It's so annoying..

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#1 Post by **xTc** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:19 am

I had braces when I was 14-15, they made my teeth perfect, however I lost the bottom retainer and felt really guilty so told my mum and dad I didn't want it replacing, I also hardly wore the top retainer (Went on holiday for a week without it for example) which caused my teeth to move back..

My bottom teeth are really crooked, but you hardly ever see those, the top are OK.. the two front teeth are slightly overlapped which really annoys me, how I spent like 18 months wearing braces for nothing.

I recently started to research lingual braces and rang an orthdontist in Manchester called Lotus, the Doctor there is Chris West. He quoted me Â£3500 just for the top linguals, which is quite expensive for me.. I dunno what to do, I hate my teeth at the moment and they make me not want to smile on photos etc, but I feel REALLY down about having to pay so much and wear braces all over again when I've been through all the pain etc the first time for free..

Sorry for the essay, I'm just really trying to decide whether to go ahead and get them done, I'm too embarassed to speak to anyone about it as everyone knows I've already worn braces and I feel like they'd think I'm crazy wanting to spend Â£3500 just to ave my uppers straightened..

Thanks in advance for any help..

#2 Post by **xTc** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:20 am

Meryaten wrote:Linguals always tend to be the most expensive option. It sounds like you just have some fairly minor relapse to deal with, so I wonder if you'd be a candidate for Invisalign? Maybe even Invisalign Express?

I'm kinda put off by invisalign cos I don't want anyone to notice anything at all...

I tried my old retainer on and my upper teeth have definetely moved a fair bit.. it's just kinda one tooth thats at a different angle, looks horrible on pics etc

Ill google invisalign express, never heard of that before, thanks

#3 Post by **Daveyboy** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 1:51 pm

Hi xTC,

I'm in the UK too, and Â£3500 sounds about right for upper linguals if they're a well respected practice, and you needed at least 12 months treatment. Did they give you a rough estimate of how long you'd need them for?

I paid just over Â£6000 here for upper and lower linguals, but that's a fixed price for an estimated 18-24 months treatment... including a break for surgery in the middle.

One thing i'd check is how much they'd charge you for non-scheduled emergency appointments (Mine are included in the fixed cost) and what happens if your treatment plan goes longer than expected (again why I chose the fixed price plan).

Dave

#4 Post by **xTc** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 7:50 am

Daveyboy wrote:Hi xTC,

I'm in the UK too, and Â£3500 sounds about right for upper linguals if they're a well respected practice, and you needed at least 12 months treatment. Did they give you a rough estimate of how long you'd need them for?

I paid just over Â£6000 here for upper and lower linguals, but that's a fixed price for an estimated 18-24 months treatment... including a break for surgery in the middle.

One thing i'd check is how much they'd charge you for non-scheduled emergency appointments (Mine are included in the fixed cost) and what happens if your treatment plan goes longer than expected (again why I chose the fixed price plan).

Dave

My old orthodontist said they fit linguals for Â£2500, but when I used to go there the dentist was horrible.. I've only spoken to this new orthodontist over the phone and he seems really nice and professional, I wonder whether its worth paying extra for that..

It's just so frustrating knowing if I had only worn my retainers the first time around I wouldn't have this problem.. :\

How are you finding linguals? Or have you not had them fitted yet?

#5 Post by **Daveyboy** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 12:02 pm

My experience has been pretty much the same as most people on here.. weird/difficult for the first 2-3 weeks.. but once your tongue gets used to it then they're fine really!

I'm now coming to the end (fingers crossed) of my treatment and for the most part I haven't been annoyed/frustrated etc at all... they don't affect my speech, nor really affect most of what I can eat. I am however looking forward to biting into a big french baguette at some point soon though!!

Dave

#6 Post by **xTc** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 4:05 pm

Daveyboy wrote:My experience has been pretty much the same as most people on here.. weird/difficult for the first 2-3 weeks.. but once your tongue gets used to it then they're fine really!

I'm now coming to the end (fingers crossed) of my treatment and for the most part I haven't been annoyed/frustrated etc at all... they don't affect my speech, nor really affect most of what I can eat. I am however looking forward to biting into a big french baguette at some point soon though!!

Dave

Haha.

I have a dilemma, my bottom teeth are more crooked than my top, but you hardly ever see them. I can't afford to have upper and lower Linguals, so it's either just get upper linguals, or get invisalign - which costs the same regardless of whether you do one arch or both...

Linguals appeal cause they are 100% discreet (After the initial few weeks)

Invisalign appeal because I can get the upper and lower straightened for the same price as just having the upper Linguals done..

Dunno what to do..

#7 Post by **loopyloo** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 4:56 pm

Get invisalign then - if you can get the results you want, that is. You might as well get both top and bottom done at the same time if possible. If I could have had invisalign then I would have taken it. It took me months to get used to the soreness of linguals on my tongue. Invisalign surely must eliminate that entirely? And it's not as if anyone will know you're wearing them unless they are looking for them.

#8 Post by **xTc** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:25 am

loopyloo wrote:Get invisalign then - if you can get the results you want, that is. You might as well get both top and bottom done at the same time if possible. If I could have had invisalign then I would have taken it. It took me months to get used to the soreness of linguals on my tongue. Invisalign surely must eliminate that entirely? And it's not as if anyone will know you're wearing them unless they are looking for them.

What I don't like about invisalign is that, if I look at them and think "Wow, they are REALLY noticable", I'll be really down.. I'd feel so self-conscious.. and from the pictures I've seen they are noticablle..

I dunno what to do at all, everyone says different things about linguals..

#9 Post by **anoushka** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:59 am

first few weeks are not the prettiest, but I am so used to them by now, that a month and a half I could chew up a cow and any kind of nut you would put in front of me. Changes are amazing in short time, so do not be turned off by anyway. Wax will be your best friend in first few days, but I have been wax free from day 4. I have Ibraces, gaps come and go, and teeth keep on mooving rapidly. No worries, love Lings.

#10 Post by **xTc** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:25 pm

anoushka wrote:first few weeks are not the prettiest, but I am so used to them by now, that a month and a half I could chew up a cow and any kind of nut you would put in front of me. Changes are amazing in short time, so do not be turned off by anyway. Wax will be your best friend in first few days, but I have been wax free from day 4. I have Ibraces, gaps come and go, and teeth keep on mooving rapidly. No worries, love Lings.

Thanks mate, think I'm gonna go for it!

#11 Post by **lingualslady** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 11:17 am

definitely go for it - once you start noticing you teeth it in photos etc, even if noone else does, it's so miserable and you'll notice it in every photo for the rest of your life... and dont keep putting it off - if i started the treatment when i first looked into it would all be over by now!

#12 Post by **xTc** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 5:20 pm

lingualslady wrote:definitely go for it - once you start noticing you teeth it in photos etc, even if noone else does, it's so miserable and you'll notice it in every photo for the rest of your life... and dont keep putting it off - if i started the treatment when i first looked into it would all be over by now!

Oh god I know what you mean, I never thought my teeth were bad until about a year ago I saw a picture of myself smiling and they looked sooo crooked.. Now I never smile on photos

You're so right, if I had got them like 4 months ago when I first started thinking about it I'd prob have straight teeth now and be used to them

#13 Post by **xTc** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 6:31 am

Meryaten wrote:I'm sorry if this seems rude, and this is just my personal opinion, but it seems to me that it's being a bit penny-wise and pound-foolish to treat the uppers only, when you say the lowers are worse. I can only imagine that the results would tend to be a bit more stable if both arches are corrected so that they can work in harmony, rather than addressing the more minor issues with the upper arch alone. Were I you, I'd opt for treating both arches, be it with Invisalign or fixed braces, and if that's just not an option, I'd wait until I could afford to treat the entire mouth with linguals. A compromise would be to do linguals on the uppers and ceramics on the lowers (several folks here, including lionfish) have chosen that path, and if your lowers are so seldom seen that you don't mind them being wonky, then surely treating them with ceramics would be palatable. (Pardon the pun)

What you are saying makes total sense, the orth might even say to me that he won't treat the uppers without also doing the lowers, I haven't even seen him yet.

But if he says that I could do the uppers without having to do the lowers, and it would have no affect on the outcome of treatment, then I would def do that. I definetely want them both doing but for now I'd be happy with just the uppers.. I couldn't imagine having linguals on upper and lower..

#14 Post by **rolo** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:12 am

It's such a personal choice, but I am the most self concious vain person I know, and I have lingual uppers and ceramic lowers. I have to say very few people have noticed the lowers - those who have notice have been very nice and positive and one person was so impressed you could get discrete braces she has got some herself! You can get teflon coated white arch wires for a lot of the treatment if you wanted to.

Anyway whatever you decide do go for it, it's rubbish when you don't like smiling for photos, I just can't believe that I put off having the work done for so long. Oh, I got paraniod about my lower ceramics showing in photos, so I tried to hide them, but I just got some pics back where you can see my lower teeth and the braces don't show up on them. It is just so nice to be able to smile confidently.

Good Luck

#15 Post by **xTc** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:19 am

rolo wrote:It's such a personal choice, but I am the most self concious vain person I know, and I have lingual uppers and ceramic lowers. I have to say very few people have noticed the lowers - those who have notice have been very nice and positive and one person was so impressed you could get discrete braces she has got some herself! You can get teflon coated white arch wires for a lot of the treatment if you wanted to.

Anyway whatever you decide do go for it, it's rubbish when you don't like smiling for photos, I just can't believe that I put off having the work done for so long. Oh, I got paraniod about my lower ceramics showing in photos, so I tried to hide them, but I just got some pics back where you can see my lower teeth and the braces don't show up on them. It is just so nice to be able to smile confidently.

Good Luck

Yeah, this place is really good for giving confidence, where otherwise you would feel completely alone. I was shocked at just how many older people have braces, or are considering getting them.. I can't wait for the day I can smile on a photo and feel 100% confident.

What I find most embarassing is that I have worn braces before, I would be SO embarassed if one of my mates said "But didn't you used to wear braces?".

I can't explain why, I just really would be so embarassed. I might consider ceramics on the lowers, depends on the cost really.