I'm a 34 year old Mum of 3 from Australia.
When I was a teenager the dentist knew that my upper front right side was missing an adult tooth and also the first molar. I was lucky with the molar in that it didn't fall out so until a week ago I still had it. It wasn't going to hang on forever though and my orthodontist told me that the gum was already receding above it and seeing as it was quite loose I would be lucky to hang onto it for another 6 months.
My wisdom teeth never came in and I lost a back molar on the left hand side when it just fell apart one day (this seems to happen in my family). Due to the number of teeth missing I ended up with gaps in the front, a twisted tooth on the left top next to my front tooth and 3 of my molars on the left hand side (2 at the top, one at the bottom) are also twisted causing pockets next to the gums.
Once the braces are off I will need either an implant (which terrifies me!) or a denture of some sort to fill the gap where the molar is missing.
I didn't get braces as a teenager because my problems seemed minor back then and unless things were quite bad braces just weren't offered so Mum didn't know I would need them. I would like to hang on to my teeth as long as I possibly can though.
I'm hoping the braces will help with my clicking jaw but my orthodontist said that's not able to be predicted. It might, but it might not.
My family (other than my husband who encouraged me to go ahead, not because of how they looked but to make things better in the future) generally didn't think my teeth looked bad and some don't understand my need to fix things. I've never liked the gaps in front but I chose to do this as a preventative measure as the teeth were likely to continue to move and cause problems (particularly at the back).
So here are the before pics (one of which you've likely seen):
And in braces on day 3:
Right now I've just hit day 5.
It took me a month to decide what to do. I was offered metal braces, damon clear self ligating on top and I've gone blank on the bottom. They're clear but do have ligs) or invisalign. In the end I chose the brackets. I suspect I would have been tempted to remove the invisalign. Once I'd decided on brackets it was a matter of choosing the clear or the metal (another agonizing decision! I'm way too indecisive for big decisions like these!)
I'll be in the brackets for an expected 14 months, followed by 18 months in a retainer and then will have the front 4 teeth, top and bottom permanently bonded.
Getting the braces on was no big deal. I could feel pressure as soon as they were applied but it wasn't painful. I came home and had a sandwich but by dinnertime things were so sore all I could manage was soup (I hate soup!)
I can honestly say I've had a couple of moments in the last 5 days where I contemplated begging my orthodontist to remove the brackets. The pain has been quite intense. I've not been able to chew even bread and the brackets feel quite large in my mouth. The uclers I had on day 1 and 2 seem to have started to clear up and my speach isn't too bad except for my S's which sometimes whistle. I think my husband might have liked to divorce me so as to never hear about braces again
(really though, he's been very patient and caring 
)Today I feel like I will finally be able to chew at least a little and the constant ache has gone. Things still feel a little tight when I bite down but not terrifically painful like they had for the last week.
The first few hours I spent wondering why I had so much saliva but I've found the last few days I've felt the opposite. The brackets feel kind of dry and chalky. I've started using a dry mouth mouthwash hoping that will help.
I get to enjoy Christmas (as much as you can with braces) and have my first checkup mid January.
Sorry to have repeated some of my intro, like I said, just wanted to keep it all in one place
).
