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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:
MyVisionsComeFromSoup · 23/02/2019 08:23

I had braces in the early 80s, never had a retainer, and now at nearly 50 I'm looking at getting more braces Sad. Although, my teeth are better than they would have been had I not had the braces before, looking at my mouth you'd never know that. Orthodontics has moved on massively since the 80s thankfully, and I'm hoping the DDs teeth will stay more or less straight, unlike mine.

Flairhead · 23/02/2019 08:29

My braces came off nearly 8 years ago and I was told to wear my retainers every night, which I did apart from the odd night. However, the retainers eventually broke and though I asked my dentist to refer me for new ones, I never heard anything. I've been retainer free for about five years now, if there has been any movement it's minimal as I can't tell. If they do move to the point I need treatment again I'll gladly pay for it if necessary as the braces made such a difference. Thankfully we have a dental school in my city so that might help offset the cost.

FaithInfinity · 23/02/2019 08:50

Hmm, my teeth were really crooked. I never had any wisdom teeth (they never formed) but my orthodontist was brilliant - he said given how crooked my teeth were to start with they would try to move back over time so he suggested a permanent retainer when my braces came off. It’s a pain to clean, I use the little brushes but I have to get it cleaned with hygienist as well, but it’s better than them moving back. But yes, I’d be cross if I’d gone through all that (2 years of train tracks with head gear) so I would be annoyed.

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cushioncovers · 23/02/2019 08:53

Returned from the dentist yesterday with my ds to have another set of retainers made cost £150 Angry and the dentist said my ds would need to wear them for life, at least four nights a week to prevent his teeth moving back. When I had my retainers years ago we weren't told that I used mine for a year afterwards. Lucky for me my teeth only moved back a fraction.

cushioncovers · 23/02/2019 08:56

There is a new thing out that is a type of retainer that you wear 20 hours in every 24 that do the job of braces. I saw a leaflet about it in the dentist yesterday. Probably not cheap but it says it's instead of braces. Might be worth a look op.

itbemay1 · 23/02/2019 09:01

My DD has braces 4 years ago and had a perm retainer fitted - a small wire across the back of her teeth

ScarlettDarling · 23/02/2019 09:06

I wonder why everyone isn't being offered fixed retainers now. My ds has fixed wires top and bottom which will remain there permanently unless they are damaged in which case they'd be replaced with exactly the same. Surely the removable retainers are much less effective...the temptation to not bother, the risk of them getting lost etc.

cushioncovers · 23/02/2019 09:09

From what I could see the fixed retainers can only work for slightly out of place teeth and when it's only a couple of teeth.

FromEden · 23/02/2019 09:09

I had braces as a teenager, and was told to wear my retainer, at night only, for 2 years. Well clearly that didn't work because 20 years later I'm wearing Invisalign to fix my teeth. Yeah it's shit but things have moved on since then. I fully expect my DD to have perfect teeth for life.

BalloonSlayer · 23/02/2019 09:43

Ds1 was told to wear his retainer every night for the rest of his life.

Yeah like that was gonna happen . . . Hmm

His teeth already look quite different to when his braces came off. He is 18 !!

cushioncovers · 23/02/2019 10:26

I'm wearing Invisalign to fix my teeth.
^^
That's what I was trying to describe Grin

Waytooearly · 23/02/2019 10:49

I think some kids get braces too early.

I really envied all my friends who got braces at 13 or whatever and then went into high school with perfect smiles. My parents couldn't afford braces for me until I was 18 and I had them until I was 20. But most of those kids' teeth went crooked again whereas mine haven't.

Also, being older, I had the discipline to wear my retainer regularly afterwards. I actually wore it every night for nearly ten years. I think that's why my teeth are still straight,touch wood. I'm 48.

Heatherjayne1972 · 23/02/2019 11:00

Things change. Advice changes
I was told to wear the retainer at night
These days they tend to put a wire retainer permanently glued to the teeth
In 20 years it’ll be something else

SoupDragon · 23/02/2019 11:02

I think some kids get braces too early.

DC's orthodontist would say they get them too late. They had them from 7.

duplocupcake · 23/02/2019 11:15

Exactly the same happened to me; I had teeth out and braces as a teenager but then when my wisdom teeth came through years later my front teeth became really crooked.

I was quoted £5000 for braces by my old dentist. Luckily for me I then moved to an area with a dental hospital and my new dentist said that because one tooth was so many mm out of line I was entitled to braces on the NHS due to health reasons. I was on a waiting list for a couple of years but then all treatment was free - this was only a few years ago.

My treatment has now finished and I’ve been told that I’ll have to wear retainers at night (a couple of times a week) forever to keep my teeth in place.

duplocupcake · 23/02/2019 11:21

I was given a choice between the fixed wire and removeable retainers. My orthodontist went through the pros and cons of each at the time. I went for the removeable retainers.

I originally had the type with a metal bar but my teeth started to shift very slightly sideways despite wearing them nightly so they recommended the plastic mouthguard type where teeth are fully enclosed instead and I haven’t had a problem since.

Mrsmorton · 23/02/2019 11:29

Fixed retainers aren't suitable for everyone & if part of it comes unstuck you might not notice until the tooth has moved. Also, some people can't clean the teeth that nature gave them, the fixed wires are hard to clean & can increase risk of decay & gum disease.

Aragog · 23/02/2019 17:12

I think some kids get braces too early.

DC's orthodontist would say they get them too late.

*I think it depends on the reason why they need braces.

DD didn't have hers til she was 13y and her problems needed her to have a mouth full of adult teeth, and no baby ones left. Infact they ended up having to have the last couple removed as they were showing no signs of coming out themselves.

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