to think braces on teenagers are a waste of time

[CheekyCat10]

I had braces for two years, and they were taken off when I was 16. I was then given a retainer and told to wear it a few times a week, forever.

I still have it now, though I paid £200 for a new one a few years ago. I have worn it as instructed. But my teeth have still moved :(

I asked my dentist about this, they said it's inevitable - our bones move and grow forever, especially in late teens and early 20s. Plus wisdom teeth makes teeth moveto accomodate them.

I know many people whose teeth are now as bad as they were pre-braces, especially those who didn;t bother with the retainer. It seems braces are such a waste of time and money on teenagers.

I feel similarly, although my top teeth are still fairly straight and they were a mess before. Bottom ones I don't think are any better than they were pre-braces as my wisdom teeth just caused the same problem that was there before.

It makes the dentist's job slightly more interesting at the 2mins NHS check up though when they notice I have 4 missing.

Not at all. I had braces as a teenager and, while there has been some movement, it’s nowhere near as bad and here we are twenty odd years later.

Also, not bothering with the retainer is pretty much a guarantee that you won’t keep your new straight teeth.

That sounds odd. Teeth will always try and move back but the retainer should stop them.ds had braces at 12 for 9 months and is 18 now and his teeth are perfect. You need to wear the retainers or they'll move.

I'm so glad my parents took me to the appointments for braces. I have friends mid 30s) who said there parents didn't take them.

My teeth are much better now than when I was a teenager.

I agree. My wisdom teeth destroyed my previously perfect smile, despite having them out eventually - the damage was done. I've veryshort roots on my front teeth so can't even get more treatment. Gutted.

My bottom teeth have moved but top ones are still straight

Dd had 2 layers of teeth on the top with an overbite. They are now nice and straight. Even if they move she wont have an overbite or layered teeth again.

I had four years' worth of braces in high school and have had some movement back of one tooth, but my teeth would be SO much worse without the work.

I always thought that the point of retainers was to wear them every night?
My DNiece has extensive jaw surgery and still wears her retainers to keep everything in place.

I'm 44 and notice that most people my age have much worse teeth than the younger generation.

Maybe it depends what sort of problems the braces are dealing with - I'm sure the ones I had made a lasting difference for the better (and that was ~40 years ago and never had retainers). And I'm sure my DDs canines aren't going to rotate back.

I have a fixed retainer which I think has been much more effective at keeping my teeth in place. My top set of teeth are still very straight after 25 years. I didn't have a brace on the bottom set and they are starting to go crooked at the front but it's less visible.

I always thought that the point of retainers was to wear them every night?

Of course it is. Ds wears them every night,on the occasion he's slept at a mate's and forgotten them he said they've felt right the next night.

I had braces as a teen and my teeth are still perfect at 46. My children had them, too.

Totally agree. Wore a brace for years. Now my teeth are almost as bad

Also, remember that feeling of having your braces removed and having perfect straight teeth, and thinking - finally - that someone might be interested? 😂

If you took that away from some teens they might never gain the confidence to smile with their mouth open, let alone kiss anyone.

You’re supposed to wear a retainer every night for the first year or so and then a few times a week after that.

Yanbu/yabu, some will probably move and some might not. To be honest I always thought the point of doing braces in your teens was to try and straighten your teeth while it was still free.

Mine have moved too, though they were never that bad to begin with. I'd still say it was worth a go.

Retainers are to be worn every night forever to keep the teeth straight. Simple.
Don't wear them, risk them moving!

retired dentist here I was never an orthodontist
however orthodontics works best when combined with teenage growth spurt as the bone is more flexible and teeth move better, the ideal age is between 11-15; although adult orthodontics does work it takes longer on average 1 month longer for every year over 18
occasionally when the defect is due to misaligned jaws there is some benefit in pre-pubertal intervention especially in cases of cleft palate etc
we (especially boys) do continue to grow in the lower jaw upto 21 years if retainers are worn properly most orthodontics stays the way it was when it was finished, compliance with retainers is not always good, some people need a fixed wire retainer to stop relapse, if the wire breaks it will need replacing
There is a small degree of relapse but very very few are major relapses and then it is normally due to incorrect retention
The latest research shows that actually erupting wisdom teeth have a negligible effect on incisor positions it used to be thought that late lower incisors crowding was due to wisdom teeth especially on lower jaw but there is no empirical evidence of this or that it happens more with people with an orthodontic history
it is rare now for people to be given removable retainers because of the research shows that compliance is poor, that lost or damaged retainers are not replaced as patient does not return to orthodontist to tell them and sometimes patient has had enough treatment so does not go back, therefore permanent retainers are mostly fitted if required as it is easier to check them at routine appointments
Even with a little relapse the vast majority are still miles better than they would have been without treatment

If you have to have your palate expanded you need to do that before it fuses, so as a child. Our eldest is in his second phase of braces, he’s hopeless at wearing bands and cleaning properly so I don’t have great hopes for him using a retainer. It’ll be up to me to nag/moan/whinge to get him to remember I suppose. $US 8.5k so far. Next one needs them for sure dur to ‘buck’ teeth.

I had them and like PP wisdom teeth pushed my top teeth so one of my front now overlaps the other slightly. I hate it, but no money for me to get it fixed. All about those pesky children now

Not at all. I had a dreadful overbite, over-narrow top jaw (caused sinus issues) and a poor chewing teeth alignment. I had years of orthodontic treatment including widening of top jaw, realigning my top and bottom molars, pulling in my front top teeth. I had to have a good few teeth out to make space. There has been a little movement since but my teeth are still mainly straight and my bite is still good. I remain eternally grateful for the braces!

Im not sure, my parents didn’t take me and I’ve had awful teeth my whole life. My confidence has been on the floor because of them. I’m finally getting braces to straighten things up and I’m almost 40. I haven’t gone for a fixed brace due to issues with the enamel on my teeth but I’ve gone for one which will certainly make a difference. I think that if you’ve had braces and then noticed that things are moving back then you can seek advice from a dentist rather than leaving your teeth to revert back to being crooked. I’m not sure why anyone would have braces for so long, notice their teeth were moving back after a few years but then leave them? YABU.

I hope not. 6 year old ds has already had 2 major ops on his mouth and is going to need at least 2 more plus several years of braces. I expect that even if his teeth move a bit then it will still be worth it though.

I think it depends on the original severity and the teenager. I know someone who had his adult eye teeth somehow come in near the middle of his mouth - he had surgery and then braces to help. One tooth never really got in place but it's at least generally aligned with his smile and it hasn't moved back (he still had braces when he was 19 though so that might have made a difference). As others mentioned, with things like palate issues there is a need to do something young.

For me, it was not only a waste, it was very damaging and I've long said since that putting braces on a teenager with depression or other conditions (or even just personally) where lack of self care is likely or already present is going to cause more harm than good, unless there are severe or time-sensitive issues like the one above. No amount of warning is going to help and I think the kind of support I would have needed was not only not present, but not realistic - how many threads have there been on here on trying to get normal teens to be hygenic? My issues weren't that bit of deal -- they were very much a status symbol at the time (this was in the US, so quite different medical wise to the UK) especially not enough for braces and the enamel damage I had for a few years on my front teeth (really helped the depression...not) that I had to get filled as an adult. I still have marks on my teeth from it.