Braces (again) @ 27 - edge to edge bite

[JACO]

Hi everyone,

I am starting my braces journey on Monday. This site has been incredibly helpful/inspiring as I've considered taking the plunge, and I decided it's worth posting my journey to hopefully inspire other folks considering the same decision.

Background: I am a 27 y/o male who works as a management consultant. I had braces as a teenager to correct an overjet/overbite. They were removed when I was 16, and I had a pretty good bite for the next 18 months. However, as I continued to grow in height my lower jaw also continued to grow - much more quickly than my upper jaw. By the beginning of college I was stuck with the somewhat screwy situation I have today.

Problem: I am told I have a skeletal Class III edge-to-edge bite. As you will see when I get around to posting pictures, my top and bottom arches only meet at one point in the front of my mouth. This alignment, plus my tendency to grind my teeth at night (though I've now used a night guard for years), has started to cause major and noticeable wear to my central incisors, as well as occasional jaw pain and a near continuous feeling of discomfort. On the positive side, my teeth remain perfectly straight and I am overall quite happy with my smile (except the wear).

Road to Treatment: Dentists have been telling me for years that I should get my bite fixed. In college, my original orthodontist took another look at me and said I would need another 24-36 month round of braces and double jaw surgery. For a number of reasons - my phobia of dental work due to a traumatic childhood experience, vanity, scheduling - I did not seriously consider treatment at that time.

A few years ago (when I first joined this forum) I decided to look into treatment again, spurned by concerns about wear on my teeth and increasing jaw pain. I was also optimistic that advancements in Invisalign would allow me to fix my bite without going through braces again. At that time I had consultations with two different orthodontists. The first guy said he could improve my bite ~75% using invisalign for 18 months, however the cost was truly astronomical ($13k!). The second orthodontist did not consider me to be a candidate for invisalign, and recommended full metal braces with a MEAW wire for 18-24 months. The consultations were depressing. I did not want to spend $13k on orthodontic treatment, and I was not at all ready to have a mouth full of metal in the professional world. As a result I continued to procrastinate while my bite continued to deteriorate.

Today's Treatment Plan: I've now decided to actually do something and fix this problem. I realize (as I wish I had earlier) that there is no good time for orthodontic treatment, and I would rather get this over with now rather than later. A few weeks ago I scheduled two additional consultations with new orthodontists. Going into the meetings I was 100% convinced I would go with Invisalign. Both orthodontists said I was a candidate, however the more I learned the more I was unsure about Invisalign. I was told I would get attachments on nearly all of my teeth, need a lower incisor extracted, and would be wearing multiple elastics to fix my bite for the duration of my treatment (~18mos). As I read more about Invisalign - about the pains of taking them in and out constantly, about not being able to eat or drink with them in, and about having to wear them for 22hrs a day - and looked at pictures of folks with full attachments, I began to feel like Invisalign was not the perfect option I had been hoping for. It became clear to me that either way the outside world would know I'm having orthodontic treatment (elastics are hard to hide).

As a result I've decided to do what I never thought I would - get braces again. I figure if I'm going to have strange things in my mouth, I might as well have strange things that actually get the job done and don't just look like I have shiny, drooly, and bumpy teeth. My initial treatment plan calls for 18 months of self-ligating braces (ceramic top, metal bottom). I am also going to get the Propel treatment, which should reduce my treatment time to 9-11 months. I am scheduled for bonding on Monday morning (8/29/16) - yikes! The hope is that they will be off in time for my wedding next July, however my orthodontist has offered to remove my braces for the wedding if things aren't done yet.

Reflections: While this forum has been incredibly helpful in showing me that I will survive life as an adult in braces, I am still incredibly freaked out. Deep down I continue to fear the potential impact braces will have on my professional life (will I be taken seriously?), my personal life (will my fiancee still find me attractive?), and generally navigating the world as an adult in braces (am I ready to brush my teeth in public bathrooms? am I ready to be "that guy" at the party with braces?). I am also dreading the many conversations with friends and family.

Despite these fears I know this is the right decision. While I am about super nervous, I am also excited to take this step and finally have a comfortable/healthy bite that will not leave me without teeth by 40.

I'll update this post as my treatment progresses. Look for before pictures and first day reflections on Monday!

[Tinchi7]

I can relate to your fears, as I still feel some of them right now. I'm a 32 y/o medical professional and I just had my metal braces put in yesterday. I'm trying to get over my anxiety, hence, I am on this site reading peoples' post . I do feel somewhat better now. I think you made the right decision going with braces instead of invisalign, probably what I would of done. Good luck on your journey and I hope they fix your bite quickly and efficiently.

[JACO]

Just returned from my pre-braces cleaning at the dentist and have a few before pics. The dentist strongly agreed with my choice to go ahead with treatment - it was nice to not be scolded for once .

I'll upload more pictures after the big day. My feeling have been a bit of a rollercoaster - proud of myself for taking this step one moment, then terrified of looking like a teenager the next.

Front shot:


Side shot:

[JACO]

Well, today was the big day. However the result wasn't quite what I was planning.

After mulling things over last weekend I decided to take the risk and go with Invisalign. The thought of having adult braces absolutely terrified me - much more than it rationally should have. I have to interact with new people very often for work and I was worried about the impact braces would have on my self confidence. While I realize Invisalign will not be "invisible" (hard to hide elastics and a mouthful of attachments) I ultimately decided that I'd rather have treatment that is less immediately noticeable. The panic I have felt over the last few days has given me much more respect for the folks on this board - y'all are much tougher than I am

Still a bit worried that things will not turn out as well as with traditional braces, however my ortho has convinced me there is no real difference in outcomes.

As a result I did my scan today and will be going back at the end of the month to get attachments and pick up my trays!

[JACO]

Just had my first appointment to pick up my trays! I ended up with quite a few attachments - 18 , including attachments on all of my front upper teeth. I was also instructed to start wearing class III elastics immediately, which was quite a shock - I thought elastics would not start until later in the process.

Everything feels a bit weird (particularly the elastics) but it's not quite as bad as I had imagined. Speaking is a little difficult but I think that will get better quickly. With the aligners in the attachments are pretty noticeable, but definitely less noticeable than ceramic braces would have been. Without my aligners the attachments are pretty much invisible. I was also pleasantly surprised how not noticeable the elastics are - they are much clearer than the ones I wore with regular braces, and only really show when I open my mouth widely.

Next appointment is in 2.5 weeks when I should get IPR and Propel. After that I will be changing my trays every week instead of the regular two week intervals. Current treatment plan calls for 27 trays, but I expect there will be a fair number of refinements!

[mattt]

Congrats on choosing to do something about your smile, it will be so worth it once you are done!
Are you planning on posting any pictures of the treatment?

[art]

So what are the attachments? I am trying to decide on braces round two and despite all the perils of metal braces I am not sure I can follow through on the Invisalign because of the "option" to take them out.

[igneous]

Congrats on taking the plunge! good luck with propel! I absolutely despised getting it done. Though, you could tell it works so well. I was instructed to wear elastics almost my second trip to the Ortho as well, having to wear braces twice, I had the notion from before that elastics are a later-term gig. Just in general with noticeability and things like, just remember that it's all about the way you perceive it. I worked in bank for almost a year in the headquarters and no one focused on my teeth. Obviously despite having them for as long as I do and I'm still predisposed to insecurities on certain levels you can tell that they don't really mind at all and move past it. With time everything will become like clock work and you'll honestly just be counting down the days till your done, not because of all the stuff on your teeth but rather the excitement of having a perfect smile.

Best of luck!

[ntnch1776]

How long is your treatment with Invisalign supposed to take?