7 Years of Braces... now they're going back on!!

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#1 Post by **laura524** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:23 am

I'm a 20 year old full-time college student in the Performing Arts (where looks matter). Back when I was 10 years old, my parents decided to put me into braces to correct a slight overbite with spacy teeth. When the growth spurts happened, my bottom jaw moved out, but my top jaw remained the same (an ortho though it had to do with being born with a cleft-palette). Anyways, by the time I was 15 the doctor suggested I do orthognatic surgery to fix my bite. At the time I was tired to tears of braces, and at age 17 they took them off. What they had done was slant my bottom teeth inward and my top teeth slightly out. Naturally, I've had to develop a very "special" way of saying "s"'s, smiling, eating, and whatnot. Now, with limited years under my parents' insurance, I decided to go ahead with it. I forgot how involved it was! Braces from 6-12 months MAYBE, surgery, another 6 months of braces at the least, not to mention whether my insurance will cover it.

So begins my journey. AGAIN. I really wish there was a quick fix. As medical as it is (I have TMJ, sleep apnea, lockjaw), the cosmetic issue is what pushed me the most. In my line of "work", appearances do matter. I'm very excited for the day that it's done, but for a now I'm just worried about how stupid I'll look with braces back on my teeth the second time around.

#2 Post by **ema27** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 4:38 am

hi there im about to get braced on the 23rd and the thought of braces at my age nearly put me off( im 27)every one feels like this.just remember the quicker its on the quicker it gets off!!!all the best for your treatment!

#3 Post by **Greenidgurl** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 5:39 pm

Believe me, 20 years old is not old to have braces... try 31. Even at my age I know there are older people than me on this forum that have braces. I guess it's just when you get older you care less about what others think...
I am not an authority on the subject by any measure, but when I read they put braces on you at 10 - well that just sounded too young to me. At that age you are nowhere near done growing! The average age I seem to see at the ortho's office (which makes me feel hella old) is about middle school age, about 13-15 yrs old. Seems that all those years of braces didn't do a whole lot for you...

Good luck this time around though... my journey will be ending way sooner than I originally thought - by the end of this summer I am projecting to be done with all this. Never mind the 2 surgeries...

#4 Post by **jennandtonic** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:17 pm

I was 20 when I got my braces on. Believe me, I had some reservations about how it would look, but in the end a healthy bite and healthy teeth won out in the long run. And you will be surprised, yeah I've had some comments, but most of the comments I get are 'gee, I wish I'd gotten them!'