Advice needed on braces please

[tulpe]

Went to see the orthodontist today and have been told that a brace should see my teeth straight within 9 - 12 months.

He gave me lots of info and basically said that whilst a lot of adults go for Invisalign braces, from a professional view the traditional steel or ceramic braces are the best. The Invisalign will do the job but take slightly longer - particularly as I have quite marked gaps between 2 teeth (bizarre as the other side of my mouth is perfectly straight )

I only need them on the top teeth.

Just wondering if anyone has any recent experience of either the traditional or Invisalign that they would care to share? :)

Hello Tulpe. I have recently had my "clear" braces removed. These were not actually clear but the actual brace was supposed to be the same colour as my teeth. The metal wire was still visible. I think that the system was called Clarity by 3M. My DH has undergone the full Invisilign treatment as he does quite a bit of public speaking. I would say that my teeth are straighter - but I had better teeth to start with. We had our braces on for about the same amount of time. To be honest once mine were on I forgot all about them after a few weeks. I do not regret it at all and love my new straight teeth. Good luck.

thanks SAT.

What you say about your teeth being straighter - that's essentially what the orthodontist told me. He said has sometimes had to use a regular brace at the end of treatment with the Invisalign to get the final perfect finish.

Hmm. Not sure what to do.

Just go for a normal brace. People are going to notice that you have one anyway so you may as well get the best one for your teeth

I had one that was half ceramic/half metal for two years, and wear a retainer at night. It was well worth it.

I really want to get my teeth straightened. Is 41 too old?

My dentist says she is not sure about Invisalign as it moves teeth quickly and they might move back.
I was quoted £3k+ for them and have held back, due to cost and time- he wanted an appt with me every 2 weeks for 2 years- a big commmitment.

Mae my mum had a brace for first time at 75!

I really want a brace to. They are so expensive though. I think that a normal brace will be fine, lots of adults have them now and nobody thinks anything of them. Billy Piper had the Invisalign braces in a Dr Who episode she spoke weird and made her teeth look huge. All I could look at were her teeth!!

I had metal ones about 6 years ago
Worked pretty well and wasn't painful
Cost over £3K but was worth it for me

Thanks for all the comments, its definitely assisting the decision making process :)

The Invisalign braces are now out of the equation. So I need to decide between the ceramics or the metal.

HowAnnoying I agree that so many adults have them now that it isn't a big deal. I also wonder if actually the ceramic ones cause more attention because people will be double checking to see if you do actually have them on!

If I really want a good job doing on them then I do need to listen to the orthodontist and go with his recommendation of the full monty of metal braces. It isn't a cheap procedure (metal ones quoted at £2450 and ceramics at £2950) so you want to make sure that you get the best result possible.

Thanks again, guys. You have been very helpful and it is good to hear some success stories too,

EldonAve - do you still wear a retainer at night?

Mae - I am 39. 41 is definitely not too old - the orthodontist was telling me yesterday that the average age of his clients is increasing - he had just fitted braces on a 65 year old man before he saw me!

Have a look here, loads of info - I'm going to have metal braces fitted next week, I'm 35 and my ortho said her clients are either in the teenage or 30+ years bracket so braces are really common for adults these days!

www.archwired.com