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Original poster

Braces as a teenager , now need them as an adult ....feel conned

43 replies

Cupcake4u · 21/02/2019 22:24

No way am I bashing the NHS free dental care for children and I'm so glad we have it my teeth were awful and where perfectly straight for a few years ...
However being an adult and having my wisdom teeth come through has made my teeth become crooked again , to the point where I'm considering having them again however £2,500 -£5,000 is a ridiculous amount to spend right now.

I asked the dentist would my teeth ever have stayed straight ... I was shocked to hear her say no not everyones teeth do .
And she showed me a permanent plate behind her front and bottom Keith that will keep them straight always .

I feel a bit conned because when I had my braces off and got my retainer I was told that I could eventually stop wearing them ...

If I was told what I know now I would still have straight teeth... I feel a bit conned about having to fork out so much ..

OP posts:
emmagrace96 · 21/02/2019 22:31

I know how you feel. I had a retainer, then train tracks on top and bottom and then a retainer top and bottom. My top teeth were perfect when they took the train tracks off but my bottom were still slightly crooked, I wore my retainer until they said I didn't need too. My bottom teeth are slightly more crooked and since my wisdom teeth have come through my front teeth have begun to protrude ever so slightly. I mean I still have a good smile and they are nothing like they used to be but I feel slightly peeved about it and I definitely can't afford to get them done privately x

HerRoyalNotness · 21/02/2019 22:33

I had braces twice and now have a crooked front tooth and overcrowding on the bottom.
Teeth move and my wisdom teeth pushed them around a bit. It’s rubbish isn’t it? I can’t get mine fixed as the Dc need theirs doing. First is on his 2nd phase ($8k) total, the next needs them but will have to wait until first is finished.

showerpower · 21/02/2019 22:35

Me too and have paid £3k to have them redone. Mine moved a lot during pregnancy.

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Original poster
Cupcake4u · 22/02/2019 07:40

Do you think this is a ploy by dentists to get us the spend thousands later on in life ?.

I wonder if they tell the kids now that their teeth might go crooked again

OP posts:
Niceteeth · 22/02/2019 07:43

Would be a bit of a stupid ploy since it wouldn't benefit the same dentist. We now know that lifelong retention is needed after braces, although this can involve wearing retainers a few nights a week. Every child who had braces these days is given this information, usually in written form. A lot of people still forget.

Vegisgrowingwell · 22/02/2019 08:19

I feel exactly the same and if I knew I would have continued to wear a retainer!! It's really pissed me off when the dentist said it was to be expected.

ChrisPrattsFace · 22/02/2019 08:21

I had braces when I was 14-16, they always told me that my teeth would move again in the future and there’s no way to prevent it.
Wearing my retainer would be best but they would still possibly move.
So I got all the information?

Isadora2007 · 22/02/2019 08:27

Teens now are told to wear their retainer at least weekly and if they begin to feel movement, increase the time wearing the retainer. I think they were also told that movement is always possible as the jaw changes- especially with wisdom tooth appearance etc.
I don’t see how that’s “being conned” as they can’t guarantee perfect teeth for life. And neither do they in my experience.

AJPTaylor · 22/02/2019 08:33

She calls her retainer Keith?

Rufusthebewilderedreindeer · 22/02/2019 09:49

My children have been told to wear their retainer 12 hours a day forever

Surfingtheweb · 22/02/2019 09:54

Now you can have the metal retainer fixed to the back of your teeth so there is less chance of movement, they didn't used to do that. It's not a con, it's just progress. Have you looked up Invisalign? I have friends that have had them & love the results.

SuperLoudPoppingAction · 22/02/2019 09:55

I was at an orthodontist with DS1 and yes - they did say with some people teeth do revert towards their original placement. They were very honest about it.

BifsWif · 22/02/2019 09:59

I had braces as a teen and was told to wear my retainer day and night for a year, and then at night for a further year.

My teeth moved back and I’ve just finished treatment as an adult. I’ll wear retainers at night forever.

Aragog · 22/02/2019 21:48

I had train track braces as a teen and my teeth haven't moved really and still are very straight many years later.

Dd has train tracks and a lot of 'engineering' type braces which came out a couple of years ago or so.

But now they're told to wear a retainer, basically for life. They're told to wear them full time for the first few weeks, then every night for a few months and then at least a couple of times a week at night thereafter.

Basically, they're told they need to wear the retainer regularly for as long as they want to keep straight teeth.

I have to say that Dd is really good with hers and wears them most nights. Pretty much every night when we are home or on a longer holiday. Doesn't take them to sleepovers or the odd night away. So far they've stayed straight and we've had no movement despite them being moved a lot with the treatment.

Vegisgrowingwell · 23/02/2019 07:53

I miss my retainer and would be wearing it now if I had known. Glad some people were given the facts, I definitely wasn't!

(I sometimes dream I've lost it and wake up searching my mouth for it...)

foxessocks · 23/02/2019 08:00

I was never told they might go back when I had braces as a teen. Just told to wear the retainer at night for a period of time then after that nothing. I've got fixed braces again now and my orthodontist is clear that I will have a fixed retainer behind the teeth (which they didn't used to do) and may also have a retainer at night forever!

BobTheDuvet · 23/02/2019 08:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 23/02/2019 08:04

DS's orthodontist has been very clear with him about the chances of his teeth moving again. He wears retainers at night to prevent this even though he has been signed off by the orthodontist in terms of his treatment being complete - he knows it's what he's got to do in terms of ongoing care. The orthodontist also talked through his options regarding fixed retainers, etc.

Ratatouille76 · 23/02/2019 08:07

I had braces as an adult. I now have a permanent lower wire behind teeth and wear my retainers every night and will do for life. Never been told I can only wear my retainers a few nights a week. It's every night. Forever.

Ethelswith · 23/02/2019 08:08

"I wonder if they tell the kids now that their teeth might go crooked again"

Yes they do. Or at least some do, because that's what my DS was told. Retainer as much if the time as possible - always overnight, and (after initial 6 months when it was in all the time except eating) daytime when just lounging round. And that's to minimise, not eliminate, chance of future movement.

I've shown him price lists, and told him he's on his own to fund it, if needed again as an adult (though with his history, and that he had hospital consultant treatment, he might actually qualify as an adult, but I'm not telling him that!)

carrie74 · 23/02/2019 08:08

DD had her fixed brace removed just before Xmas, and yes, was told she'll need her retainer for life if she doesn't want movement. She had to wear it full time for a week, then overnight. I believe she was told after a certain amount of t8me she could then scale it back to a couple of times a week overnight, but she tried skipping a couple of nights, and when she put her retainer back in, it was tight, so that's scared her enough to just wear it every night.

However, I don't recall what the advice was when her wisdom teeth erupt, I don't really see how your retainer can still work, the wisdom teeth have to go somewhere, or be removed I suppose.

Wuddlingheights · 23/02/2019 08:11

Do it and ask for a fixed retainer. I had a second set of braces as an adult and because of the fixed retainer, they haven’t moved for almost 15 years.

icanthelpyou · 23/02/2019 08:12

I wished I’d carried on with my retainer. I went to see an orthodontist recently and he said to leave my teeth alone as if I kept trying to move them, the roots will get weak and the teeth will fall out.

flissfloss65 · 23/02/2019 08:12

My ds has an underbit and was given braces and fixed tooth backing.

The dentist made it really clear he would need to wear the plastic retainers at least 3 times a week overnight. If he didn’t do so the teeth would move. I’ve just spent £195 on new ones as his wisdom teeth have come through.

His dentist was crystal clear on the importance of using retainers for life.

Torsz · 23/02/2019 08:21

I wasn't told to wear my retainer for life but whenever my teeth start feeling or looking like they're moving, I wear it for a few days in a row and they return to normal (had braces at about 13, now 31). I did have to fork out £100 for a new retainer about 7 years ago as I lost mine and unfortunately they had to make a new one so it's not quite as perfect as the original (as they had shifted very slightly) but it's very close.
My husband didn't wear his retainer for more than a few months and his teeth have moved but he blames himself for stopping wearing it despite feeling them moving!

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