Am I too old for braces?

[buggerthebotox]

I'm 57. I've always had protruding front teeth. I'd love to have perfectly straight teeth but it's never been that much of a big deal.

Yesterday I took my niece to our local dentist for a preliminary consultation for her pronounced overbite. Dentist said to me "you have an overbite too".

Since then, I've been wondering if my protruding teeth are more noticeable/worse than I thought? Should I look into having braces?

Anyone have any experience of braces ad an adult?

Not personally but two friends have had really good results with Invisalign.

Not too old, no. Invisalign or Clearstep might be a good option. You won't get any orthodontics on the nhs though.

Not too old now, I'm 55 and getting braces this year as one of my front teeth sticks out.

Oh I thought you were asking whether you were too old for trouser braces, how disappointing.

I have no experience to offer although I think investing in your teeth is wise - unlike clothes, they have to last you the rest of your life.

However I think we're always more conscious of our own physical 'flaws' than other people are. It sounds as if you weren't particularly aware of the issue until it was pointed out to you? If that's the case then I very much doubt whether anyone else has noticed.

never too old but as we grow older our teeth still move so you will maybe need a brace to wear overnight to keep them in place for best results. It also depends on the condition of teeth and gums whether you can start treatment or not.

Hi,
I did six month similes and never regretted it. Best thing I ever did in my 40s.

A colleague, who I guess is about 50 given the ages of her kids, has recently had braces. They were hardly noticeable and while I'd never noticed her teeth before has lovely teeth now.

Thanks all. I appreciate I'll have to put my hand in my pocket.

I'm not even sure if I have a sufficient overbite/hang/protrusion to warrant treatment at all.

When my mouth is resting, my bottom teeth (which are straight) hit the top back of my top ones, if that makes sense.

I know this is going to cost...anyone like to share how much I could be looking at spending?

six month smiles is a form of brace and costs just over £2000 for one set of teeth. either upper or lower but shop around because it varies. The iman aligners can do it in a shorter time too.

I have an overbite too. Personally it doesn't bother me, but my front teeth are straight (ish). At this point in my life 40s I would prefer to spend the money on interesting holidays with dd and continuing to do up our house.
If to you the money is worth it, absolutely go for it, but I wouldn't get it done just because you can and a dentist has pointed it out to you. Friday my lovely private dentist has never suggested I should get mine fixed, although I'm sure he would happily take lots of money off me if I raised it☺️

Thanks for your thoughts. I will try six month smiles.

katy I think the dentist was just being a bit blunter than I'd have liked. Or maybe she noticed in a professional, dentist-y kind of way.

Absolutely not too old at all! There are lots of older people who choose to have braces.
I'm 28 and have braces.
The problem is when you get older your teeth become a little looser, that's just a natural thing. If you decide to have them, please go with an orthodontist and not a dentist as they're specifically trained in the movement of teeth.
They will do a panoramic x ray to see how well rooted your teeth are, take moulds etc the cost can be quite a lot. Depending on how severe your overbite is, or how long treatment will take, are you prepared to wear braces for (in some cases) 2+ years? The adjustments are painful. You won't be able to eat hard crunchy things.
It'll give you tmj temporarily as your teeth are moving.
Your teeth won't meet, it can be annoying.
You might find hidden cavities that need filling.
You might need teeth out so that all of your teeth can fit properly.

These are just a few downfalls.

The positives are your confidence will change, you'll smile more. You'll want to be in photos more with a full smile. You'll take care of your teeth more (because braces are hard work).

They're worth it but they're painful.

Never too old! I'm an orthodontist and my oldest patient is 78!!!

If you are thinking about it, you'll likely still be thinking about it in 5 years. I always say that the earlier you make the decision to have our teeth straightened, the better value for money it is!

I had an overbite and had braces (not just for that but for other issues too) and in my initial consultation the orthodontist said that getting rid of the overbite is aesthetically nicer (it opens your smile) and apparently women are more prone to jaw issues in later life which an overbite doesn't help with.

Mine cost £3.5k, but I had the ceramic ones. So proper train tracks but the brackets glued to your teeth are tooth coloured and therefore less obvious. IMO the extra cost is worth it.

Adult teeth move surprisingly quickly too, so you probably wouldn't be in them for long if it's just straightening them.

By the end the only thing I couldn't eat was apples as you bite down into them. There were other things I could eat, but were better in the privacy of my own home (chocolate cake stuck in braces anyone? ).