Should I Get Braces Again?

[grindette123]

I'm 23 years old now. I had the full experience when I was a teenager, which took a while because I had a stubborn impacted canine.

The past few months my teeth have been shifting again. I noticed that my midline is a little bit off, and my two front teeth are sticking out a little. The part that bothers me most is my bite. My bite is messed up and very shallow, and my teeth don't fit together anymore making it impossible for me to close my jaw in a relaxed form. I think this is causing me to grind my teeth because now my upper and lower teeth grind back and forth when I close my mouth.

[OldBikerBag]

If it was me,, I would go at least for a consultation, preferably with the ortho who did the original work.

[xanidu2012]

Hi, I'm 50 and I agree with OldBikerBag I would return to the original orthodontist. I have the problem of a front tooth overlapping the other front tooth and on the bottom a tooth has pushed behind another one and crowding. My bite is off and it seemed like I had to pull my top lip over my front teeth just to close my mouth. I never smiled because of it but I finally decided to have a consultation to see what/if anything could be done and I got braced up on 5/8/12. So it's never to late to invest in yourself. Good luck with everything. Come back and let us know what you have decided to do

[grindette123]

Honestly, I think I'll cry if I have to go through the whole thing again. It'll have to be with a new ortho, considering I moved over 2000 miles away. And now, looks are a factor because my job requires me to be in the meda from time to time.

[xanidu2012]

What about invisalign or don't they have braces that attach to back of teeth now?

[Jerseygirl]

Honestly, I think I'll cry if I have to go through the whole thing again. It'll have to be with a new ortho, considering I moved over 2000 miles away. And now, looks are a factor because my job requires me to be in the meda from time to time.

Most of us here have all been through orthodontia before. Judging from your age, I'm guessing you had 'modern' day braces but a lot of us on here had braces 20+ years ago when things took MUCH longer and adjustments were called 'tightenings' and hurt like HELL.

TRUST ME - you will kick yourself in the butt if you don't do this now. Being in the media or generally just going to work every day with hundreds of people, public speaking, teaching, waitressing, on and on - we all are in the public eye and none of us want them, but the sooner you do it the better! It's REALLY not a big deal and people REALLY don't care what you have on your teeth, if they even notice!

AND you mention your bite is not right - again TRUST ME, I thought my bad bite was 'no big deal'. I've lost TWO lower molars in the last four years due to my 'bad' bite which wasn't even noticeable when I smiled - teeth broke and root canal could not fix them so they were extracted. I finally realized how many more teeth do I have to lose before I realize this isn't gonna get any better!

I should have gotten braces 4 years ago at the age of 42. Why didn't I? Vanity, age, embarrassment, inconvenience. Had I done it then I'd be done now and have one more tooth in my mouth - most recent broken tooth was this past March.

I don't know where you live but I am in the NY/NJ metro area. Fox News morning traffic girl Ines Rosales had braces about a year ago. Not much more in the media could someone be then reporting traffic to thousands and thousands of New Yorkers every morning - she pulled it off just fine. I bet MOST didn't even notice - I only did because I needed them.

You can do it - and you are YOUNG! Trust me - the older you get, the harder it is to take the plunge.

[xanidu2012]

Wonderful response jerseygirl. My hat's off to you.

[ITALIANNYC]

I'm 23 years old now. I had the full experience when I was a teenager, which took a while because I had a stubborn impacted canine.

The past few months my teeth have been shifting again. I noticed that my midline is a little bit off, and my two front teeth are sticking out a little. The part that bothers me most is my bite. My bite is messed up and very shallow, and my teeth don't fit together anymore making it impossible for me to close my jaw in a relaxed form. I think this is causing me to grind my teeth because now my upper and lower teeth grind back and forth when I close my mouth.

Did you not wear your retainer?

[BrAcEr357]

I am braced again at age 25 in all metal brackets! Impacted wisdom teeth and not wearing my retainers allowed things to mess up. It was very difficult for me to go through with it the second time (even getting over seeing the same orthodontist at the same place) but like you I was grinding my teeth, crooked molars leading to a unstable bite. I hope to get it fixed so I do not have to undergo root canals, severely worn teeth and extractions in about 20 years time. I am also not happy with the way my teeth look and hope to get that fixed as a bonus.

Unfortunately I was not a candidate for invisalign or any clear braces. My orthodontist recommended metal brackets as they are still the gold standard in many ways (strongest, less friction, possibly shorter time). Being a engineer I also did my research and he is right in many ways. Being in metal brackets has not changed a single thing and honestly since I have had them on I have had only positive comments. In the initial stages I think we all over think the process when we get started. I know I sat for hours thinking about what will others think, getting over the notion that braces are for kids only and I am too old. I am over it now and I know what you are feeling, and trust me it will pass and you will see the difference! Like JerseyGirl pointed out people don't care what you have on your teeth.

Do it!
As long as you wear your retainers it will last and the benefits are worth it!