Anyone straightened their teeth as an adult

[Missingwelly]

Hi.
I hate my wonky front teeth and thinking of getting either veneers, wire braces or Invisalign.
The pain, length of time and cost are putting me off braces or Invisalign and I’ve heard veneers damage your own teeth.
Has anyone else had their teeth straightened and if so would you do it again?
Thanks

I had braces, and mine were seriously wonky! It's uncomfortable at first but you soon get used to it. It was over within a year!

Highly recommended. Avoid veneers, they file down your teeth to add them on (who would do that unless they had no other option), plus they look pretty fake a lot of the time...

go the braces route! Or invisalign.

I did Invisalign and it was amazing. Hardly anyone noticed and even if they did, they were intrigued and wanted to know what I thought about it.

The whole thing took 11 months and I’m still so pleased with the results almost 10 years later.

If it's only your front teeth then look into an Inman aligner, it's meant to give really quick results.

I wasn't suitable, and had Invisalign instead. It does take a while, but you get used to it. I'm really pleased I did it.

I had normal metal braces for 6 months and they worked a treat. Veneers are really damaging to your teeth and need replacing. I got used to the braces after a few days and forgot about them, i dont smile with ny teeth on show anyway so most pple didn't even notice .

I had fixed braces - white with elastics 20 years ago. Not sure if this is still an option.

They did discolour a bit but hands down the best thing I have done. To be honest I felt I had to do something as it had become such a big issue for me. Given how teeth have got more and more ‘perfect’ over the last 20 years i don’t know how I would cope now if I still had my old teeth with a huge overbite and gap. I still don’t love my teeth but I am not self conscious about them, I feel I am within the normal range.

I wanted mine straightened but the dentist said they wouldn’t stay there unless I wore a retainer at night for the rest of my life. Seemed like a hassle just for a wonky tooth.

I did Invisalign 6 years ago - took just over a year to get straight teeth. I’m sooooooooo pleased I did it. I would straighten what you have rather than damage you’re perfectly healthy teeth with veneers!!

I had an Inman Aligner, they're limited in what they're suitable for but if you're a good candidate they tend to be quicker and cheaper than other braces.

It was more obvious than Invisalign, but is a removable one so can take out for eating (& special occasions lol) and it's normally weeks/months rather than years. Mine took 15 weeks, would def recommend if it's an option

I have metal fixed braces on my teeth right now, in my late 40’s.

I hated how crooked my teeth had become over the last few years and saw how beautifully straight my teen daughter’s teeth were after braces so decided to have them too.

I’ve just had the top ones done which cost about £1800 but could pay interest-free over 12 months.

They’ve only been on for less than 4 months and they are already much much straighter than when I first had them attached.

I wouldn’t get veneers if your own teeth can be straightened. They are way more expensive and need to be replaced every 8-10 years.

I had a top metal brace last year for 8 months. Best thing I ever did and I wish I hadn't waited so long to do it. I'm so much happier now.

Got metal braces at 47 in Jan!! Significant movement were his words last visit!! Paid £400 deposit and just pay a bit at every visit! Estimated 6-9 months of treatment...
Painful at times but wax is a good reliever!

I've got one month left of Invisalign but already I'm so glad I've had them. As PP mentioned you do need to wear either daily or weekly retainers to stop them moving once it's done. I plan to have a fixed retainer (a wire fixed to the back of the teeth) to keep mine in place, apparently you don't notice it once it's been in a while but if I don't like will change to removable- worth it for perfect teeth!!

I've got both fixed and removable retainers, I'm not letting them go anywhere 😆

I used a company in US called SmileDirect and I’m so pleased to say they have just come to UK.
I’ve being doing a lot of work to myself the past year and can honestly say I am so happy with my new smile.
My teeth weren’t too bad but the older I was getting I was losing more bone density and my teeth were getting wonky just like my mums did when she got older.
You book a visit, have a scan done and you are shown the end result. You get six months worth of clear aligners (they really are so clear that people can’t see you are wearing them)custom made, all clearly labeled with which week and month to wear them. You check in with your dentist remotely.

I’m now at the end of month 5 and never thought i could have such a great smile. My teeth are perfectly straight and I couldn’t be happier.

These are so affordable (60% cheaper than regular braces) because you don’t have to keep having appointments with your dentist. So long as you are compliant with the plan you will end up with much improved teeth
As far as i remember the cost was approx US$2000 and I think the price is going to be approximately the same in UK. Please have a look at their website Smile Direct and you can get a free assessment to make sure you would be a suitable candidate.
I promise you I don’t work for them or have shares in the company, I’m just so happy with my new smile.Its a bit late now to start taking photos but if you want to private message me tomorrow I can let you have access to my scans and show you photos of my teeth now.
My philosophy is, if you are unhappy with something about yourself and you can improve it, do it and do it sooner rather than later.

Thanks everyone. So the one thing that’s putting me off fixed braces is that I’ve been told to avoid staining I can’t drink tea or anything highly coloured ie curry. I love my tea and can’t see me doing without. Plus the pain to the inside of your lips.
But then I’ve read with Invisalign it’s the same thing and you can only drink water if your wearing them.
Those of you that had them was it an issue for you?

Missingwelly - I didn't avoid tea or coffee at all! Or curry! Don't worry about this.

The pain to the inside of the lips is stopped initially by wax you rub on the braces, but any pain (more irritation than real pain) wears off completely in a few days once your mouth is used to it and no need to use more wax.

Plus your hygenist can do you an anti staining treatment while braces are on if you want it.

Metal braces don’t get stained. I was told that the elastic that ‘ties’ the braces could stain but I haven’t noticed that at all. I drink Coke Zero most days and eat curries etc no problem. The elastic gets changed every 6-8 weeks anyway.

I think if you had the white version of the metal braces they might stain but hopefully someone else will come along to tell you their experience of other types of braces.

I have literally just started with fixed braces that I will need for 2 years followed by permanent retainers.
The inside of my mouth is incredibly sore but home this will improve within the fortnight.
My teeth are terrible though. And how quickly do 2 years go?

@Missingwelly my dentist said no hot drinks when wearing Invisalign (so they don't melt!) but you can drink cold drinks etc whilst wearing them. Coloured drinks do risk staining the aligners but I avoid this by giving the them a soak in Milton steriliser every few days, gets them nice and shiny again.

Thanks everyone. Your all giving me hope.

@Lellochip the reviews I’ve read on Inman aligners say that your speech is badly affected. Have you noticed that? I think I had a old fashioned version of the Inman as a teenager. I remember have a removable brace with a plastic roof and the metal wires around my teeth but can’t recall my speech being too bad.
Those who had a fixed brace did you go for the clear or metal brackets?
I’m going to book an apt and see what my options are. Everyone is saying my teeth are ok and not to bother, but when I look at photos my sticky out-wonky tooth is all I see

I had braces for 18 months on upper and lower teeth. They came off in September last year. My teeth were crooked at the top and squashed at the bottom and I had an overbite. My (very good) dentist recommended an equally good orthodontist to me and I'm so pleased I did it.

I had clear braces (well, clear brackets with metal wires) which cost extra but if I did it again I would just go for metal - I just think some people notice anyway cos they are observant and some people never even realise so it's not worth spending the extra money. Mostly I found people were really intrigued/wanted to do the same but felt it was too late. I was 41 when mine went on and 43 when they came off. I had to have elastic bands for about 6 months - a bit fiddly, but fine.

There was a bit of pain and irritation every time they were tightened and I did struggle to bite down in to things like apples of French bread. But no problems with staining - if you eat curry every day might be a problem, but the bands (which are the bit that can stain) were replaced every 6 weeks or so anyway.

Now I have a fixed retainer top and bottom at the front and retainers at night (there are like the invisalign trays) but after my next visit which will be one year post-removal I can drop the number of nights I wear them down. You teeth will move back if you don't comply, but one advantage of doing this as an adult is that you are presumably paying for it yourself and therefore are pretty motivated to comply. Mine were £3000 in total and most places do payment plans.

My ortho is a total perfectionist and the £3K has covered almost a year of after-care. I expect she might now see me once a year at the most. She was brilliant and I'm so pleased with the result. I think it's more and more common to see adults wearing them - I notice it all the time, but that might be confirmation bias!

Invisalign is always tempting but you really need to discuss with an ortho. My understanding they are fine for minor, cosmetic tweeks, but to properly move your teeth and keep them there you'll need braces. The older you are the more time it takes - your teeth will move quickly but it's training them to stay there that is the problem. As adults obviously your teeth get set in their ways.

Now I need to save up to get my whitened, but that's another story! Hope some of the above helps.

I've had Invisalign braces in for a year, I have 12 aligners left. I'm 38 and wish I'd done it years ago. My teeth were really wonky and they are near perfect now, I'm still in them to get the perfect bite and to get one tooth slightly moved.

Treatment cost £3800 but I put it on an interest free credit card and paid it off monthly so it didn't feel like I was spending so much!

You are only supposed to drink water, but I drink everything through a straw and haven't had any staining. (I wash them with bicarb and vinegar each morning) I do also eat with them in sometimes (well actually every evening!) As long as you give them a good scrub it's fine!

exactly what Whackitupto200 said.

you can get dental finance and pay it off in small amounts. Totally worth it in my opinion

@Missingwelly Not going to lie, I could never talk properly with mine in 😅

I had an extra part to the Aligner that sat in the roof of my mouth (to expand the palate a bit) and so I lisped the entire time. I work in IT so just popped it out for phonecalls/meetings etc. Most people without that expander seem to say they could talk near-normally after a couple of weeks. I found it a little embarrassing but the trade off of the short treatment was worth it for me.