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Original poster

anyone had orthadontic work in adulthood?

34 replies

sammysam · 16/07/2007 09:18

I'm becoming increasingly bothered by my top teeth as they are crowded and it really upsets me....everyone tells me they are fine and they don't notice but I think they are just saying that and anyway it does bother me.....

so i'm thinking I should bite the bullet and go ahead and do it but 13years ago as a child I didn't want to do it and I was just wandering if anyone has gone through the whole braces thing as an adult-how was it, how did people react, how much longer did it take, how much did it cost? etc etc

I don't want not to have done it and still be wandering and wanting to in another 13 or so years....

So all your advice and experiences please!

OP posts:
TheBlonde · 16/07/2007 09:22

Did it, cost 3K & wish I'd done it sooner
With the clear plastic bits people don't notice all that much
Once i had them on I then realised various others at work had them too!

Original poster
sammysam · 16/07/2007 09:27

I think i saw those when googling-are they the things you can take out? Where did you get it done? top and bottom? Painfull? How bad were your teeth if you don't mind me asking? When I was younger I was told i'd need 2-4 teeth out-did you need teeth out? How long did you need treatment for?Sorry about all the questions-just finally come to the realisation and am quite excited in a weird way

OP posts:
Original poster
sammysam · 16/07/2007 10:27
Smile
OP posts:
yogimum · 16/07/2007 10:34

I was 34 when I had braces. It was hell sometimes and it took two years. What they don't tell you is that it can affect your gums and I have some recession now. It cost around £3000 in 1995, but I paid monthly. I was happy with the result but my teeth have moved.

Original poster
sammysam · 16/07/2007 10:41

Yogimum-would you do it again if you knew what you do now? What were the worst things?

OP posts:
ComeOVeneer · 16/07/2007 10:48

Onre thing you have to bear in mind is you may need to have a permenant splint fitted to prevent the teeth from drifting back into their original position. You are looking at rom £2000 upwards to $500 and 18 months to 2 years of treatmnet, quite probably the removal of a couple of teeth, and you must have excellent oral hygiene to reduce the chances of decay and/or gum disease damaging the teeth during treatment. You have to be 100% comitted as once you start treament you must see it through. Abandoning it part way through will leave your teeth worse off than if you never started.

yogimum · 16/07/2007 10:49

it was most painful when they had to be tightened, and its very difficult to clean your teeth properly. i had to have three teeth out which was agony but went to a horrible dentist my orthodontist couldn't tell me how bad he was as it wasn't ethical, angry

yogimum · 16/07/2007 10:50

it was most painful when they had to be tightened, and its very difficult to clean your teeth properly. i had to have three teeth out which was agony but went to a horrible dentist my orthodontist couldn't tell me how bad he was as it wasn't ethical, angry

yogimum · 16/07/2007 10:51

sorry, i wanted an angry face but not sure what happened!

SandCastspells · 16/07/2007 10:54

yogimum, it shouldn't affect your gums. We have treated alot of adults with no gum recession. Seems you may not have been correctly advised on OH, while wearing the appliance.

sammysam, I think TheBlonde is talking about the clear (tooth coloured brackets) that are bonded to the teeth.

It can take upto three years, depending on the individual case. It can cost upto 5k, again depending on case.

It is more difficult for adults as our jaws have stopped growing, therefore don't move as easily and can be more painful (sorry)

You may have a few choices, again depending on case.

You can have the usual metal bracket braces

The clear brackets

Or Invisalign, which attach to the back of the teeth

You will need to wear a retainer for a while after they are removed, to stop drift. There is some good info here

It is an Australian site, but ortho is ortho, tbh.

SandCastspells · 16/07/2007 10:55

CoV...beat me to it!

ComeOVeneer · 16/07/2007 11:00

Hi Sandy. Haven't seen you in a while. (Whispers) I think you are a little confused with Lingual braces and Invisalign

yogimum · 16/07/2007 11:01

well it did affect my gums, unfortunately though I cleaned my teeth as adviced by my periodontist.

SandCastspells · 16/07/2007 11:09

Yes, Cov...I think I missed some text out there...

I thought I had linked to lingual AND invisilign....

That's what I get for posting when I'm putting dd to bed!

Original poster
sammysam · 16/07/2007 11:57

Has anyone used invisilign? Looks almost too good to be true! How much more does it cost?
I'm only 25-does that make any work easier? I'm just feeling a bit worried/unsure as i'm so much younger than my 'mum' friends i've made and feel that it'd make me look even younger-stupid I know but these strange things go through your mind don't they

OP posts:
ComeOVeneer · 16/07/2007 12:07

TBH anything over the age of 16 is adult and the bone is formed so makes treament slower than in childhood. It is difficult to say what it will cost as there is no fixed pricing, eah individual orthodontist sets his/her own prices. So get a written and signed (by both parties) quote upfront so you don't get a shocking bill presented to you at the end of treatment.

Original poster
sammysam · 16/07/2007 16:44

Thank you-its all very confusing!
Just wish i'd done it when I was younger!
Anyone else have experiences?

OP posts:
TheBlonde · 16/07/2007 17:41

I had the metal braces but with clear brackets
I didn't find it painful
Took about 18 mths
I didn't lose any teeth as already missing 4 at the back from childhood
My mouth was crowded so they were a bit wonky at the front

I did a lot of flossing and brushing to keep them clean which is a faff.
Major plus was I ate less so lost weight

I have a permanent splint at the back as COV describes to keep them in place

Original poster
sammysam · 17/07/2007 09:40

How does the splint work (can you see/feel it) and how long do you have to have that for-few years or forever?

OP posts:
TheBlonde · 17/07/2007 13:21

it is a metal wire holding the front 6 teeth together
you can feel it but you can't see it
it stays on forever or until you need to take it off for some reason

MissM · 18/07/2007 21:35

I had a fixed brace done on the NHS at the age of 30. It was the best thing I ever did. People said my teeth were fine too, but I was obsessed with them - the top ones were crowded and stuck out a bit. It took a few years to pluck up the courage, and I had to have two teeth out which was HORRIBLE, but the way I felt about myself afterwards was amazing. I was more confident, happier, I smiled more, I would look at my teeth in the mirror and love them!

Yes it hurt like hell when it was tightened, and dental hygiene was a nightmare (I became a right pain to have staying the night as it took me hours to brush, floss etc). You also can't eat certain foods like chewing gum, toffees, coke or other fizzy drinks but to be honest that wasn't a hardship. You see the results almost immediately which really encourages you. It did get me down at times, and I felt really self-conscious to begin with, but they soon became so much a part of me that when I had them taken off some people didn't even notice.

I would do it again in a flash if I had to. THey have moved since, but they're still amazing compared to before and I haven't regretted it for a second. You're only 25 - what are you waiting for?!

If you live in a city with a big dental teaching hospital you might be able to get it on the NHS as I did. It meant waiting longer to get going, but I saved myself a fortune, and the treatment was brilliant.

snowwonder · 18/07/2007 21:42

did you have to pay for it on the nhs? like you pay for dental treatment on the nhs...
or was it free...

did you have to have any teeth out,

i am 31 and i am seriously considering it, although not got another appt till xmas now as i had a check up a few weeks ago, so i will have to wiat to discuss with my dentist

MissM · 19/07/2007 08:06

All I paid for was to have two teeth out beforehand with my usual dentist. After that the treatment was entirely free at the Eastman dental hospital in London. I had to get a referral from my dentist and talk about it a lot beforehand, and I had to find a dentist who was willing to refer me as the first one I saw said that nothing could be done. You need to persevere a bit and be prepared to wait for about a year, but after that it was all plain sailing, and didn't cost a bean. Although you can't have the clear plastic retainers that way, only the train track ones that teenagers have.

snowwonder · 19/07/2007 17:59

so you asked your dentist to refer you to the dental teaching place?

thanks for answering my questions

RTKangaMummy · 19/07/2007 18:56

I have got them at the moment

It was a 40th birthday pressie to myself

Deffo brill

I am soooooooooooooooo pleased

Train tracks top and bottom {clear ones at top}

I tell my ortho I don't mind the pain cos it means it is working

I pay by DD each month

Get them done

I had to have 2 taken out including a cqanine from my jaw it was inside the top jaw and hadn't come down as a teenager

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