In Two Minds..

[Lizzie365]

Hi all,

Quick into.. I'm a 22 year old female currently considering the dreaded braces! When I was younger, I should have worn a retainer to push my top left lateral incisor forward, and then braces to straighten my teeth. However for various reasons (didn't like the dentist, was already bullied at school so didn't need another reason) I didn't continue with treatment. However, now I have a lateral incisor and my canine pushed out of the top row, with the canine infront of the incisor (not sure how to describe it - not a very toothy person!). My bottom teeth aren't too bad, just wonky.

Not having treatment when I was 8 years old is my biggest regret ever.

My denist has told me he can refer me to an orthodontist, to discuss having braces fitted to straighten my teeth. Now I'm petrified. They will cost about £3000, and I'll have them for about 2 years (could be more or less, this was my denists judgement). If I have braces I'd want them to be as unnoticable as possible, but I know I can't have Invisalign due to the movement I need on my teeth.

I want to be able to smile in photos but I just can't, I feel so ugly with my teeth like this. But with braces (and at 22) I'm scared people will laugh. I'm worried the braces won't suit me and that they will make my mouth look really full. Plus I'm not very good with pain, I can just imagine being uncomfortable for the next 2 years not being able to close my mouth or eat! I work in an office and my colleagues are mature enough to not judge, but I'm worried of what people outside of work will think.

Deep down I know if I decided to have braces it would probably be the best decision I've ever made, I need to pluck up the courage to make this orthodontist appointment.

[jem]

Hi Lizzie,

The longer you delay, the longer it will be until your teeth are how you want them to be.There are many people on this board who have put off the decision for years and they all regret not doing it sooner.

Just pick up the phone and make your ortho appointment. That is the biggest step. Everything else will be downhill.

Whilst you will probably be nervous before your first appointment like most of us, you will wonder why afterwards.You will probably find that having the opportunity to talk to an expert about your teeth comes as a relief after years of being unhappy with them. You will not be under any obligation to take things further after your appointment, but you will be a lot more comfortable about what will actually be involved if you do decide to go ahead.

Modern orthodontics does not usually involve much discomfort and you should have little difficulty eating after the first few days of braces,so you need not worry too much about those issues. I think the biggest irritation for most brace wearers is the time spent constantly cleaning our teeth.

I was also nervous about what other people would think about me wearing a brace as a middle aged man in a professional job, but modern braces need not be very noticeable. In my experience of having a top brace with clear brackets for about 7 months, people either don't notice or don't care and it has not been a problem.

Good luck

Jem

[belenov]

just go for it. the time will fly and most people dont even notice espeacially if you get ceramics on top. it will be one of the best decisions you can make. im male, a builder and got them on when i was 37, 39 now and getting them off soon. bit of a mad journey as you learn a bit about yourself too.

[ellieb]

Hi Lizzie,

Also, don't forget about removable appliances. I am getting a lot done without having invisalign and also without having fixed brackets on the fronts of my teeth. I wish I had not keep letting the cost scare me off. I think that if I had straight teeth I felt confident about, I would have advanced a lot sooner and more dramatically in my career. They would have paid for themselves. Also if I had done this younger I could have just worn metal brackets without worrying how that would affect me professionally and things would have been just much faster and more efficient and relatively less expensive. There is never going to be some point in the future where you will be magically satisfied with your teeth if you don't have something done, but if you get braces there will be a point in a couple of years or so where you will be happy with them.

[GillyWeed]

Go for it girl! Braces are really not that bad. If the idea of wearing metals absolutely makes your skin crawl remember there are always clear braces (the Radiance brand, for example are completely clear so you really can't see them). But honestly, I'm 23 and I am having soo much fun with all the colours...I'm currently sporting silver uppers and black lowers.
Keep in mind, people really don't care about your teeth as much as you think so do what you need to do to have a smile you can be proud of for the rest of your life

[noveldevice]

Two years ago I was pretty much where you are. I went for a consultation in August of 2010 and started the process in October by getting three teeth pulled. My brackets started going on in December of 2010 and they thought I'd be in braces for about 24 months. It was horrible and excruciating for the first year plus, and I spent most of the time for the first six months that I didn't need to be on point drunk because it was pretty much the only thing that helped with the extreme pain, but I am an unusual case and you probably won't have the kind of facial pain I did.

My last ortho visit, we made my braces-off appointment. They come off in 20 days, a whole four months early. (Part of the pain was because my teeth moved SO far and SO fast.)

I can tell you, even though it was painful and incredibly expensive, it was the best thing I've ever done for myself. I cannot tell you how happy I am with my smile. I don't even like to think about what my teeth used to look like, and now they're just lovely, and better--they work. I had never had a functional bite and I didn't even know it.

You will never be sorry.

[noveldevice]

Oh--and I was 34 when I got mine. I went for golden brackets and I have loved them for two years and can't imagine going back to something that isn't a 14-karat smile.

[Lizzie365]

Thanks guys

Everyone seems so supportive, and I've been reading LOADS of posts on here and it's amazing to see the journeys people have with their braces. For the past two days all I've been thinking about is braces, I had a dream about them last night lol, and if anyone searches my internet history they'll think I have some sort of weird brace obsession!!

I think once any extractions are done (I'm certain I'll need to have one), and after I've had them for a month or two and start to see minor changes I'll be so happy about my choice. I want to have that feeling of having the braces taken off and seeing your new teeth for the first time!

So... I think I will take the plunge tomorrow and book my consultation!!! Not sure if I will need to see the dentist again first, or if I can go straight to her??

Part of my is actually quite excited

[noveldevice]

Yay! I started feeling a lot better about my teeth quite quickly. Once I felt I was actually *doing* something about my teeth, I lost all self-consciousness about smiling. When I started seeing positive changes in my incisors, I was *ecstatic*. There are very annoying things that go along with braces, but they are temporary and will go away when the braces come off, whereas your wonderful, functional bite will last a lifetime if you're careful.

When I got mine on, one of the first things that happened was that a crowded lower incisor of mine turned and straightened out, and when it did, I saw that the part of it that contacted with stuff was more worn than the other part. Not a lot, but some. I think, and my ortho flat-out *said*, that I basically got my braces on and my teeth straightened just in time. Much longer and the uneven wear would have started having serious impact on my teeth, and I would have been on the road to losing some of them prematurely.

[Lizzie365]

Booked my appointment for 14th September

There was a time available on the 24th August but unfortunatly I'm not in town that day and the ortho is only at my dentists every 3rd Friday.. Oh well more time to save money and read these message boards!!

[Webbie]

Hi Lizzie!
I'm 25 and have got braces last week having spent a very long time thinking whether to go for braces or not. Now almost a week with braces on I'm hardly feeling any discomfort.
Happy to note that you have taken the first step. All the best!

[Dee17]

Hi Lizzie,
I just turned 54 yesterday and have been wrestling with the idea that I need braces to close a large diatema which has developed between my two front teeth. After I had the first discussion with my dentist I found this forum and I'm SO glad I did. It was what convinced me that, despite my ADVANCED age, I really should go ahead with this.
I know you are worried that people will laugh at you. Believe me, I have been very worried about that, too. I do NOT relish the idea of looking like a teenager for two years. But, I think that when your teeth look bad or funny that people tend to notice that more than they will notice that you're wearing braces. Like so many other people on this forum have said, most other people are so accustomed to seeing teenagers wearing braces these days. They will look at you, make a mental note that you are wearing braces and then move along to a more interesting thought. Don't sweat it. You'll still look beautiful!

[Lizzie365]

So I've had my consultation...

I'm having 3M braces fitted at some point in November, cereamic upper and metal lower. This is what I wanted. Will cost me £3300, which can be paid in interest free monthly installments (yay ).

- Pre-braces -
I have a visit to the hygienist next week (19th) to give my teeth a good clean, then I have a molar extraction booked in for the 28/09.

I have an appointment with the ortho on 05/10 to have my moulds, and she will discuss the possiblity of extracting a canine (I'll get to this...). I also need to book another appointment to have a wisdom tooth and a pre-molar extracted.

I have another hygienist appointment on the 24/10 for another good clean. And at some point I will have an appointment at the local hospital to have the xray I need.

So... all in all it is what I expected. But I did not want my canine taken out (canine sits infront of the lateral incisor where the lateral incisor is supposed to be, so there's no room for both teeth). The molar extraction on 19/09 will make room for my teeth to move across, the canine to be pulled down and to the side, then the lateral incisor pulled/pushed forward. This is how I expected it to go but apparently this is not possible because my pre-molars cannot move the distance that is needed to make space. There's "not enough room". But they sit perfectly fine on the other side of my mouth, apart from they need to be shifted over slightly to sort my midline (this will also make more room for the canine to be moved into place). If I have the canine taken out, I will have buildup (?) on my pre-molar to make it look like a canine.

I'll be honest, my oral hygiene hasn't been great up until recently. I've had two previous extractions due to decay, and one filling. I'd prefer it is my healthy teeth were not taken out for no good reason.

Now I'm confused. I want it done, but I don't want my canine out. The ortho is due to write to me with a treatment plan, but I'm not sure whether to talk to my dentist when I see him in a few weeks about this?? He did come into the appointment to say hello, and agreed with what the ortho suggested but maybe if I talk to him privately it might change things?

Sorry for the essay.. I think my rant is over. I'll try and post pictures on here when I'm home from work.

What should I do? I don't really want the hassle of having a second opinon, and I've already agreed I want the treatment with them.

[Dee17]

Hi Lizzie,
I would definitely get a second opinion before I had that many healthy teeth extracted. You might want to look into finding an orthodontist who uses the Damon system. My understanding is that treatment with thos kind of braces rarely requires extractions of any sort. I'm getting my braces on on October 25th and have opted for Damon brackets (even though I don't need any extractions at all).
It sure sounds like you've got quite a road ahead of you. Best of luck to you and keep us posted on your progress.

[Lizzie365]

I know I need a few teeth extracted because even I can see there's not enough room in my mouth..

She visits quite a few dental practises in the area and she also works for a hospital so she has to know what she's talking about.

What am I letting myself in for