Poll: At What Age Did You Get Your Braces?

[chocomorsel]

Had them at 31, now 32 and 4 months in. Looking at about 18 more months. All I know is they will be out in that time due to the fact that I'm moving and gave my ortho fair warning from the very beginning and he said he could do it within 23 months.

[tashay1985]

I got my braces at 24 years of age. I always wanted straight teeth but i was very self-conscious about how the braces would look. Finally after seeing a few orthodontists & getting 6 teeth pulled I finally decided to get ceramic braces, also since now i can afford them. I had very bad crowding. I've had them for a year now!

[fishtails]

I got them when I was 20, pretty young

[kgstar]

I am 29. I didn't need them until now, after the affects of having a tooth replaced without being told I should have done a root canal or an implant.
At least I got married 6 months ago so wedding pictures wont be an issue, but I never imagined ever needing braces or turning 30 with braces. wawawa.

[GRILLZ]

i'm 53 and will be braced in 2 wks. i have an open bite and have gotten very bad wear on my teeth because they aren't hitting right. i've had bad pain for years and my dentist, after nagging me for at least a year has convinced me that i have to go ortho.....

--grillz

[gtrguy2886]

I'm set to start orthodontics for the second time in a few weeks. I will be wearing an orthodontic splint for a few months first, and then the braces will go on. I'm 25.

My first treatment started at age 15.

[sjeanine]

I got my braces at 24 years of age. I always wanted straight teeth but i was very self-conscious about how the braces would look. Finally after seeing a few orthodontists & getting 6 teeth pulled I finally decided to get ceramic braces, also since now i can afford them. I had very bad crowding. I've had them for a year now!

Thank you for posting your monthly pics and keeping a blog about your braces from start to finish...well, almost anyway! ; ) I am much older than you but just got braces put on and am worried about how much they'll help and also worried about getting two teeth pulled this week! Were you put out for yours or did you just have a local? How painful is it, if you had a local? By the way, you have such a beautiful smile now!! No one would ever guess, once your braces are gone, that you ever had to have braces! ; ) Thanks for giving others hope and encouragement by sharing your story and pics here! Congratulations!!!

[GRILLZ]

sjeanine:

i wanted to comment on the pain of a local tooth extraction. the only pain i felt was the discomfort of the numbing injection....which they have greatly improved.....i know i had a local when i had to have gum surgery not that long ago, because i had a fractured tooth (i will never eat olives again....but that's another story.....because i fractured my tooth on an olive pit i ended up needing a root canal, gum surgery and a crown......approx 5,000 from a misplaced olive pit )

anyway, when i got the local...they gave me a numbing patch....which numbed the area....then they started the injections and i ended up getting quite a few of them....but only the first one really pinched....i guess that is how i would characterize it.....it was a pretty good pinch...but after that.....i started to get numb and it was good. i'll say this that i think there is more local trauma from getting the injections....the roof of my mouth got black and blue (but again, i received quite a few shots for this gum surgery). if you get put asleep, there won't be any local trauma from the shots. on the other hand...it was kind of nice to be numb for a while after the surgery. you won't have that with being put to sleep. you walk up and bang....you feel it all.

i hope this helps you with your decision.....

[sjeanine]

Thanks, Grillz... I was told it would be $80 (my part) to have two teeth pulled with novacaine or $290 to be put under. I'm just trying to decide which to do...not really wanting to pay the higher amount but sounds nice to be put to sleep and woke up with it all over with.....It sounds like all those shots can add more soreness and bruising afterwards too....I just dont know yet and will prob decide once I get there.

sjeanine:

i wanted to comment on the pain of a local tooth extraction. the only pain i felt was the discomfort of the numbing injection....which they have greatly improved.....i know i had a local when i had to have gum surgery not that long ago, because i had a fractured tooth (i will never eat olives again....but that's another story.....because i fractured my tooth on an olive pit i ended up needing a root canal, gum surgery and a crown......approx 5,000 from a misplaced olive pit )

anyway, when i got the local...they gave me a numbing patch....which numbed the area....then they started the injections and i ended up getting quite a few of them....but only the first one really pinched....i guess that is how i would characterize it.....it was a pretty good pinch...but after that.....i started to get numb and it was good. i'll say this that i think there is more local trauma from getting the injections....the roof of my mouth got black and blue (but again, i received quite a few shots for this gum surgery). if you get put asleep, there won't be any local trauma from the shots. on the other hand...it was kind of nice to be numb for a while after the surgery. you won't have that with being put to sleep. you walk up and bang....you feel it all.

i hope this helps you with your decision.....

[tashay1985]

I got my braces at 24 years of age. I always wanted straight teeth but i was very self-conscious about how the braces would look. Finally after seeing a few orthodontists & getting 6 teeth pulled I finally decided to get ceramic braces, also since now i can afford them. I had very bad crowding. I've had them for a year now!

Thank you for posting your monthly pics and keeping a blog about your braces from start to finish...well, almost anyway! ; ) I am much older than you but just got braces put on and am worried about how much they'll help and also worried about getting two teeth pulled this week! Were you put out for yours or did you just have a local? How painful is it, if you had a local? By the way, you have such a beautiful smile now!! No one would ever guess, once your braces are gone, that you ever had to have braces! ; ) Thanks for giving others hope and encouragement by sharing your story and pics here! Congratulations!!!

Hi sjeanine! thank you for checking it out, I can't wait to be done with treatment! I had 6 teeth pulled on the same day with "General Anesthesia" (shots), NOT knocked out. I was very very scared because I'd never had a tooth pulled before, That was the reason I kept changing my mind about the whole Braces process altogether. I was too scared to have even 1 Tooth pulled out nevermind the thought of 6!
I was calm and confident until I was called into the room. I had a bit of a breakdown right after they gave me the numbing shots, they had to give me a valium to relax me. Sounds a bit silly to think about now but I was so scared of the pain I thought I would feel. After all that whining, I was completely numb I couldnt feel any pain at all. I could feel the yanking and the pressure but absolutely NO pain! Mine took a while because 6 teeth is quite a few lol Your mouth stays numb for a few hours and after that, The pain meds really do their job, as long as you take them as directed and don't let them wear off! I followed all the dentists orders as far as eating soft foods, and being gentle while cleaning my teeth and to take my pain meds and everything was fine. My extractions were completely healed up in about 4 weeks and I definitely do not regret it one bit, the results thus far amaze me I never imagined my teeth would be this straight. If you have seen my before pictures, then you know what I mean! LOL If you need teeth pulled & braces, I definitely say go for it! you won't regret it when you see your smile change. I know I will cry once these things finally come off! its been a great experience, if you have any other questions please dont hesitate to ask!

[AmICrazy?]

Getting them on in 2 weeks at the age of 28 :( Can't say I'm looking forward to it :(

[mas604]

24, few days ago had some pain eatting before nows pretty good so far

[doing it again]

I got my first ones whn i was about 13, 39 years later and I am getting my second lot! When I was in my 30,s my teeth started drifting back and now I have uneven wear problems, and the lower ones are very crowded and difficult to clean. Cosmetically they look OK to me, but I have seen people wearing braces whose teeth look better than mine. The arch wires go on next month and then the pain will start all over again.

[goldenoldie]

58 - Had them put on 7 months ago - thought I was the oldest person in the universe to have them fitted but looking at the poll this is obviously not the case. Had crooked teeth all my life but 3 years ago had gum disease and they got worse. Had 3 years of periodontal treatment which resulted in healthy gums. Orothodontist agreed to me having braces. I was overjoyed, straight teeth at last (or they will be once they are removed). Still have a long way to go but can see huge improvement already.

[enconstruccion]

I got braced at 37. Most people thinks it is strange to do it at my age, but well, It's my decission and I want to have a nicer smile and a better bite