My treatment goes on and on and on

Message

#1 Post by **dnoel** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:45 pm

I started off the journey 18 months ago.

I first approached the orthodontist because of a slightly crooked front tooth. I was a bit surprised when he recommended full treatment including upper and lower braces. My treatment plan also included elastics for the misaligned teeth on the right side of my mouth. At the time, I was skeptical about such an elaborate treatment plan for â€œproblemsâ€

#2 Post by **JesseJames** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 6:16 pm

I hear ya man
I was told 12 months, MAYBE 15 if everything went horribly wrong. Im no at 16 months and they "hope" ill be done by the end of August.
If i knew it was this long, i'd have never gotten braces. I respect that most people are optimistic about it, and boy my teeth sure do look better, but im sick of being 23 and being mistaken for being in highschool.
Regardless if i have gaps or not my braces come off in August. Enough is enough. Im forcing my kids into braces when theyre 12 so they never go through this crap lol

#3 Post by **lionfish** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 9:55 pm

Jesse, you've paid this much money and come this far, why not wait a month or two longer if need be?

That was my view. I wanted it to be as good as it was going to get before getting those suckers removed. As it was, I went 3 months over my estimate, which was OK with me. I was only ever going to do this braces caper once!

#4 Post by **CactusZAF** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 10:41 pm

but im sick of being 23 and being mistaken for being in highschool.

I wish I could have done this when I was 23, I'm now almost 33, single and just the other day was asked by an old acquaintance "are you going after the schoolgirls now?" and he pointed at my braces. So it could be a lot worse than being mistaken for a highschool pupil. I don't let other peoples opinions bother me as that's all they are, opinions, they can't do me any harm!
Also some of us on the board (me included) would love to have a term of only 16-18 months in braces, my initial estimate was 24 months but at the 8 month mark I already knew it is going to take longer as my teeth have moved too slowly to keep up with the original treatment plan. The extended treatment period does not bother me in the least, if treatment takes me 3 years to get things right, then so be it I've spent the money and invested the time already spent in braces, to have them taken off prematurely would surely be a total waste.
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to patronize you. Try to see this as an investment in the rest of your life, in the big picture 2 or so years is a mere fraction of a persons life, and the benefits of healthy teeth and bite for the rest of your life are (in my opinion) immeasurable.

I'm wishing you all the best with the remainder of your treatment, and I hope things start going better for you both, dnoel and JesseJames.

P.S. I've already had 3 archwires break on me as well as plenty troublesome brackets that had to be re-bonded, so don't let these small setbacks get you down.

#5 Post by **dnoel** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:40 pm

Having read this forum for several months, I am well aware that many patients would be thrilled with 15-18 months of treatment. From the pictures I have seen in these forums, many people have their teeth vastly transformed by 2 years of treatment.

When I started my treatment, however, I donâ€™t think my teeth were really that bad. On a scale of 1 â€“ 10, I was probably a 5 or a 6. My teeth really had no negative impact on my life.

I realize that many people get orthodontic treatment because of serious health problems. Or perhaps treatment begins with serious cosmetic issues or perhaps a 1, 2, or 3 on a 10 point scale. So these folks obviously benefit in many ways from treatment.

Now, after 18 months of treatment I have the distinct impression that my results wonâ€™t be that great. Still there is some improvement. So after 18+ months of treatment, my teeth will probably be an 8 on a 10 point scale.

In other words, the improvements from many months of treatment wonâ€™t be all that noticeable. For much money and time, I have a modest improvement in my teeth. All in all, a bad deal from my point of view.

I started treatment at age 39. I am old enough to know that my body is not perfect. Ultimately time catches up with everyone. I live in a neighborhood where people go to great lengths to fight nature. Especially, among women, people resort to all sorts of plastic surgery to disguise their age. It is a never-ending battle.

I realize know that in getting braces at age 39 I was becoming part of the â€œperfectionâ€

#6 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 12:09 am

Healthy, straight teeth and healthy, unnaturally tight skin are two different things. We will sag in weird places but to deny yourself dental treatment? Come on, you owe yourself a set of wonderfully straight teeth!