Whats your story?

[finalexplosion]

I got my braces bcuz i was grinding down my molars when i chewed ( and mainly cuz i had gaps too). My ortho told me ifi hadn't, when i got older i woulda worn it down to the enamel - or root ? (idk correct me lol) - and it woulda been painful when iate. So why did you get braces? Other than wanting strighter teeth lol

All my life, I never smiled in pics, and would only show my front teeth. I also have GERD/acid reflux meaning, stomach acid over produces, it comes up, and it ruins teeth. I was thinking about even doing a whitening before I get my braces on. Anyway, I saw a ortho I got referred to by my dentist. I was quoted $5900 but, I am thinking of going the 6 ceramic braces for my uppers seeing that, I am an adult, and self conscious about braces to begin with. I have no coverage so, its going to be a expensive venture. I already paid for my premolars to be extracted which was pricey. $600 and that was a discount. Also, the xrays at the ortho weren't great so, my dentist took some more and I am excited to have straight teeth. Curious as to how much more ceramic braces will be. If its only another $5oo, this is a no brainer for me.

Personally, i wouldnt do ceramic if i had spent all that money already lol and tbh people dont really notice! After about 2 weeks of having my braces on my boss asked me "when did you get braces? " lol it sucks that it's xepensive to have nice teeth, i too am paying 6,000 out of pocket are you already braced? Is there a way to like slow down the process of your acid reflex ?

I am becoming aware that, this is a world forum so, all things are not necessarily equal. As in, a China dollar is not the same as the UK or Japan. $5900 was a price I was quoted by a ortho that my dentist referral and they're actually friends, about the same age, do dinner, and costume parties. Its cool. Like, they don't charge me for a bunch of sesame. For instance, I needed more Xrays which is about $150 a pop. They took 3 and charged me $0. Furthermore, I was told that the extractions for premolars/bicuspids were about $230.00/$245.00 (pending any complications). Also, its more if you needed a oral surgeon. Instead, they had a dentist do the work in office, booked for the end of the day where, they could stay longer even. If a oral surgeon did the job, it could be as much as $500 each.

What bugs me is that, I am a fully grown adult, almost 30, and single. Having braces sucks. I can only imagine. Its awkward since, all my friends are getting married, people don't go out anymore so, I am finding myself making new friends when I am out. I am talking to girls and of course, this requires opening my mouth, and burying that insecurity. Its going alright but, not perfect. Still single lol

I can take meds for acid reflux but, they wanted to give me surgery at 16. It would require tying my esophagus and stomach lining so, there would be no black flow of acid reflux but, it would stop me from vomiting ever again. I decided not to drink anymore, clean up my diet, and stopped taking meds. Its gotten better but, the dentist told me I have damage. My teeth are in need of whitening.

It is very upsetting. I don't eat candy, chocolate, sweets, or juices and pops. I have deprived all that stuff yet, people that muck donuts or crispie creams have nicer whiter teeth. Its really upsetting. Anyway, thanks for the response. If its $500.00 more for the ceramic braces, I am thinking of going with it.

[LockedinMyTower]

I originally got braces around nine or ten. My teeth were MESSED UP. I had the palate expander first, which was worse than the braces, to be totally honest! I was the only kid in my grade with braces, and then I needed glasses, so you can imagine the looker I was. I had one set of braces, then a few weeks later, another. I feel Iike it was about three or four years total, and I was done by age twelve, with removable bottom and top retainers.

I wore the retainers religiously. I had retention for almost ten years, until I started having jaw pain. Jaw pain turned into oral pain. My tongue, between my teeth, the inside of my cheeks peeled. I had constant sores and ulcers that wouldn't heal, I was having a hard time eating. It was literal Hell on Earth. At this point, I'm 20. This was at the beginning of 2012. I've always gone to the dentist every six months and at its worst, my dentist called oral lichen planus. Since I'd been dealing with lichen planus since 2004, I wasn't surprised, but extremely upset. I went to an oral surgeon, who insisted on a biopsy, even though all the biopsies I'd had done prior never showed lichen planus. I do not recommend a tongue biopsy, it was so terrible. And I was right, it didn't show lichen planus, even though I had it "textbook." The oral surgeon was useless, I moved on to another and was prescribed a medicated mouthrinse to help with pain. At that point, I had changed my toothpaste, which helped tremendously, and I unfortunately had to stop wearing the retainers due to pain. The specialists I saw were in agreement that they could've been making the lichen planus worse, so I didn't worry. Little did I know teeth moved back, so that's what happened. I could kick myself!

Flash forward to fall of 2016. I have an open bite and my palate has narrowed. So, now, I'm dealing with lichen planus still, since there's no cure, it can only be managed, and trying to get my teeth back to where they were. I cannot have braces because the idea of having metal in my mouth with lichen planus sounds worse than death, so I went back to my original orthodontist, who knew about lichen planus, but didn't have any patients with it. We first had a bottom removable appliance made, because my bottom teeth had shifted only slightly--my top teeth were always the issue, even when I was younger. I wanted to make sure it was going to work for me, with no ulcers. They straightened out, and yay, no reactions! My lichen planus flares regardless, but the combination of acrylic and wire didn't make it worse. (Having the mold done made it flare.) So, time passed, and then we decided to go for a removable palate expander. That was right before Thanksgiving 2016 and I'm still expanding now. I've seen a lot of improvement, and my front teeth, which were jutting out due to lack of space, have come in a lot. I'm hoping using removable appliances can fix the other issues once the expansion is complete. I don't know how the lichen planus would fare with Invisalign, so I'm hesitant paying all that money upfront only to have a reaction to it.

It's taking a lot longer than if I had gone the traditional braces route, but being able to take out those pieces saves my sanity. When I go in for my annual cleanings, my mouth is usually in pain for days afterward. I had a reaction to the numbing gel back at the very beginning of this, in October 2016, which made no sense since it was the same brand--but I would've ripped those appliances out had they been cemented in. Braces, unfortunately, would be faster, but no do-able for me. A part of me feels like the orthodontist, who I trust, is up to the challenge. Each time I go in there, he's so enthusiastic and different ideas come about whenever questions are asked. I guess we'll see, keep your fingers crossed for me!

[Sparhawk]

The reason I got mine is because I always had a gap between my 2 upper front teeth since I was young. As a kid I didn't really pay attention to it but when I got older I started to dislike it more and more. This resulted in me eventually becoming quite self-conscious which in turn resulted in me always smiling with my mouth closed.

When I was 23 I asked my dentist what could be done IF I wanted to close my gap. He explained the options I had and told me that braces would be the best option. I only had to ask and I would get a referral for the orthodontist. I chickened out because the thought of having braces at 23 scared me if I’m being honest.

Last year (3 years later) I reached a point where I was like "Come on don't be such a wimp and do it" and so I did. I asked for the referral, called the orthodontist and made the appointment. In September I had both my upper and lower braces placed and with how fast it’s going the only thing I regret is not doing it sooner.

[Jeska0113]

Omg you were so young !! My little brother is 10 & also on his way to braces+glasses ! Im 21 & still learning how to manage my expander after a year so i can imagine poor lil you ! Lol ouch lichen planus must be a pain up the butt !! I wish the very best for you and hope you'll be able to manage with whatever appliance you end up with

[Jeska0113]

The reason I got mine is because I always had a gap between my 2 upper front teeth since I was young. As a kid I didn't really pay attention to it but when I got older I started to dislike it more and more. This resulted in me eventually becoming quite self-conscious which in turn resulted in me always smiling with my mouth closed.

When I was 23 I asked my dentist what could be done IF I wanted to close my gap. He explained the options I had and told me that braces would be the best option. I only had to ask and I would get a referral for the orthodontist. I chickened out because the thought of having braces at 23 scared me if I’m being honest.

Last year (3 years later) I reached a point where I was like "Come on don't be such a wimp and do it" and so I did. I asked for the referral, called the orthodontist and made the appointment. In September I had both my upper and lower braces placed and with how fast it’s going the only thing I regret is not doing it sooner.

Did you get powerchains ? They feel so damn tight on teeth I can relate, i had gaps too & now that they're closed it's tougher to floss !! Lol. Can i see before/after pics? if you dont mind of course. Yea i think we're all wimps & when we finally take action we regret nit doing it sooner

[Sparhawk]

[quote="Jeska0113"][quote="Sparhawk"]The reason I got mine is because I always had a gap between my 2 upper front teeth since I was young. As a kid I didn't really pay attention to it but when I got older I started to dislike it more and more. This resulted in me eventually becoming quite self-conscious which in turn resulted in me always smiling with my mouth closed.

When I was 23 I asked my dentist what could be done IF I wanted to close my gap. He explained the options I had and told me that braces would be the best option. I only had to ask and I would get a referral for the orthodontist. I chickened out because the thought of having braces at 23 scared me if I’m being honest.

Last year (3 years later) I reached a point where I was like "Come on don't be such a wimp and do it" and so I did. I asked for the referral, called the orthodontist and made the appointment. In September I had both my upper and lower braces placed and with how fast it’s going the only thing I regret is not doing it sooner.[/quote]

Did you get powerchains ? They feel so damn tight on teeth :-+ I can relate, i had gaps too & now that they're closed it's tougher to floss !! Lol. Can i see before/after pics? :) if you dont mind of course. Yea i think we're all wimps & when we finally take action we regret nit doing it sooner :-(([/quote]

Ye i did have powerchains right from the start (still have a couple) so i got thrown into the deep end pain-wise. I also had an extra wire to close the space between my front 2 teeth and wow did that hurt at times!
Once i'm able to post pictures i will post pictures with the current progress ;) Well at least our gaps are closed now!

[assertives]

Well, the reason I got braces is probably different from the next ortho patient out there.

When I was a kid, I was pushing my top front teeth out with my tongue. My parents had told me not to do it, but what did I know as a kid.. I guess I was curious. It didn't take very long for the front teeth to be pushed out, resulting in the bugs bunny look. I have an overbite of about 8mm. I am not sure if that intentional tongue thrusting as a kid caused the overbite, or was it something that got worse over the years.

My aunt noticed the protrusion and encouraged (and persuaded) my father to get me braces when I was about 10. We sought a consultation, had molds done, was given a quotation for the cost of the treatment, which obviously isn't cheap and my family did not have spare cash lying around for that. Needless to say, my father was L.I.V.I.D. and felt that my disobedience in not listening to him regarding that tongue thrusting led to him needing to be out of pocket for the treatment. My father had anger issues when I was younger, so whenever I accidentally showed my teeth when laughing or smiling, it would be an anger trigger for him, and a slap plus scolding session would follow revolving around how it was my fault that I was tongue thrusting and hence causing him to waste thousands of dollars. Life during that period was like walking on thin ice around my father regarding my teeth issue. I finally told him at age 10.. not to waste his money on me. I will live with the state of my teeth. Up until this point, I hadn't felt self-conscious about them.

Long story short, after several episodes of my father flaring up each time he sees my teeth when I accidentally smiled, I learned to hide them and not smile or smile with my mouth closed. Over the years, I also started to feel self-conscious about them, and I started to understand/feel the same as my father did, i.e. I wanted to slap myself when I see my teeth or when I smiled. It has been 20 years of living like that and I'm tired of it. So I decided to get braces at the ripe old age of 35 to get that closure and hopefully move on from it.

While I understand that there are risks that comes with every medical procedure, I will take all of those risks (root resorption, dead tooth, face collapse from extractions, TMJ, etc) as having paid my dues for this childhood mistake. Anything positive that comes with it, improved bite, unraveled crowding, reduced protrusion as a bonus.

[Lovespain5]

Well, the reason I got braces is probably different from the next ortho patient out there.

When I was a kid, I was pushing my top front teeth out with my tongue. My parents had told me not to do it, but what did I know as a kid.. I guess I was curious. It didn't take very long for the front teeth to be pushed out, resulting in the bugs bunny look. I have an overbite of about 8mm. I am not sure if that intentional tongue thrusting as a kid caused the overbite, or was it something that got worse over the years.

My aunt noticed the protrusion and encouraged (and persuaded) my father to get me braces when I was about 10. We sought a consultation, had molds done, was given a quotation for the cost of the treatment, which obviously isn't cheap and my family did not have spare cash lying around for that. Needless to say, my father was L.I.V.I.D. and felt that my disobedience in not listening to him regarding that tongue thrusting led to him needing to be out of pocket for the treatment. My father had anger issues when I was younger, so whenever I accidentally showed my teeth when laughing or smiling, it would be an anger trigger for him, and a slap plus scolding session would follow revolving around how it was my fault that I was tongue thrusting and hence causing him to waste thousands of dollars. Life during that period was like walking on thin ice around my father regarding my teeth issue. I finally told him at age 10.. not to waste his money on me. I will live with the state of my teeth. Up until this point, I hadn't felt self-conscious about them.

Long story short, after several episodes of my father flaring up each time he sees my teeth when I accidentally smiled, I learned to hide them and not smile or smile with my mouth closed. Over the years, I also started to feel self-conscious about them, and I started to understand/feel the same as my father did, i.e. I wanted to slap myself when I see my teeth or when I smiled. It has been 20 years of living like that and I'm tired of it. So I decided to get braces at the ripe old age of 35 to get that closure and hopefully move on from it.

While I understand that there are risks that comes with every medical procedure, I will take all of those risks (root resorption, dead tooth, face collapse from extractions, TMJ, etc) as having paid my dues for this childhood mistake. Anything positive that comes with it, improved bite, unraveled crowding, reduced protrusion as a bonus.

I also received treatment to resolve my bimax protrusion and to end with my lip incompetence.
So braces were in my case used to close my mouth.

[Scandalicious]

My story is I wanted my teeth straight. Everyone told me they weren’t too bad (including the orthodontist). Once I had my brackets on, the orthodontist noticed they weren’t as straight as what they appeared.

[Etal64]

I had lingual top/traditional metal braces when I was 16/17. Had 4 extractions due to severe overcrowding. I was annoyed that I needed braces, was non compliant, and my results were subpar. Now, at 33, I’m getting metal braces to correct a deep bite, close gaps from extractions, and realign my molars. I’m still annoyed I had those extractions and am just praying I can get a normal looking mouth.

[HarryO]

Never liked my teeth.....bottoms really crowded/crooked and tops somewhat, so always secretly wished I'd had them. Then DDS botched a root canal requiring an extraction and leaving a space in lower front so one implant and same smile for $3,500 or braces to close space and the smile I always wanted for 2K more. A no brainer for me!

[embracethebraceface]

I got braces because I wasn't happy with my bottom teeth. I then had and still have braces for the past four years. I got them in the end of my sophomore year of college, unfortunately my orthodontist was in a different state than my college. The orthodontist said it would be manageable to have braces in another state and get them upgraded for winter, spring, and summer break (LIES). It is not easy and very frustrating. Other orthodontists won't even see you to cut off a wire poking you or a bracket that has fallen off. I went to several orthodontists and so many refused to see me because I wasn't their patient. It prolonged the two year period to four years. My braces constantly encountered multiple problems from broken brackets, loose wires, and I can't even remember what else. These problems would remain intact for 3-4 months. But by the time I moved back to the area, I was told that the braces should come off within a year. Another lie. At this point, I am so ready to be done but at the same time they're not entirely straight and my overbite has not been corrected. I've gained a teeth grinding problem, mandibular tori, and the all popular gum sores. My mouth is always in some sort of pain and it's just frustrating. I suppose I'll be happy once it's all over and done with but for now, I'm just fed up.

[metalmouthmama]

I got braces at 38 because of an overbite, crowding, and because several of my teeth were crooked and extremely rotated and I always hated the way they looked. I had wanted braces since middle school, but my parents couldn't afford braces when I was a kid, and because my orthodontic issues weren't too severe, it just kept getting put off when I became an adult. This year, we got new dental insurance that covers a portion of orthodontics, so I took the plunge!

[INBC]

My jaws have been asymmetric since childhood and it's always caused problems with my bite and caused TMJ symptoms. The first time I got braces the ortho didn't account for the asymmetry and gradually my bite shifted and became worse. Now I'm getting braces again and having jaw surgery so that I can finally chew properly and be happy with my smile.

[AvalonD]

My teeth have always been my biggest insecurity- I have a lot of crowding in the front, a deep overbite and a crossbite right in the front. So basically, all of the most visible teeth are the worst off.

Of course, braces weren't a choice that I made based solely on their cosmetic value rather I also had issues with getting cavities between the teeth at the front that were crowded- this was due to the fact that it was nearly impossible for me or even my dentist on occasion to floss through them. As well, I suffered a lot of damage to my enamel because of a past eating disorder.

All of these fueled my fire to want braces basically since the age of 11. However, I wasn't able to afford them until this year at age 18. Over $6k later and I'm on my way to my ideal smile!