To spend £4k on my teeth?

[Persephon]

I‘ve had wonky-teeth for a while and they are getting worse, making me self conscious though friends say that don’t notice. Getting them fixed with braces will cost around £4k and may not work (orthodontic advice). They will need to file some teeth and maybe an extraction. Am I mad to consider this? We are medium income, (around 60k joint), but I can get a payment plan to pay for the teeth. Anyone else get their teeth done in middle age (I am 46)- was it worth it?

If it's just slight overlap they may just do some interdental filling to make room
I would imagine any decent dentist doing Invisalign will have the same results as they all scan your teeth and then send off the scan to have the braces made, following a program from Invisalign themselves

No, at least one of them is more than slight overlap.
My top teeth are in front of my bottom ones, but two of the bottom teeth are in front of the top teeth, if you know what I mean. I think it was once described as an over bite, cross bite or something.
It seems a shame to have good teeth removed when I’ve got two crowns !

I’m just about to go down this route. Aged 50. Does it really work? How did you cope with drinking coffee at work - did you have to keep taking out? Also wine on a weekend. It takes us 1-2 hours to sip the wine …. You can’t have them out for more than 2 hours a day it says

some real experience advice would be useful !

If you have the money then do it! My teeth are awful but I can’t afford to do anything about them so just I add them to the list of reasons I will die a lonely old lady 😂

I spent about £2.5k on orthodontic work 15 years ago and have never regretted it. I had train tracks and reshaping done, then permanent retainers dotted.

money well spent, so glad I did it,

go for it OP!

I’m just about to go down this route. Aged 50. Does it really work? How did you cope with drinking coffee at work - did you have to keep taking out? Also wine on a weekend. It takes us 1-2 hours to sip the wine …. You can’t have them out for more than 2 hours a day it says

@NameInUseAlreadyAgain

At first I would let my coffee cool for a bit then drink it through a metal straw but after I got used to them after a few months I ended up just drinking with them in. Certainly cold drinks like wine. Hot drinks I'd be more cautious of in case they damaged the plastic.
I ended up snacking a lot less because I couldn't be bothered to take them out all the time so that was good!
I hated the process, it seemed so long. Plus new trays were always uncomfortable for a few days first but I'm more than happy with my results

Here's my super cheesey grin 😁

I've not needed braces, but I've clung onto all my teeth by having crowns etc, have paid out thousands! I'm in my 70's. Both my granddaughters have had the invisible braces and they worked well.

Your teeth look amazing, @anxiouslemons

Would you be willing to share a Before pic as well?

Got my teeth done four years ago.
Money well spent.
Definitely do it Op

I finished invisalign last year & love my teeth. Went from hating smiling to do it without a thought. Go for it

@Persephon

Morning, I worked in orthodontics for 4 years.

Having tradition fixed braces takes time and a lot of dedication. Your diet has to change your cleaning techniques have to change. Invisalign may seem like the quick and cheaper option, but fixed braces will give you the best overall look considering you have a cross bite and the orthodontist has recommended extractions. Invisalign cannot fix cross bite issues and can only move the teeth to a certain degree.

Interproximal reduction (shaving in between the teeth) regularly occurs in orthodontics to make slightly more room for the teeth to rotate normally around 0.5mm is removed.

For everyone else on the post:

You should always go to a dentist for orthodontic work. These online sites do to state the risks and damages that can occur with braces. Eg. Caries, periodontal disease, tooth mobility, white spot lesions.

You should NEVER eat or drink with Invisalign retainers in. It can cause lesions, caries and erosion of the teeth. Dentist should always be following treatment up with post operative instructions and this would be one of them.

As someone said above the real question is if you can afford it- no matter what your wage the money might not be there. Oh and as someone with the world’s worst teeth I’d say if you can definitely go for it!

Sorry just rtft- can you not drink tea/hot drinks with braces/Invisalign? (Mind blown!)

Do it. Did mine about 3 years ago. Worth every penny. My mate and husband just did I it too and they are both thrilled.

In the long run it saves on dentist bills as you can clean them better too.

Fixed braces you have to drink with them on but it is recommended that you reduce sugary/ acidic drinks to mealtimes.

Invisalign you need to remove retainers to drink.

Reducing my tea consumption was the hardest part of Invisalign for me, I really missed my regular cuppas! But the fact you can’t eat with them in was amazing, I dropped nearly a stone over the course of my treatment simply because I completely stopped snacking - it was too much hassle!

Got mine done in my 30’s. No regrets. So worth it.

I’m going to go against the grain here- I’ve had some friends with amazing results from cosmetic dentistry BUT I also know a couple of people who have improved their smile, but to the detriment of their face. One or two ladies I know have been unhappy with the result- one had a longer face by the end of treatment and thought it made her nose look more prominent. Another had a change in her jawline she wasn’t happy with. Weigh up all of the options and see a few orthodontists before making a final decision

I’m about 18 months in with fixed braces. If you can afford it go for it. Only real downside for me is eating, there’s so many foods I struggle with frustratingly I can’t eat salad it’s just too much like work and spaghetti is impossible! Also have to avoid lots of hard or chewy foods.
I’m hoping I’ll be done by Christmas but not sure, have had some delays along the way with failed crown and unplanned extraction, followed by infection.
I agree with previous posters about using a recommended orthodontist not an online service.

i'm getting my invisalign this week - so excited

i've hated my teeth for my whole life, i'm 46

there are no photos of me, i rarely smile

i'm spreading the cost over 3 years, it'll be about £90 a month which is just about affordable

Hands down the best decision I ever made. It's not about my teeth (obviously it is) but my confidence. I smile all the time now. I think I was too embarrassed before. I'm just happier. I know that sounds shallow and vain but it's has such a positive effect. My before teeth were really quite bad and a child asked me why I had wonky witch teeth.

If you can afford it then go for it

I had my teeth straightened in my mid 20s - I’m 40s now - but they were seriously bothering me. I had a large occlusion to one side of my teeth caused by having a dummy quite late in my youth, overcrowding and teeth crossing over. It also caused me slight issues with clarity of my speech

It cost me £5k in total. They have since moved around a little but overall worth it

Thanks so much to all who took the time to reply. I think I’ll go for it but going to get a couple more quotes first, including one for train tracks (the first place I went to only did Invisalign). Having kids part of my feels I should spend on them once my basics are covered, but trying to move away from that and not feel guilty about spending on myself.

I've spent almost double that over the last couple of years sorting out my teeth and it's the best thing I've done! I used to be too embarrassed to smile in photos as hated seeing myself and now I can't stop smiling!