together.

I found this interesting. I thought my wisdom teeth caused the crowding in my mouth. He said it's really a myth that wisdom teeth cause this problem. When you're an adult your teeth naturally shift forward, which can throw your alignment off. It's getting more and more common for adults, who had braces as a kid, to come in for another set when they're in their 30's and 40's. The shifting never stops. So I guess I'll be wearing a retainer for the rest of my life!
 
I haven't read all this thread, but can i ask you something. I have no idea who much this is costing you, but i'm assuming its a fair amount. But have you considered a cosmetic dentist? They aren't cheap, but they can sort out problems like yours without having to have braces. check out the following links...

www.dentics.co.uk
www.londonsmile.co.uk

Hope this helps.
 
I'm a dental hygienist and I got my braces in my mid 20's. I too had always been self-conscious about my teeth.

As far as eating foods I love, I still did. I just broke them into small pieces first instead of biting foods off. Biting down on an apple or something hard will definitely make the brackets more likely to pop off.

Invisalign braces are generally for those individuals whose teeth need minimal movement. For example, people who have had braces as a child are generally good candidates. It just depends on the individual.

As far as keeping them clean- it is SO IMPORTANT! Those who suggested the water pik, a travel brush and a floss threader (or I think what Maddie is referring to is Glide Threader Floss which also works well)to clean around brackets and in between your teeth are totally correct. That's what I recommend to my ortho patients. Also, you don't need an expensive water pik - some places have them as low as $35.00 compared to some places that have them for $100. Food and bacteria get caught between the teeth and if it is not removed the white spots will occur. When brushing work your brush up under the brackets and down through the brackets. And as someone mentioned, be very careful not to brush too hard.

The white spots that some people get on their teeth when the braces are removed are mostly decalcified areas from lack of good oral hygiene. Drinking coffee, tea, etc. with braces might stain around them a bit but not enough to make much of a noticable difference. Also, ask your orthodontist if it would be possible to get a retainer that would allow you to whiten your teeth when your done. That way you could whiten them when you wear your retainer.

Your dentist is correct about the wisdom teeth-they have little effect on crowding. Instead,our teeth do shift toward the middle as we get older. This is why it is so important to wear your retainer. So many people think that if they wear their retainer for a year or two after braces, that they will stay straight- 95% of the time-they don't stay straight.

Shonie, sorry to hear that you're dentists are using you as the messenger- that is not your responsibility.

I hope this helps and if you have any other questions please let me know. Good luck, Wendy
 
So I guess
>I'll be wearing a retainer for the rest of my life!

I got my braces at age 10, had three oral surgeries and every fricken appliance in my mouth, and had the braces removed completely when I was 20, when I was give a permanent retainer for my bottom teeth and a removable retainer for my top teeth.

I am 37 now, and about 12 years ago I switched to a removable retainer for my bottom teeth too. But I now wear a mouth guard for my top teeth because apparently I'm a grinder/clencher - LOL!

So, I'm right there with you with the retainers, but I often get compliments on my smile, so it's worth it! Hang in there!

Best,
Susan L.G.
 
Well I went for my final consult yesterday. They went over all the paper work and stuff. My bite is correct on my left side but my teeth go in a bit. The teeth on my right side are a different story. They are way off on the bite. Also my lower teeth are back a bit and I have a deep bite.

The cost was a bit of a shocker. $6400. They offered three payment plans. One was to pay in full and get a %7 discount. Next was to put down $1600 and then make payments with no interest for 20 months at $240 a month. The third was to get a dental loan and pay out for up to 60 months with an interest rate of anywhere between 5.9% and 12%. No penalty for paying it off early and no down payment. I opted for the second. Total time in braces is 24 months give or take four months. Retainer for twelve hours a day after that. He uses the plastic retainer and not the wire one. Also they use the Damon brackets instead of the banded ones so that means I have to go in only every 8 weeks for tightening.

I developed only one wisdom tooth which is on my left side and it is impacted way up there. That has to come out. Insurance pays 80% of that. That can be done within three months of the braces going on. January 5th I have it done.

Lots of food no no's but they give you an incentive program - gift card to Target for being good and not having any breaks or problems. I am into that!

I signed on the dotted line and they put the spacers in yesterday and braces go on next Tuesday. They had trouble with the three of the rubber spacers so I had to get metal on those as my teeth were too tight. Those are rather bothersome.

I am really trying to improve my smile a bit but most important I want my bite to be right - even at 44. My sister and brother have major teeth issues now in there 50's as they have never had orthodontic work. I am hoping this helps.

I feel bad as one of my best buddie's is having a lumpectomy done on Tuesday. I no sooner got the spacers in and got the phone call. My teeth seem so little compared to that. God does this to us doesn't he . . . ?

Take Care and Let us know the progress.

Dawn
 
Dawn, I'm going to PM you.

Wendy, you mentioned the retainer that whitens your teeth. I have a slight problem with receeding gums and I thought I heard once that whiteners can irritate your gums, esp. bleaching agents, so avoid them. Would this bother my gums? Also, I love to drink tea without milk, and an occasional glass of red wine. As long as I brush afterwards I should be OK, right?:)
 
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