Orthodontic treatment as a mature adult

[WitchWay]

I'm going to see an orthodontist soon about my wonky teeth, which have always been wonky & are getting wonkier. I'll be 49 this month. Keeping the wonky ones clean has always been difficult & I have intermittently had problems with my gums because of it. I suspect if a brace is possible then I'd need some teeth out first, which I really don't fancy. I don't want to end up as a snaggle-toothed old lady though.

Has anyone done this or is anyone doing it?

Overcrowded, yes. Very few gaps. No overlapping but bottom front teeth are higgledy piggledy not vertical & one of my upper front incisors is angled forward of the other one - it is that tooth in particular I hate as it shows when I smile - there is more room at the top I think. I also have a small rudimentary wisdom tooth on the same side as the wonky incisor - I wonder whether that could come out & the rest could be shifted back, giving the Mrs Doubtfire tooth room to be straightened.

I had mine done in my early 40s. Your teeth sound a bit like mine, WitchWay - I had a protruding upper front incisor and major overcrowding. I had to have both lower wisdom teeth out, both lower first premolars and my upper first molars so that they could make enough room to reduce the overjet and tidy up the lower teeth. Took about three years to get a reasonable smile. I still have a largish overbite, but, as an adult, that wasn't fixable without major jaw surgery which I politely declined, being scared stupid of general anaesthesia.

It may be a bit of a slog, but I'd say get them fixed - it'll be worth it in the long run.

Thanks Spiral I agree my teeth sound like yours were

It's definitely a case of seeing what the ortho says - from the people I know that have had adult ortho, it's unusual not to need some teeth out, but you should get an explanation of what would need to be done...and don't be afraid to ask whatever questions will help in deciding whether to go ahead.

Good luck!