soon to be braced

[qp513]

hi everyone!! i am so grateful that i found this board!! the support i have found here has helped me to decide to finally take the plunge and get braces at 42! i have a serious overbite and i have always, always hated my smile. i look back at pictures of myself as a child and can see how i always tried to hide my horrible teeth. my parents couldn't afford braces when i was younger and i just kind of lived with it and then recently i just really started to think about it again. so i am going to do it. i had a brief 30 min consult with my ortho and was told i would need braces for 20 months and two extractions will be needed. i will be getting ceramic brackets which i am happy about i only wish he offered clear wires instead of just the metal. i will be going back next week for the 1hr consult and x-rays. I am just really worried about how this will affect me at work, i am worried that my speech will be affected and as silly as this sounds at my age that my co-workers will be mean about it (lot of backstabbers on my job). anyway, i look forward to your input and thank you everyone for sharing your stories and pics!!

[chrisseyer]

Hi qp!
I'm 43 and just got braces 2 days ago. My treatment is supposed to be 2 yrs. I have metal on my uppers, metal will go on my lowers next month. I had braces 27 yrs ago, but things shifted. Got 4 teeth extracted back then. I've been wanting braces again for a loooong time, but waited till my 2 teens were out of braces and my hubby got his ankle surgery (bone spur that needed attn - he put it off about 5 yrs). So anyway, now it's my turn Thankful that I didn't need surgery or any other teeth pulled.
Hopefully, I'll be done by the time my 3rd child (she's 6 yrs old) gets braced - and she needs it for sure.

It's so great to read about others going through this at 40+
All the best to you on your journey!

Chris

[Toni]

I'm 44 and have had my braces for 3 weeks. I have metal on upper as well as lower. No real speech problems, only a little the first couple of days and not enough that most people would even notice. In fact most people don't notice them at all and those that do ususally don't comment on them unless I do first.

I don't know what to say about any adult that would make fun of someone with braces. If anyone made fun of mine I suppose I would question them on their maturity level. I know I wouldn't do business with a company that would employ people like that if I knew about it.

Good luck with the braces and we look forward to hearing about your journey.

[almost50]

I'm 47 and just got braces last Thursday. Clear uppers and metal lowers. My speech hasn't been affected that much, but I'm not too worried what anyone will say regarding looks or speech. In the past when I've seen someone older in braces, my thought is that they are taking steps to take care of themselves, and good for them. You have the rest of your life to enjoy a nice smile, and 2 years will go by quickly.

I have an overbite and narrow jaw and saw 6 consultations before settling on the procedure to have jaw surgery rather than 2 teeth extracted. I won't go into the details, but when you get conflicting recommendations from the first two you tend to want more opinions.

So just braced, 4 impacted wisdom teeth to be removed in Jan/Feb, and jaw surgery in about 11 months.

I postponed it for a few years cause it's quite an ordeal, and I've just started, but I figure it's not going to get better or easier or cheaper by waiting.

[kittenmaisey]

QP,

you are bound to get some fool making infantile remarks about your teeth

As someone has already said.. you need to question their maturity.

I think that most people actually envy an Adult who has taken the plunge to get braces. In Britain their are copious amount's of crooked smiles gong around. So Adults with braces do stand out a little.

I personally love seeing people braced at a later age.. hopefully it will give me the courage!

Kittenmaisey