Metal Mouth Message Board

hi....i am 22, but first looked into getting my teeth fixed when i was 19. At that time, I did not believe i would be a candidate for invisilign, so i saw a cosmetic dentist about veneers. he said he could do my top teeth, and it would cost almost eight thousand for six teeth and that they did not do payment plans....i was so upset, because being a college student i knew i would never have that much money saved up. so i recently was able to finally save a few thous. and after finding out that i could in fact have invisalign to fix my teeth i went that route.

my question is....1. has anyone else wished to have porcelin veneers, instead of braces? and why did you decide on the braces??

2. I fear that with all the damn attchments on my invisalign, that my ortho never told me about, that maybe i should have went with the veneers. do you guys think the invisalign (should be called "visalign", because they are visible if they have those clear things that stick up, as i do) is worth it??? i really need some encouragement. i am seriously thinking i should have gotten the veneers. the results would have been instant. and i would not have to endure the time and embarrassment of people seeing my attchments on my teeth!

3. LAST QUESTION....was anybody else unaware that they would be getting attchments on their front teeth when they were first talking with theitr ortho about invisalign. mine never mentioned a thing other than the fact that nobody would see them. I feel i was mislead and i am angry and ready to just stop the treatment all together! I am so upset right now!

any encouragement, feedback or advice would be great! thanks guys

ps. i am going back to school this semester and am lucky enough to be taking a public speaking class where everyone will be starring at my teeth! god, am i angry right now! guess this isnt the year i meet a guy at school!

I never considered veneers myself and I don't know a great deal about them. My teeth were pretty badly misaligned and veneers wouldn't have addressed my bite issues. From what I understand though, veneers are costly and also not permanent. After 10 years or so you'd need to get them replaced. If you're only 22 then that's a lot of replacements in your lifetime. Also of course they only improve the appearance of the teeth and don't actually move them at all.

I haven't got Invisalign either, so I can't answer your other questions.

Regarding your worries about people noticing your teeth/invisalign trays when you speak in class. I've got full metal braces and I'm 20 years older than you, and I work in public service where I see and talk to people every day, and nobody has ever said one word to me about my braces. I've had the odd "double take" where people have evidently caught a glint of metal and wondered why somebody my age is having orthodontic work done (it's less common in the UK) but in general people pay no attention. It's always going to be a much bigger deal to us than to anyone else, and people who do notice aren't going to think badly of you. Chances are they wish they had the guts to do something about their own teeth, or already have and understand how you feel.

The first day back in class will seem like the worst for you, no doubt, but I firmly believe that most people will not notice, or if they do, will be sympathetic.

Good luck with school!

Yep I agree with Lisa, we tend to make being spotted with braces out to be a bigger deal ourselves than other people consider it. You might feel self-conscious occasionally, but you'll probably get past it after a while. Feeling a bit strange/conspicuous is normal at first. We obsess ourselves but other people may notice and then forget all about it 20 seconds later.

On veneers, my ortho says that his policy is that cutting into healthy teeth should always, always be a last resort. To fix veneers they usually have to make permanent changes to your teeth by cutting into them. You can get stunning results and its ok for some cases, but if there's a choice - go with the ortho treatment, its far helthier for your teeth. Don't get me wrong, they can look absolutely stunning on the right cases. But they only last 15 years or so, so you'd be back in the chair again after they have chipped/fallen off shelling out thousands more $$ again.

I was also never told about the attachments when I started my Invisalign treatment 3 years ago. The worst, and biggest, ones were placed on my canines and basically doubled the size of the tooth! I only wore the trays for about 3 months, I just thought the whole process was terrible and I hated it. They are VERY visible, bulky, and yucky to take out and clean. I am in the process of getting linguals now.

My wife has been looking into veneers for a year or two. Not as an alternative to braces (she had braces for 4 years in her teens and her teeth are still pretty straight), but to replace 2 old veneers that she got as a child after chipping her teeth in a fall. The veneers have not worn well. The other two will be to "build up" two laterals that are rather small.

2 things I have learned: 1) Veneers are EXPENSIVE. To do 4 teeth the price tag is between $5000 and $6000! We may be able to get insurance to cover some of the cost of the 2 fronts, but no way on the laterals because its considered "cosmetic". 2) They do not last. My wife's current set have lasted about 16 years. Both of the cosmetic dentists she has seen have told her that she can expect to replace the new ones in 15-20 years.

Frankly, if I was choosing between veneers, Invisalign or regular braces I would do the braces in a heartbeat. I have found that all the appearance issues that Invisalign is meant to address are not issues at all. I have full metal braces and I have had nothing but positive reactions from everyone. Truth is, most people don't even think about them. And, once I am done I will wear my retainers, care for my teeth and enjoy them for the rest of my life.

I started this journey when I decided to get a quote from my dentist for veneers to fix the gaps in my front teeth. It would have been about the same cost as my braces and would have been done in a couple of appointments, but in the end I decided I didn't want to "damage" perfectly healthy teeth and went with braces instead. Remember that your veneers may last you 10-15 years and you will have to do upkeep eventually and have them replaced, and there's no going back, they sand down your teeth and that tooth material's gone for good. Even my dentist agreed that it was better for me to stick with "the real thing" and fully supported my decision to go to an orthodontist instead (even though veneers would have meant $$ for him).

Braces aren't a big deal to me (or the people I interact with), and the whole treatment is going by very quickly, considering I'm going to have lovely straight teeth for a lifetime when I'm done

Nope, I didn't give porcelain veneers a thought. I wanted to fix my bite, not look like Halle Berry.

Ah! Veneers!

I'm about the same age as you, and also a college student... And before I took the recent 'braces plunge' I did a consult for veneers. Unfortunately mine would have also required a root canal. Yuck.

They're a fortune- you're right. But they're also a 'short term' quick fix. By short term I mean... 10 years or so... But if you have braces for 1-3 years (avg treatment lengths), keep them clean, and wear your retainer once the braces are removed, you can have gorgeous teeth for the rest of your LIFE. For a lot less money, I might add.

It's a horribly awkward time to have braces- no denying it... Early 20's may be harder than 30s or 40s or 50s (in my opinion, anyways)... But i've decided it's better to suck it up and deal with it, and just envision how gorgeous your smile will be.

I'm not sure of the 'visible-ness' of any sort of clear molds vs. metal or ceramic braces... (i'm metal on bottom, ceramic on top... didn't qualify for any other type), but I'm sure the attachments are only short-term until your teeth start to align themselves.

Lastly- another perk of ortho vs. veneers: You're actually fixing the problem- not covering up. Most of us with crooked teeth and funny bites have experienced (or will experience) jaw pain and discomfort-- something veneers will not help.

I think you made the right choice. Chin up and try to stay positive

Hi Jennicakes

I also looked into veneers, and my thankfully my dentist managed to sway me to braces..

As mentioned before

- they are not a pemanent solution, but more importantly, my dentist was adamant that there was no reason to, as she puts it "destroy perfectly healthy teeth that would look perfectly stunning with braces...with veneers", as Snow mentioned they need to sand your own teeth to get them on.

I will also say that I have bite issues that veneers would not have fixed, but at the time being used to the bite I had, I couldn't really see how much more different the surgery would have made me look, and was happy to consider a "quick fix" Well, now sitting here post op and 4 months to go before everything is off, I can honestly say, I am absolutley thrilled I listened to my dentist. Nothing could have prepared me for the positive change that fixing my bite properly and braces have done. I know now I would have regretted the veneer route.

I know this sounds like talk, but time does honestly pass quicker than you think. I can hardly believe I have already been almost two years in braces, and before you know it they will be off and it will be worth it. Do it now and get it over and done with, as awkward as you feel now, you'll won't regret this when it's all over.

I am SO glad that the other posters are pointing out the very important fact that veneers need to be replaced every x number of years, and once you get veneers you will ALWAYS need them because your own teeth will be shaved down to put the veneers on.

Also, you might be unhappy with your veneers result, which would be a bit of a disaster ! Hillary Duff is a perfect example ... girl had cute teeth, weren't Hollywood perfect but fit her face well and looked youthful, and then she got veneers and it totally changed her look, she aged 10 years ! Her veneers are too long and too big, and really too perfect and fake looking. And what's she going to do ? She just got them on, can she really go through having them all removed and redone ? She will eventually though, because they wear down and need to be replaced.

Unless your teeth are permanently discolored or otherwise damaged, veneers are not a good option.

I thought about veneers but I was told I should really have ortho because of my protruding teeth. I would have ended up with bigger teeth than that I have now. YUCK!