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Adult Braces - Would you? Could you?

17 March, 2014 - 10:13am by - BR-Queenie | 36 Comments

Artcle by BR Merilyn

My name is Merilyn and I was an Adult braces wearer.

 I'd always hated my teeth. As a teenager, and then continuing the trend as an adult.  Frankly, I’d always thought it was a bit unfair. Why couldn’t it have been my hair I hated? My clothes? At least I could change those quite easily.

To be fair, looking back, they probably weren’t the worse set of teeth on the block, although they were to me!  I had a noticeable overbite due to some overenthusiastic thumb sucking as a child, and a couple of prominent “fangy” looking eye teeth, which, had I been born a decade or so later would have had me as a shoe in for a member of the Twilight cast.

 Nowadays – (I’m now in my 40’s), you see more kids at High School with braces than without. And frankly no one bats an eyelid anymore when they meet adults with braces.

  Back in the day however, braces were a novelty, an anti- fashion item that instantly branded the wearer as a geek, a loser – think Katy Perry in her  “last Friday night video. I remember my Mother asking me when I was aged about 7, after a visit to the dental nurse if I “wanted to get braces”. Of course my answer was “no”! Who in their right mind would want to set themselves up for an object of ridicule? “Oh no”, I proclaimed, "no braces for me!"

So just as an aside to all you Mothers out there…. When your child is 7 they generally have no idea of the bigger picture, (and) and sometimes (a lot of the time) you just need to say “you’re doing this” for their own good.

 By the time I reached my mid 30’s I’d not grown to like them any better, I had however learnt how to smile with my mouth closed a lot of the time.  I’d seen other Adults around with a full mouth of metal braces and whilst I was full of admiration for them, I was at the time in a very senior position at work and I just didn’t feel that I could go down that track.  And then….

 Technology found Orthodontics! 

A new way of teeth straightening became available. It’s called Invisalign.  Essentially instead of permanent fixed braces, the straightening is done with a series of clear aligners. which are custom made for you.  The Orthodontist does a mould of your teeth and then plans your program out based on the results that they want.  You then receive 20-30 of these clear aligners, which go on both your top and bottom teeth   Each set is slightly different and you need to change them every couple of weeks. 

 

You need to have some ceramic small dots or “anchors’ put on some of your teeth to help with the process, and you can’t (or you’re not supposed to) eat or drink with them in so that can be a bit of a mission. However, on the upside, they’re almost completely invisible!  I generally found that people only noticed I was wearing them when I told them, that’s how clear they are.

18 months later, I was left with the smile I’d always wanted.  Even now 4 years later, I still see my smile in photos and shake my head that those gorgeous teeth are mine, it’s kind of like a person that has lost a lot of weight and still can’t believe it’s them in the mirror.

 Invisalign may not be everyone, and some conditions will still need to be treated in the traditional way, but a consultation with an Orthodontist would be able to clarify what will be best for you. .  Cost wise I think  vs the traditional method Invisalign comes out pretty similar, and depending on the work you need and the length of your treatment it will cost between $8,000 - $10,000, and if that’s got you gasping, don't panic, most Dentists will let you pay it in monthly installments.

 So if you are like me and hate your teeth I’d strongly encourage you to look at getting them straightened, at ANY age.  For me it was a real life changer, and I’d spend the money again in a heartbeat. 

So how about it? Would you? Could you?

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Comments

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15th May, 2016

I had braces as a teen and holy other of god, I never want to go through that ever again!

10th December, 2014

Invisalign definitely sounds like an option for me, so looks like now all I need is build up the courage and find a dentist not too far away that will allow me to do monthly installments. Thank you for sharing, I wish that I could turn back time and have the traditional braces done when I was younger where it was much, much cheaper or even free of charge. But like you said, in the end it is all worth it even though $8000+ sounds like much but for a beautiful smile why not!

22nd October, 2014

If I could afford it I would definitely get braces as me teeth are shockingly uneven, I was supposed to get them when I was younger but my mum couldn't afford for both me and my sister to get them so neither of us got them. It looks likely that my oldest daughter will probably need braces so here's hoping these would be available for her if given the opportunity.

25th August, 2014

I'd love to try braces, but they do seem quite noticeable. A few of my friends have had braces and their teeth look so straight now. The price is of course a huge setback but maybe I'll save up for Invisaligns or those braces that go on the inside of your teeth (don't know what they're called).

6th August, 2014

If I could afford it I would get all the work I need done on my teeth

24th May, 2014

After having braces as a 14 year old and the pain!! OMFG the pain!!!

I really hated my 'horse teeth' after having my metal ugly braces off , my teeth appeared HUGE!!!!

I really like the idea of these , they sound waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the torture braces I had as a young teen.

4th May, 2014

I really want to use Invisalign to correct my teeth. I'm only just an adult but even for being 18 years old I still feel kind of awkward with thinking about wearing braces now. Most kids my age got their teeth straightened in High School but my parents couldn't afford them/didn't see the point of them. But now my dentist is actually telling me I need to get them fixed or I could have worse problems later. But it's all just so expensive and I am a student. I also have no idea where I would be able to get this done. I like to smile with my mouth open and I am still learning how to hold my head but my teeth are still moving a bit and getting worse. Kinda sucks :L

9th April, 2014

I've always needed braces, but never could afford them :( now being 18 and at uni I'm not so keen on them... But the idea of having perfect teeth is so worth it! Although, mom and I will definitely look into invisalign now!

30th March, 2014

I had adult braces in my early twenties. I chose to wait until I could pay for them myself. My jaw was too small so I needed four teeth taken out and the rest spaced out. Unfortunately I couldn't handle having the retainer after and my teeth are wonkey on the bottom again and the gaps never filled in. If I had the money would definitely try theese ones.

29th March, 2014

I have traditional metal braces and i don't really mind them! I figured its 2 years worth for a lifetime of great teeth - its more an investment than a drag tbh. If you are really worried then invisalign can be a good option. but can't fix all problems. At the orthodontist I go to, there is and option for adults to get braces on the back of their teeth, so no-one can even see it! Although this could cause some discomfort, Its a great idea for people who are very self conscious.

27th March, 2014

I would absolutely LOVE to get my teeth straightened, years of sucking my thumb when I was a child left me with not so straight teeth & even though they aren't THAT bad I would still love to have a perfect smile!

25th March, 2014

I think its an excellent idea. If you have the money why not? I have seen how much a great set of teeth can do for confidence. I myself have crooked teeth and could never afford them as a kid. So I am totally keen to get them once I can afford them. And after all they have so many options now including the invisible ones :)

25th March, 2014

Would love to. Missed the opportunity when I was younger made sure my girls had them. Can't afford them for me now which is a shame

24th March, 2014

I'd find it difficult to wear traditional braces if I had to, so knowing there is an option like this out there is fantastic! I'd definitely go for this option if it had to come down to that. It's brilliant to hear that you took this measure and it worked so well for you! It's shocking how expensive something like dental care can be. It's unfair to be honest. I understand medical costs are high and they would have to charge a lot to be able to cover it all, but wouldn't it be so much better if they changed the system and the costs weren't this high? And that more people would be able to afford to look after their health, be it dental, or anything other health issue.

23rd March, 2014

If I could afford it I would do it in a heart beat. As a little girl I walked into a wooden swing which caused massive damage to my baby teeth and discolouration. my new teeth came in healthy but crooked. My family could not afford the cost of braces when I was a kid so I have just learnt to love with them. haha it's not a terrible smile it's mine and it gives me character, but I always dreamed of what I would look like with some beautiful straight teeth...

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