Braces at 27.. Ugh.

[IamKrysie]

I should have had braces as a teen. I have always been insecure about my teeth and smile, to the point where I barely smiled at my own wedding, and you can see that in my wedding photos. I have desperately want braces for years but for one reason or another, it was never quite the right time. I also went several years in my late teens/early 20s with little professional dental care thanks awful anxiety about the dentist that started in high school.
Anyway, here I am. With a new dentist that has fixed some minor issues that doesn't make me want to run away screaming. He referred me to an orthodontist, and I learned that if I don't take care of my severe crowding issues now, I may not have teeth in my 50's. Awesome.

I have poured over this site for about a month now. I have anxiously been through an ortho consult, molds, plan of treatment, and 3 days ago... the spacers went in. Oh, they are awful. I can't wait to have them out. In 5 days, I go back to get molar bands and brackets on the bottom. A week after that and I will be the proud owner of upper and lower braces. Oh. Boy.

I still have time to decide if I want the clear ceramic or traditional stainless steel. For vanity's sake, Id like to go with the clear but it's still so visible and will add 6 months to an estimated 3 year treatment time. So I guess I will go with stainless steel and just own it.

I am worried about what it will look like at first with crazy wires. I am afraid of what my co-workers will say. I have already resigned to not go to my 10 year high school reunion this winter. (because nothing screams, "Im not a geek anymore!" like adult braces) At the same time, I am excited about the final result. I am proud of myself for getting over my anxieties to make this a reality.

So, hello everyone and thanks for all of your uber helpful advice.

[Norrie]

Welcome!

I think that you're wise to just rock whatever will get you done the fastest. I got lingual (Incognito) braces because I was worried about not looking professional at work, and I've been bummed ever since. I wish that I had listened to my orthodontist when he tried to tell me about other options that would have worked better for me, and I'm about to spend more money and switch over, either to clear or just plain metal. At this point I just want to do whatever I have to do to get through and be done.

Good for you for thinking it over thoroughly. When is your brace date?

[IamKrysie]

Today I got a baby tooth pulled. I think it was a canine? (They said it was a "c" tooth) I am really hoping that the adult tooth, which on xray is pointing down just waiting to come in, will start to move into place. My ortho isn't a fan on pulling down adult teeth that may not be worth it. I'm really hating the gap in my mouth and the odd feelings that come along with a missing tooth but I keep telling myself: A short term inconvenience for a long term gain. Right?

This Friday (the 21st) I will get molar bands and brackets on the bottom teeth. The big day will be a week later on the 28th when wires and the top brackets go in. Eeeek!

[DaisySmith]

Hi IamKrysie,

Welcome, my advice is take the braces with the shortest treatment time. I agree with Norrie. Look at this as a an opportunity to promote 'geek chic' that's what I'm doing! I'm a 42 year old woman with long glossy hair, five inch heels, long tight tops and tight jeans. I used to be a bit of a fat porker so I shaped up and am making the most of it before I start to look ridiculous.

Smile, fake the confidence until you feel it and inspire other adults around you into thinking "if she's okay with braces maybe I could be!"

Visible braces won't make you look less attractive but acting like you have embraced them with utter confidence will make you more so. Good luck on your journey! X

[mapleleafman888]

Hey! Well I am going to be 26 this year and still have a year left in braces!

I guess I'm just trying to encourage you that braces really aren't that bad at all. Last weekend I was at a social event and there was 4 of us who had braces (all adults haha!). And in the 5 months that I've been out and about I've come across multiple adults with braces as well (you start to notice once you have them yourself). It's quite a common thing for adults to have braces now, so seriously, don't miss out on life because of what other people might think. Just do life as normal as you would without braces. No one has ever made a dumb comment, and most people won't even say anything. It's just dental work!

Good luck with your appointments, and honestly as a ceramic braces wearer of 5 months I wish I would have saved my self 500 bucks and just gone with the metal brackets instead.

Whatever you do, just rock it!

[chichi]

Welcome! I just turned 28 and I've had my braces on for almost 8 months now. It's really not all that bad and I definitely wish I had done it a lot sooner. Like mapleleafman said, you'll start to notice other adults in braces and it'll make you realize how silly it was to be embarrassed by them. With that said, however, I have ceramic uppers and I'm very glad I went that route. People still know I have braces, but I feel better about how they look (mine also aren't adding time to the treatment, so that's something I didn't have to consider).

[jb1231]

I'm with you! 26 & just got braces.

Let's try to think of the light at the end of the tunnel and think of straight, beautiful, healthy teeth!

Something I read by someone (not sure if it was on here or another website?) said the time is going to go by either way, may as well go by and result with nice teeth.

[IamKrysie]

Thanks for all of your kind words!

Its just been kind of a tough few weeks, starting with discomfort from spacers, then an extraction. I was starting to feel normal again and then they put on molar bands, added more spacers (which actually dont hurt at all) and brackets on the bottom teeth. The first day I didnt think the brackets were so bad, but now they rubbing all over my lip. It feels like a bunch of tiny little knives! I also have kind of a lisp from the inside of the molar bands sticking out on the inside of my mouth. So much metal and I am only halfway done!
I am thinking that I will get used to this and then it will be next Friday and the top brackets and wires will be on and I will be in misery once again. I also cant close my mouth all the way because of my overbite and the brackets on the bottom teeth. My ortho basically said that Ill get used to it and that my bite will change several times throughout this process.
I guess right now I am just in the misery phase. Right? Right?

[DaisySmith]

It will all be worth it and if when you have the top brackets on they are a bit annoying for a couple of days, that too will pass - although, my first adjustment has been a breeze despite pointlessly preparing myself for misery! It's horses for courses so don't assume the worst. I wasted several days worrying about something that DIDN'T happen!

Let's face it, braces are annoying but mostly now I honestly don't think about them that much, certainly not like I did in the first week when I felt like I was being held hostage in my mouth by some vindictive metal and plastic kidnappers. I didn't think I could get to a point where they bother me this little. Would I prefer to have them out? Of course but they are perfectly tolerable and yours will be for you too, sooner than you might think.

[IamKrysie]

[quote="DaisySmith"]...certainly not like I did in the first week when I felt like I was being held hostage in my mouth by some vindictive metal and plastic kidnappers. [/quote]

This line literally made me LOL, because Ive been sulking all day with this feeling.

[IamKrysie]

Ok, so my braces went on 2 days ago. I took the advice that I've gotten off of this forum and took an Advil right before I sat in the chair. I have been dreading this moment since my spacers went in 2 weeks ago. I have had a good amount of discomfort since then, and I mentally prepared myself to be miserable all weekend. I stocked up on soft foods. I warned my husband that I will be cranky. I filled my Netflix list with things to watch. Directly after my appointment, I got McDonalds drive through (complete with a big shake) to be my "last solid food meal". I ate it without a problem, and waited for the pain/discomfort to set it.
...and it didn't. Friday night, I ate TGIFridays (chicken breast cut up into little pieces) and yesterday I ate a steak and cheese with very little discomfort. Ive been pretty much staying on top of my NSAID dosing, taking Naproxen every 12 hours. But still, I expected more pain than this. I feel tightness and I swear in the few days I have noticed an ever so slight movement, but no pain. My ortho uses a titanium low profile system and swears that it causes less discomfort than traditional stainless steel. I didn't really believe him when he told me this as he was gluing stuff on, but now I believe it.

So maybe this journey won't be so bad. My biggest concern moving forward is making sure I keep everything clean and prevent cavities/white spots.

[DaisySmith]

Glad things are going so well for you IamKrysie! It really is different for everyone. Firstly, depending on the position of your teeth to start with, the positioning of the brackets and where in the mouth they might rub and snag against the soft tissue inside the mouth etc. In terms of tooth movement, I didn't find that too bad. They felt tender, even through the pain relief but it was kind of what I expected to feel. My initial struggle was how the brackets shredded the insides of my mouth and the canker sores so if you don't have any of that going on, congratulations lol!

[IamKrysie]

I had the bottom brackets (without a wire) for a WHOLE WEEK before getting upper brackets and wires. Let me tell ya, those brackets without the little rubber bands (ligatures?) and wire felt like little spikes digging into my mouth. I got very familiar with wax and did a warm salt water rinse twice a day. So when he finally put everything else on, the brackets themselves felt muuuuch better. I do have the little ends of the wire poking me in one spot that Ive had wax on almost constantly, but other than that my mouth is actually ok.
I really had a tough time with spacers, and then with the bottom brackets that weren't attached to anything. That was 2 whole weeks of being uncomfortable and not being able to eat solid food. So I think that while having everything on doesn't exactly feel great, it's not nearly as bad as I expected.
Also, I SWEAR that I can feel some movement. My husband thinks that Im crazy, but I can tell what my crowded teeth felt like before, and what they feel like now. Especially my two front teeth. I know its very minute movement but it's enough to make me happy with this decision.

[ruchel]

Im getting them too, its nearly my birthday Im turning 27 - I wish I had them when I was a teen - It's nice to read and have the support online - but I need extractions - one retained baby pre molar and three other premolars - im freaking out over the extractions!! But short term pain for long term gain Glad im not the only one in the 17 braces club!

[IamKrysie]

So i went in for my first adjustment. I went with teal ligs instead of silver this time. It was a pretty good color choice, if I do say so myself. I wasn't expecting it to hurt so much when he put on the new ligs, it felt like he was ripping my teeth out of head! I've been pretty happy with my movement so far and I mentioned it to the ortho thinking he was just going to give me a lecture about how much more time I had in braces, but he actually told me that he has seen significant movement in the past month and that he is very happy with how things are progressing!

I really need to get some pictures up in here....