As the subject says, I'm 36 and getting orthodontics for the first time TOMORROW. Clear brackets on top, metal braces on the bottom. I'm nervous but excited to finally be taking steps to fix my teeth!
Some background--I originally didn't think I'd ever get braces. My teeth have always been crooked since my adult teeth came in, but it wasn't so bad that anyone told me I NEED to get braces. But as the years passed, my teeth are getting noticeably more crooked. Some of my teeth are starting to twist behind other teeth in ways I know they didn't before. I know I'm not so young, but I'm not so old either, so it was starting to give me massive anxiety what my teeth might look like in another 20 years, when I'll surely have the regular anxiety of being an aging woman AND possibly worrying if my teeth are going to fall out or what. So I started to think about braces some years ago, but 2 things made me procrastinate:
1) Cost. Wow, not cheap!
2) Aesthetics of being an adult with braces...As an Asian American woman who looks younger, people already often don't take me seriously or just don't listen. I was wondering how much worse it would be with braces! But I'm finally reaching the point that people at least assume I'm in my mid/late 20s (People mistook me for a high schooler into my actual late 20s). And now...we're wearing masks!!
So I thought this might be a good time to dive in. I still wanted to clear top ones for sure, but the idea of wearing masks when going out for a while alleviates a big part of my concern. Covid silver lining? It's funny, when I was younger watching my peers get braces my number 1 concern was pain. I was so scared of it hurting! I think one advantage of being an adult is knowing that pain/discomfort is something I can deal with.