For those getting braced after 35-what are your motivations?

[Cassandra1995]

So, my records appt is a week away. I'm a little nervous and hoping I won't back out. I'm not nervous about pain. It's more a matter of once I start down this road, there is no turning back. I've lived this long (39) with my teeth, and it is still odd to be thinking that they will be so different, esp since for the past 25 years, I really didn't think it would be possible to ever change them (without major jaw surgery).

I was wondering, for those of us who are over 35, what is prompting us to get braces? It's still kinda hard for me to articulate it, but I'll try.

I don't want to be embarrassed when I smile. I think I'll feel more attractive without all the spaces in my teeth. I'd like to feel what my mouth will feel like when my teeth are properly aligned. The big thing is probably if I don't do it now, I'll never do it, and if we can afford it now, why should I not? It's weird, though, b/c I will have so many very important pictures from my life before braces (different graduations, my wedding, my daughter's birth). Those memories will always have my very imperfect smile as a part of them, and I need to be okay with that.

What are your reasons for getting braced NOW?

[klobird]

I'm 56 and in braces. Basically, I have been told that my overjet and bad bite were causing my teeth to fracture (inside) and that if I have to have dentures it will be horrible. I have huge tori (bone overgrowth under my tongue) and that bone would probably have to be removed for dentures.

No thanks!! I'll keep my teeth!! So, I had a very small window of time with the money to afford braces and I jumped on it. Best decision I ever made. The technical reasons are being addressed and my smile is getting better and better..

Two years is not very long to save my teeth and health as I get seniorized!

[BellaBraces]

I'm 43 and my teeth have bugged me for the last 15-20 years. I went through a lot of orthodontic work as a teen. Nobody said anything about permanent retainers. When my wisdom teeth came through they gradually pushed my teeth out of line. I would moan about them and avoid showing them when smiling. I did not loathe them enough to contemplate a mouthful of metal for years or to have veneers. When I heard about Six Month Smiles I was over the moon as it addresses my concerns exactly, is fairly inconspicuous and the treatment time is pretty short. So far I am very pleased.

[furious george]

When I was a teen they told me they couldn't fix the gummy smile, overbite, or overjet...those things would potentially require surgery that would result in a jutting jaw which would have to be shaved down (WTF?), whereas braces would fix only the gaps. I didn't want the surgery, and with my teeth being essentially straight, why bother with braces? I was 15, I wasn't going to push for them!

In my 20's there was no way I could afford to have them fixed, nor would vanity have afforded me the self-confidence to wear braces. I always wanted veneers, in the "if I win the lotto, the first thing I'm going to do is..." way.

Now I'm in my 30's, I finally have some accessible cash. I discovered botox as a relatively cheap way to fix my gummy smile, but the teeth were still wonky. I started checking into veneers, and I was adamantly against braces...but I also asked my dentist for an ortho consult just to see what really needed to be done beyond just cosmetically closing the gaps. I thought maybe worst case, if I could save some enamel, I'd do invisalign instead of veneers.

I was told that invisalign would only provide a partial correction of my issues and the ortho didn't recommend it (and I'll admit to being teary eyed when I found out)...but the thing is, braces should correct pretty much ALL of my issues. All the things they told me I couldn't fix at 15 without surgery? All of those should either be totally fixed or greatly improved by braces. It just suddenly seemed stupid to go the cosmetic route or the invisalign route at that point, when braces would work on the overbite and overjet as well.

Either I had a bad ortho when I was 15, or I have a bad ortho now. But I'm pretty sure the past advice I got was poor, especially based on research I've done. And here I am. Voila!

[Mylene]

I got braced at 38. My misaligned bite might be contributing to my bruxism (clenching/grinding), and my misaligned bottom teeth were wearing down the inside of my top front teeth. I guess I decided it was time to take care of myself and save my teeth. Also, the problem would just get worse with age... the teeth have a tendency to migrate toward the midline, so the bottom crowding would just get worse, which means my front teeth would continue to be pushed out more by them. Who knows what that would look like in another 30 years?!?

[auco99]

I'm 35 exactly. I won't lie, most of my decision to get braced was related to personal vanity, and wanting to look better and feel more confident NOW. I am a pretty okay looking guy but have always known my teeth sucked, and it sapped my confidence. Some of it was knowing they were only going to get worse as I age. I see some older people on TV and in real life with jagged, crooked teeth and it makes me wince to think that could be me in 30-40 years. And some of it was that I didn't want my kids to be embarrassed by their old man's teeth. Also, we have a son on the way, and given the cost I just kind of felt like there would be no better time to get it done than now.

Those are my own personal reasons, right or wrong. Had nothing to do with gum health (though I felt like my gums were receding a bit) or the health of my teeth, though those have become more important by- products to me the more I learn about Orthodontics.

[margarets]

I'm 44, braced for the second time due to relapse.

My teenage experience with braces was pretty intense. 2 years of headgear, then extractions to "encourage" some of my adult teeth to come in - which actually took another 4 years during which time I was partially braced. (Yes, I did not have all my adult teeth until I was 17!) So I was in headgear and braces for 5-6 years, then a retainer full-time for another year.

I didn't go through all that just to get buckteeth again in my 40s! My relapse isn't bad, it's only really noticeable to me and my ortho, but I don't like it. I decided at the very least to get a retainer to prevent any further movement, but since the braces won't take long or be too expensive, I'm getting everything corrected again.

So it's partly about vanity and partly about maintaining my earlier investment.

[coconutqueen]

When I was a teen they told me they couldn't fix the gummy smile, overbite, or overjet...those things would potentially require surgery that would result in a jutting jaw which would have to be shaved down (WTF?), whereas braces would fix only the gaps. I didn't want the surgery, and with my teeth being essentially straight, why bother with braces? I was 15, I wasn't going to push for them!

I was told that invisalign would only provide a partial correction of my issues and the ortho didn't recommend it (and I'll admit to being teary eyed when I found out)...but the thing is, braces should correct pretty much ALL of my issues. All the things they told me I couldn't fix at 15 without surgery? All of those should either be totally fixed or greatly improved by braces. It just suddenly seemed stupid to go the cosmetic route or the invisalign route at that point, when braces would work on the overbite and overjet as well.

Either I had a bad ortho when I was 15, or I have a bad ortho now. But I'm pretty sure the past advice I got was poor, especially based on research I've done. And here I am. Voila!

I can so identify with this experience.

My parents sent me off to a consult when I was in my teens. The ortho I saw said that nothing could be done for my bite and that all my teeth would most likely fall out when I hit 40. Surgery wasn't even mentioned. Needless to say I walked away feeling pretty bad.

A few decades on, I decided to go for another consult. That was seven years ago. I finished treatment five years ago without surgery and have all my own teeth to boot. Things change and often for the better.

[carolyndowdy]

[quote="klobird"]I'm 56 and in braces. Basically, I have been told that my overjet and bad bite were causing my teeth to fracture (inside) and that if I have to have dentures it will be horrible. I have huge tori (bone overgrowth under my tongue) and that bone would probably have to be removed for dentures.

No thanks!! I'll keep my teeth!! So, I had a very small window of time with the money to afford braces and I jumped on it. Best decision I ever made. The technical reasons are being addressed and my smile is getting better and better..

Two years is not very long to save my teeth and health as I get seniorized![/quote]

Klobird, I am 52, got braced at 51. Right now a little second quessing this decision. I'm afraid of not getting the tongue thrust corrected. I go back in 5 days for slenderizing my teeth to shape them. Right now my teeth look worse than they did before braces. They are flared out. I kinda over think things. I'm sure it will be okay n the end.

[OldBikerBag]

I just didn't feel like fishing for my teeth every morning.

I've never had a perfect smile. Always had a fairly significant overjet, but learned to mask it by how I hold my jaw. It wasn't noticeable because of that and I had a smile I could deal with.

However. I noticed my lower front six wandering into an upward arc and became a bit alarmed by the accelerated rate at which this was occurring over the last year, thinking I was going to lose those teeth. The ortho assured me I was in no danger of this happening, but offered some options. I discovered I could easily afford the work, so I decided to proceed.

I just turned 44 and have never had braces, surgery or orthodontic work of any kind done. This guy is willing to work within my parameters of no sanding and no extractions, perfection is not required. Just help me keep my teeth where they belong: in my mouth rather than in my jewelry box.

[Jerseygirl]

I am 46 - have been told I needed braces for the last 4 or 5 years. Or things would only get worse. I procrastinated, came up with excuse after excuse, spent months meeting with various orthos - but it was just my way of stalling because I wasn't ready to take the plunge. 2 months ago I decided I was - and I made the appointment with the ortho who came highly recommended by my Dentist - and I was braced within one week. (I'd already seen him and he was familiar with my case.)

I had four adult teeth pulled when I was a child. An expander for 6 months and at the end of 8th grade I got braced and had them through the end of my Junior year. I remember it was torture! Pain - a lot of pain.

This time around it is NOTHING and I mean NOTHING compared to braces as a kid - I have not experienced anything even remotely similar to the discomfort I recall. That said - having them in my 40's is not exactly 'fun'. I feel awkward and I really did 'look' better when I smiled previously without them. I had a fairly decent smile. BUT - my teeth were indeed crooked and getting worse. My entire bite shifted and I could only make contact when chewing on about 2 or 3 teeth. I've broken two lower molars from my improper bite and neither tooth could be saved so they were extracted. I also clench a lot in my sleep - and it's possible it is due to my improper bite.

Ignoring this problem and hoping it might get better would do nothing accept ensure that I'd continue to break teeth and have a mouth full of implants. Makes no sense.

So I'm braced - will get them off in about a year, maybe a little longer. And then I get one implant where I lost one tooth. The other extraction site is too far gone - bone is lost, so I'd have to have bone grafts to put an implant there. On the fence about what I will do there - might just leave it alone or I will have to get a bridge. When all is said and done with implant, orthodontia and the cost previously for root canal failure, crown on a tooth that was eventually extracted, mouth guards and splints to help with my jaw pain from TMJ - I'd estimate I will have spent over $30K on all this.

Had I gotten braces five years ago - I'd have a lot more money left!

I will NEVER regret doing this, or ever question saving my teeth. ANYONE who does this at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70+ years of age is doing themselves and their health an enormous favor. It is NEVER too late.

Good luck!

[jessieg]

I am 36. My jaw was cracking a bit, and my dentist told me braces would fix it. I was thinking, no way, I'll live with it. I slowly started to notice a few teeth that were out of place, pushed back a bit. As the last few years went on I have slowly been getting more self conscious about those teeth. People told me you can hardly tell, but I was noticing in pictures and it bugged me. I just kept thinking, I'd be SO happy if they were perfectly straight. And the more one or two bugged me, I decided, just do it and be happy in the end. So here I am, in braces, six weeks later! I KNOW I'll be happy down the road, and now I wish I could encourage more people to get them who have been debating. I may not feel super 'hot' right now, but it's worth it.

[TMJJill]

Good question!!!

I never ever gave braces a thought before. I was one of the lucky ones who had my teeth come in pretty straight. I've always had a gap between my front teeth, but it got smaller when my adult teeth came in. Unfortunately, what I didn't realize is that my bite was off. I've been a bruxer for years and had a dentist who never told me. I learned about the impact of bruxism on my teeth when I switched dentists. I wore a customized occlusal guard for about 8 years. A few years ago, I started having some health problems and I eventually tracked down a diagnosis of TMJD. Turns out that occlusal guard had my jaw in an incorrect position when I was lying down. That combined with intubation during a couple surgeries and hypermobile joints all combined to result in TMJD symptoms. In my case, I had an ear that wouldn't pop for over a year, severe ear pain for months on end, and hearing loss that was getting bad fast. I never had any actual jaw pain, but I found out my TMJ discs had slipped forward resulting in my jaw pushing back into my ear. (The jaw and ear are only mm apart.) My treatment is targeted towards getting my bite in better positioning, keep the pain away and slow down the hearing loss. I already have a whole range of speech I can't hear and I've had to spend almost $5000 on hearing aids in addition to the cost of orthodontic treatment.

I've worn a lower mandibular repositioning splint for 2 years which has helped get my lower jaw into correct positioning.

I got my braces at 40. I currently have upper braces which are in place to help me re-establish a new "correct" permenant bite. Hopefully in the next several months I'll be able to ditch the lower splint and move to lower braces as well. My goal is to be able to have a good bite, not have any additional more hearing problems, and reduce the long term damage that I was headed for with degeneration of my condyles and arthritis in my jaw. As a side note, I'm also coming to realize that my face had become more asymmetrical with the TMJD issues and the braces appear to be helping with that so I'm now hopeful it will enhance my facial appearance.

[zdenka]

I am 33 (I hope I am allowed to post :)
Due to some ortho work done during my teenage years, a gap started developing between my front teeth. I went for a consult to see if there was a quick fix for the problem. Unfortunately it turned out that my teeth still had space to move and the problem would get much worse over the next couple of years. On top of that my teeth did not align well on either side.

So I went from quick fix to up to 2 years of upper/lower braces.

[smilehope]

I'd really like to enjoy wearing lipstick. It seems such a grownup thing to do, at 42 I think I should be allowed!

Obviously it's more complicated than that, TMJ not hurting would be good, as would eating chewy things and not wearing my teeth down before their time. The lipstick answer was the first one in my head when I read your question though!