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DD is almost out of braces, noticed how ugly my teeth appear...braces for me??


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I went to a dentist (for a second opinion) who is a jack of all trades....he's a General Dentist as well as Ortho. I went in to see him for a General Q and they ended up taking pics of my mouth...18 in all and we sat in a consultation room. It was my pleasure - NOT - :tongue_smilie:, to see just how ugly my teeth really are.

 

So, I'm over 50 and am considering braces. Adults braces? Invisalign? INV is so expensive and my regular dentist with whom I've been a patient for 20 years, but am doubting he's good now, clearly tells me INV is expensive and not as effective as regular braces.

 

Not as effective meaning they don't do their job they way the reg braces do. And, that I'd always be in a retainer after that.

 

Is it worth it? I wouldn't care if my teeth were a little off, but when I smiled, well, I wasn't smiling after that...:lol: My smile reveals ugly teeth.

 

we don't have the money for INV unless there is a special....like that will happen, right? ;)

 

Thoughts?

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I can tell you that no matter what kind of braces you choose, you'll always use a retainer. So many adults are getting braces a second time because dentists didn't realize that retainers need to be used forever or your teeth will shift. Braces are one of those things I'd like to do too, but I've lived with my teeth for this long, so I guess I'll wait a little longer. :)

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Braces are one of those things I'd like to do too, but I've lived with my teeth for this long, so I guess I'll wait a little longer. :)

 

This is me, too. Looking at my teeth, I am astounded my folks didn't do anything about them. It had to have been the cost -- I just can't believe they wouldn't have left me like this for any other reason. But now, I'm married with children and there are so many other things we need.... I just don't see my teeth ever being straight before I hit the pearly gates.

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I did clear/ceramic braces as an adult. You really couldn't see them unless you were right up in my face. I have pictures of me from back then and they're invisible in those shots.

 

Know this: it hurts like h3ll the day or so after they put them on. It was so painful that I wanted to go back and get them removed and abandon the whole idea. Adult teeth are "stuck" more than teens' teeth, so it's just going to hurt more. No one told me! But after a couple of days, it got better, and now I'm so glad I did it. I look better, I smile more, my teeth are so much easier to keep clean ... I don't regret the money spent at all. I still, 6 years later, have a bonded retainer on the inside of my lower teeth to keep them aligned, and it will be there for life. I also wear a removable retainer at night on my top teeth several nights a week, and will continue to do so for life. If I skip more than three nights, I can feel the shift when I try to put the retainer back in. WEAR YOUR RETAINER. :)

 

Good luck!

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I had braces as as adult. Regular old, metal braces. I was 33ish. I wore them for 2 years. Now, 10 years later, I totally do not regret it. My teeth look beautiful and straight. I do wear a retainer at night (an invisilign-type) every once in a while, typically once or twice a week, but my teeth have not shifted much at all. The braces do hurt a bit at first. They also feel very sore after each adjustment, but tylenol helps. It's not too bad. I say, go for it!

 

Brett

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You're not alone. Many adults are having orthodontia treatment. Our family's orthodontist said 30% of his patients are adults. I think that's one of the reasons they came up with Invisalign.

 

Yes, after your teeth have straightened, you will need a retainer for the rest of your life. I wish I had known that years ago. I had braces when I was young, but I didn't keep up with wearing my retainer at night. Moreover, after about ten years of having that permanent retainer behind my lower front teeth, I asked my dentist to remove it. Guess he didn't realize that it should be there forever either. Now all my teeth have shifted, some more than others.

 

If I had the $$, I'd do the Invisalign.

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I'm 43 and 1 year into my second set of braces. I got ceramic on the top and traditional silver colored on the bottom. Maybe I'm an anomaly, but they hurt LESS than I remember my teeth hurting as a young teen... and my teeth were pretty crooked this time around too. I remember being in a lot of pain after each adjustment back then, and now, while I'm in pain after each one, it doesn't slow me down. My dh does joke that it's because I have five kids so a little time in braces is nothing compared to that :lol: but I'm sure that isn't really why. ;)

 

It's been mildly annoying, but I'm SO glad I did it. I can actually smile now and think it's almost pleasant looking, whereas before I was painfully aware of just what a mess they looked like...and didn't smile as much as a result.

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I had braces put on last year. After having had them as a teen and not wearing a retainer after 18 months or so. After these braces I had a regular retainer, but ended up getting a bonded one (to the back of my lower teeth) since the retainer was a pain. WEAR A RETAINER THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!

 

My ortho is excellent, near the top of her class, etc. She said that invisalign can't do the same job regular braces can and she doesn't recommend it. The teeth can't be turned, rotated and pulled as precisely as regular braces. Get regular braces if you're going to spend all that money. Get it down right! I only had braces on the bottom, but people hardly even noticed I had them. And I made it fun by wearing colored bands. Sounds crazy, but they were cute!

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Yeah, I wish I had a retainer now. I didn't mind much when my bottom teeth shifted a bit, but in the past year or two my top front tooth has shifted and now it's a bit scraggly! Sigh, I'm going to need braces. Not that I can afford them. But this time I will wear a retainer forever!

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if you can afford it and can handle it I say go for it.....my sister had some dental stuff done and after it was finished they put braces on her (guess my parents couldn't afford it "back then"-or not sure if she even needed them when she was younger)--but she's late 50s and has had them a few years now....not sure when she's getting them off......

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I got braces at the age of thirty one, wore them nine months and now have a permanent wire behind my bottom teeth. No one can see the wire there now, and the braces were not bad when I had them on.It was worth the money, even though it really, really hurt.

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