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Of Teeth and Smiles
jhunter46
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I don't particularly care how I look, I'm a tshirt and jeans kind of guy, and I'm married so I'm not really out to impress anyone, but I've always been self conscious about my teeth and my smile. I had a single parent growing up, so braces weren't an option. I'm graduating from college next year though, and I want to get my teeth fixed as sort of a present to myself.
My issues are a slight overbite, a good sized gap between my front two teeth which are larger than they should be and a few chips.
I don't smoke, and I brush at least once a day, so I take pretty good care of my teeth for what it's worth.
I'll be 26 when I start having work done, are braces really that effective for someone my age, or should I think about maybe getting veneers? Does anyone have any experience with orthodontic work at an older age?
(I should also point out, I'll be teaching high school when I graduate, if I got braces, would that impact my speaking at all?)
My issues are a slight overbite, a good sized gap between my front two teeth which are larger than they should be and a few chips.
I don't smoke, and I brush at least once a day, so I take pretty good care of my teeth for what it's worth.
I'll be 26 when I start having work done, are braces really that effective for someone my age, or should I think about maybe getting veneers? Does anyone have any experience with orthodontic work at an older age?
(I should also point out, I'll be teaching high school when I graduate, if I got braces, would that impact my speaking at all?)
jhunter46 on
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If the appearance bothers you that much, and you think the financial cost is worth it, then go for it.
My teeth were horrible, I had 3 of my wisdom teeth erupt, one of them impacted forward, while the other two erupted fine, but pushed my front teeth into a mess. So before any treatment I had my wisdom teeth removed, because my mouth wasn't big enough for them, then I started my treatment. My younger sister (currently 16, she must had been 13-14 when she started treatment) was another case alltogether, so she started first on brace treatment, while using a "spider" orthodontic aparatus and a tongue cage. When I got my braces, a month later compared to my sister if I recall correctly, I just got the "spider", which is an aparatus that you use to push with your tongue in order to straight your molars. About 4 months ago I had to use the tongue cage and rubberbands, because I was pushing my teeth with my tongue while I slept.
Finally I got my braces removed like 3 weeks ago, while my sister still hasn't reached the rubberbands stage of her treatment.
If you are really concerned about your speech, the braces itself will not affect you at all, because they don't mess with your tongue.
Still, if you get any other aparatus, specially those that are fixed into your mouth, you might have trouble for a couple of days, while you get used to them.
If you are able to choose between fixed and removable aparatus, I would recommend fixed though, because you don't have to worry about forgetting them, or losing them, which will eventually translate into slowing down your treatment.
Another thing: A month or so ago, before getting my braces removed, I was invited to my old high school to give a small conference regarding my work as a lawyer and the importance of analyzing, fearing I might get laughed at because of my braces, before starting I joked around saying something like "First of all, I ask for your pardon, but as several of you must know, having braces is a pain in the ass, so if for some reason you don't understand what I'm saying, because you can't listen to me or understand what I'm saying, feel free to ask me to repeat it." I didn't have any problems, and they did ended asking me to repeat a couple of times.
Yes, I did Invisalign a few years ago because I wanted braces but didn't want to obviously look like I had braces. They're very easy to work with, though you do have to practice speaking clearly in them.
For me, they took a mold of my teeth, sent it away to someplace, and they produced what basically look like plastic retainers. Every few weeks you switch to a new one that is slightly closer to your ideal than the last.
However, I don't think this method would do much for an overbite. But anyway, find an orthodontist in your area that is recommended and see what the options are.
aah yes i forgot about the overbite. I've actually seen this corrected before with only a few metal bracers and a 2 rubber bands, so it's possible just to get those few, but ultimately probably better just to get the metal ones
At first I was worried that having plastic in my mouth all day long would be annoying but I got used to it very fast. You wear the retainers all the time except for when you eat. This is another great advantage they have over bracers: no troublesome teeth hygiene issues. You remove them before each meal, eat, brush, clean the retainers a bit and put them back on.
As for overbite/underbite issues I think these usually require surgery, as they have to move your jaw to fix it.
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depends on how bad it is. most can be fixed with rubber bands
I'll probably have to get braces soon, to correct a jaw problem that either started by, or is causing(or both) a shifting of my teeth. I'm really, really not looking forward to either the cost, or more importantly the look of braces, since I was told invisalign won't work for me. However I think my treatment would be no more than a year, and apparently there's another option, Lingual braces. They're connected to the back sides of your teeth, may or may not be as effective as standard braces, but they're hidden from sight.
Oh, that was Fireflash, not me. I want to say mine took about 8 months, but I really just had to correct some spacing issues. At the end of it all, they put some permanent retainers on my teeth (a little wire glued to the back of the teeth).
I would have loved only 2 and a half years.
i only had mine for a year and i had a seriously busted grill
i mean i had actual vampire fangs (my adult canines came in over the top of my baby canines instead of replacing them) and they had to pull 2 teeth. my bottom teeth looked like they were in a 6 tooth pile up. i think the 3 year thing has to be because they charge by the month because wow. you'd have to have some seriously messed up teeth to need them that long
And yeah, stay the fuck away from veneers, they're the modern equivalent of ripping all your teeth out and replacing them with dentures
2 and a half years might seem a bit long but I got so used to having my retainer after a while that they felt as if they were a part of me. Not bothersome at all.
Edit: And it's not just a matter of how crooked your teeth are. Some people's teeth are more resistant to movements than others which makes for a longer treatement.
Battle.net: Fireflash#1425
Steam Friend code: 45386507
I think Tom Cruise was spotted wearing braces a couple of years back.
Also, my former teacher started wearing braces about a year before her retirement...
so if you're up for it, go for it, is what i'd say.
For paintings in progress, check out canvas and paints
"The power of the weirdness compels me."
2. Gap between front teeth. If this is caused by your lip attachment beware, fixing this problem will require FIXED PERMANENT retention ie likely a wire behind your front top teeth. Otherwise relapse is likely. Again, fixed appliances will treat this.
3. Chips on teeth, simple white (composite) fillings take care of these, any run of the mill dentist can provide, and you might ask him for a further consult, id make your first port of call here.
__________
Adult orthodontics is always possible at any age, growth and turnover rates are slightly slower in adults so some options for treatment are out, you're generally into fixed braces territory.
Adults generally have higher aesthetic demands, so options are plastic type braces, like invisalign. Lingual brackets (brackets on the inside side of your teeth), and tooth colored braces. These all cost more and require expertise. 18 months is the standard length of treatment for adult orthodontics. If it takes more, its a more complex problem.
Finally 2 things:
Variety is beauty, you don't have to have a perfect alignment of teeth to look good. It can add character. Your mileage may vary on this advice in the states and depending on what dentist you attend.
The problem may be more complex than you think, don't be surprised if the treatment required is more involved than you imaged, to produce a stable final result sometimes other teeth must also be moved to align the teeth correctly.
I'm not looking for a super model smile or anything, I'd just feel better about losing some of the spacing and having things lined back up.
I'm going to have my Wisdom Teeth removed this summer, so I'll use that opportunity to talk to my dentist about regular old braces.
Thanks again.
Veneers are kind of drastic, and I wouldn't recommend them, but I don't think it's at all similar to dentures. For one thing, having dentures for a long time would inevitably reduce the bloodflow to your jaw, because you have no real teeth, and weaken the bone there. For veneers, you just shave down the teeth, and cap them. I've never heard of people getting more than 4-6 done, and only for cosmetic purposes, rather than bite issues.
Mine didn't hurt, and I have no expectation of having to replace them, but I do think it was a mistake to get them. Mostly because I think they have contributed to messing up my bite.
I didn't want to have them at my age, but I was sooo glad I did afterwards. It cost me a lot. It was a lot of maintenance. It made a world of difference.
If you're self conscious of your smile, I say go for it. My case was extremely severe, where two teeth were actually far back and going sort of behind other front teeth. They were still able to get shit done and into the perfect position.
I also had to have an expander for a few months, which sucked if only for the speech impairment during that time. After everything, I also had surgery where they severe the tendons of the teeth to prevent them from springing back to their old positions... that was painful.
Good plan, the first step often is having your wisdoms out, because it makes room (and if they go on the move after you're done with braces they'll just screw everything up again).
For those concerned with the timeframe, I was informed that 2 years was pretty much the average length.
4 years for me in total, more if you include the gap whilst my orthodentist had a breakdown.
I think there was an initial 18 months of retainers (including one massive thing with a piece of plastic coming down, sloped to push my bottom jaw forward), 2 years of 'train tracks' and then 6 months more of retainers.
Your teeth will move rather quickly--you'd be surprised.
Most of the treatment time is for the bone to grow around the teeth in their new position.