Braces at 41

[serendipitymoon]

Hello,

I've been looking for a support group for people wearing braces and I'm glad that I found this forum. I will be getting braces in about 5 weeks and I'm a little scared about the whole process. I'm getting In-Ovation C translucent self-ligating braces. My orthodontist said that I will need to wear them for about 18 - 24 months.

Can anyone comment on how have braces affected your social life? Are there other people over 40 that are worried about their appearance with braces? How is it dating with braces?

I'm hope to share my experience with others and hope this forum will make the experience much easier.

I appreciate any feedback that anyone can give.

Thank you,

Serendipitymoon

[belenov]

hi, im male and 38. the thing is people are less hung up on braces than you think and they can be a handy conversation device. at times they hurt and at the start they take a bit getting used to. so when you get them you are of course a little self concious but also preoccupied with them. there is also the sense of pride for having the courage to go ahead. im a month in and most people have not even noticed. im also relieved i have started my course

[Sandpiper]

Hi, I am a 43 year old, sporting ceramic braces. The one thing I learned early on was not to try and hide the braces. I was pretty self-conscious to begin with, but seeing some photos of myself at a party with this weird grimace on my face (through trying not to show the braces) made me realise the best thing to do was just to try and forget about them.

I told my team at work before I was braced, and although I know others have noticed, no-one has said anything (which suits me, actually).

The good thing is that you do see encouraging movement soon after bracing, which is great...other than that, it is a waiting game. Best of luck with your journey.

[serendipitymoon]

Thank you for replying with your experiences. It does help to know there are people out there around my age that are getting braces. I'm 41, turning 42 in September and I'm getting braces on April 22nd. I have really been worried about dating with the braces. I've been dating online and I met a guy that I really liked. I told him that I was going to get braces and I haven't heard from him since. I've heard from other single braced people that if a person can't accept you when you are braced then they are not worth having around. I have to admit that I haven't gotten that confident yet

[wanda]

Hi I am 41 and I will be getting my braces on 20th april , so we are only a couple of days apart , I understand how you feel as it is strange to be getting braced as an adult but I think having braces will only put off the men who are not worth dating , after all its not forever and in a few years you will have a perfect smile. I think its a good way to know if someone really likes you .I am having the clarity ceramic braces , I dont know innovation c , but having the clear braces is such a great option as I think they can blend in a bit more. I am sure as your journey in braces continues you will become much more confident !

[Boira]

Hi! I'm 38 and getting braces next month. As this has always been something I wanted to do (for both my health and my smile), I couldn't care less about other people's negative opinions. Somebody who has issues with other adult wearing braces isn't worth our time! I mean, we're not in school anymore, where wearing glasses or braces made you an easy target.

We have a long journey ahead of us, but it will be worth at the end, I'm sure!

[noveldevice]

Hi there!

I'm 35 and my braces went on in December.

It is great dating with braces! No one I've dated minds them at all; they're just a part of me. I have incredibly adorable gold brackets, usually with merlot or purple ligatures on bottom and clear on top. I colour-coordinate my elastics to my outfits, which people generally think is pretty cute.

No one has been even remotely tentative about kissing me or anything like that. I'm currently seeing three guys, one of them very seriously, and they're all very supportive of me and very considerate of my needs. Men approach me on the street to ask for dates just as often as they did before I had braces.

If someone doesn't want to date you because you have braces, you're better off without them! But as I said, I haven't noticed a difference.

Also, on the physical side, um...I have some comments, but they might not be fit for an open forum. *grin* But I'm happy to share if you have specific questions.

[serendipitymoon]

To the young lady in Vancouver who is dating with braces. You must be very beautiful and I admire your confidence. I've never had a guy come up to me off the street and ask me out even without braces. I know that showing confidence is the biggest part of attracting other. I have never had much confidence and will really work hard to grow in this area while I have the braces.

Thank your for your replies.

[noveldevice]

@serendipitymoon I don't think of myself as being particularly beautiful, though I try to be well-groomed and look put together whenever possible. I think the less *self*-conscious you are of your braces, the less *conscious* other people will be of them. For me, I had always been so self-conscious of my really terrible teeth that knowing I was doing something about them really made me feel even more confident in personal interactions. And how quickly the movement started happening made me feel even better. I make a lot of eye contact anyway, but I find that if you make eye contact and smile, people just naturally respond to you, regardless of whether your mouth is full of metal or not.

It helps if you feel good about how your braces look (carry a mirror, or check in your cell phone whenever you're concerned about having stuff caught in your braces! sooner is better than later!) and once you start seeing serious tooth movement you're going to feel GREAT about how your mouth looks in general, and that will help a *lot*.

I love my gold brackets--they are just about as cute as it gets--and the possibilities inherent in coloured ligatures is really fun and exciting for me.

If I meet someone online and agree to go for coffee or whatever, I don't specifically say I have braces. I think that would be a little weird. If we are compatible, we're compatible and my braces have nothing to do with that. If they have a problem with it, that's on them and not my issue. But I think it's really important to just give people the benefit of the doubt on this. Most everyone you encounter is going to be so busy being self-conscious about whatever they think is wrong with them that they aren't going to have much processing time left over for what you think is wrong with yourself, you know? And if they're rude enough to be explicit about the braces, well, I don't know about you, but I have enough other problems that if it weren't the braces I'm sure it would be something else! *grin*

[Gill]

I turned 50 just over a week ago, and got my braces today, so still feeling a little sorry for myself & nervous. But I'm sure that will pass.
I was encouraged by a colleague who's a few years older than me & got braces, and she managed really well with them, of course they take a bit of getting used to, but she had no major problems.
I have to say I think they look pretty awful, no matter what anyone says, particularly on my teeth which are so out of line that the brackets go up & down & the wire curls over my front tooth. But I think I'll be able to carry them off. I've got a pierced nose & lots of earrings, so the braces kind of go with that.
All the best on your journey

[Gill]

A post script to my earlier post when I said I thought my braces look awful. Actually it's not really the braces that are the problem, it's my teeth, which are very crooked. Doing something about it is such a good idea, and I'm sure I'll look better at the end

[liluadc]

Hi,

I'm getting my braces put on this Monday and I'm 41 almost 42. Heh I think I put 42 in my intro post oh well. Anyway I agree with what others have said. any guys who don't want to date you because you have braces is not worth your time or trouble. I say smile with confidence. I know I will be and will probably laugh the first time I have food stuck in them and notice after I get out of a board room meeting.

LiLU

[Eve43]

I'm 43 and cancelled my appointment twice now to get my brackets...Damon clear on top...metal Damon on bottom. Considering doing it this week. Was advised by my dentist because I have major crowding on the bottom and my gums don't fit 'properly' to my teeth.

[TMJJill]

Hi. I'm 41 and just got my braces on August 30, 2011. I have upper Damon clear right now with a splint on the bottom for the first 8 months until I get my lower braces.

Honestly, hardly but me anyone has noticed. It a way it is disappointing since it is such a major event in my life.

[annie arkins]

[quote="Eve43"]I'm 43 and cancelled my appointment twice now to get my brackets...Damon clear on top...metal Damon on bottom. Considering doing it this week. Was advised by my dentist because I have major crowding on the bottom and my gums don't fit 'properly' to my teeth.[/quote]

Just joined up AGAIN.. I didn't realise you had to make a post within 12hours or your account is deleted!

Eve, did you get your braces put on? I was the same as you, constantly saying I will do it this year etc. I went to several consultations, each time I would think, "yes, I am definitely going for it this time" but I always backed out.

That was going on for nearly four years. I am now getting them on the end of this month, no going back because I gave a lump payment already. I am 43 and moaned about my teeth for years. I will get radiance (they are clear ones) on the top, they aren't self ligating so I will have elastics too. Metal will be on the bottom. At this stage, I am sick of putting it off, if I had got them on when I first thought hard about it, I would be fully finished now.

I agree with everyone who said about the dating thing, they either like you or they don't. The braces shouldn't make any difference to them. If they can't handle it, you are better off with someone who has a bit more maturity about them anyway!