Adult Braces

[SnarkyBag]

After many years of wanting to get my teeth fixed I’ve finally embarked on getting braces. I’ve just had the top set fitted.

Thought I might start an ongoing progress thread a) to keep track and keep positive as it’s a long time to wait for the end result and b) answer any questions for people thinking about getting braces.

In my case I have two missing teeth (congenital missing lateral incisors) at the top and some crowding at the bottom set. So my treatment plan is fixed braces to narrow the gap at the front, followed by composite bonding at the end. I have clear ceramic brackets on the top teeth and the bottom ones which will be fitted in a month will be gold brackets. I was unsure about the gold bracket options and was considering paying the additional £500 for clear ones but the orthodontist explained that in terms of doing their job the gold brackets are far superior.

The process of having them fitted was surprisingly quick and not painful at all. I would describe the feeling of having them on as really tight pressure. I haven’t found it painful although I’m noticing a small amount of sensitivity if I bite down when eating. The braces haven’t irritated the inside of my mouth at all but I’m feeling extra cautious about worrying if the wires will break!

I’m sticking to fairly soft foods at the minute as I’ll be honest eating isn’t painful but feels rather messy and uncomfortable. I have to avoid biting down using my front teeth so everything has to be cut up small and It’s not nice feeling good getting stuck around the brace TBH.

I’ve switched to a very soft headed toothbrush as I worry about snapping the wire whilst trying to clean thoroughly. Flossing and using dental sticks is quite hard but keeping on top of cleaning is going to be important. I’m going to try and make it easy on myself by cutting out sugary foods, sticking to fairly soft foods like pasta and making sure I clean after eating every time.

On the upside I anticipate losing a few lockdown pounds as I’m really not enjoying the eating process right now!

I will upload some progress pictures once there is some progress to be seen!

I'm 55 and had braces put in just before the first lockdown. They came out maybe six months ago and I love my smile. For me it was the culmination of nearly 2 years of dental work on my awfully neglected teeth.

I have had mine in for a while now. I think it will be another year to go. The bottom braces go in next month. They look worse at the moment to be fair, but I know it will be worth it in the end. Mine are fitted and cost just over 3k. That includes a year after care and retainers.

Anyone got a rough cost of having a fixed retainer put behind your teeth after the brace us off?

The cost of mine includes the retainers. I will have a fixed one on my bottom teeth and a removable one for my top teeth.

@NigellaSeedofChucky

Anyone got a rough cost of having a fixed retainer put behind your teeth after the brace us off?

The breakdown of my treatment plan prices the fixed retainer at the end as £180

@NigellaSeedofChucky it will depend on a number of factors but braces affect your overall bite so it may not be advisable to have just the top ones done or you could end up with an off bite as it were.

My orthodontist said he won’t treat patients with just a top set of braces

Ah right. Well Im sure I'll need a full set then as I think I have an overbite. I've waited long enough and this is going to cost me alot so I plan on being the perfect patient

Hi all have just stumbled across this thread after having a consultation for quick fix smile (I think it's called) this morning. Will be going through my dental practice rather than an orthodontist. £1700 for top row of my teeth. My teeth are quite straight anyway but slightly pointed inwards and have what I would describe as a severe snaggle tooth!! Have wanted braces for years and years but always put it off because of the price. But taking the plunge and getting it done in the new year. Should take between 6 - 9 months to straighten

I'm glad I found this thread. After thinking about it for many years I'm having my braces fitted in two weeks time. I'm excited at the prospect of straight teeth. I've gone for the ceramic option. Does anyone have any experience of those? Also, loving the tips OP on what to eat. I plan on ditching the sugar whilst going through treatment. Hoping I can stick to it

Just a quick update. 6 weeks in and went to the orthodontist today expecting the bottoms braces to go on but decision was made to wait as top needs much more work doing than the bottom so he felt it would be better to wait as bottom will move quicker once on.

I know my teeth have moved as my bite has changed but can’t honestly say that I see the difference yet which is a bit disappointing as even a small change to see would be motivating!

Had the top set tightened and not gonna lie it hurt like a hitch and at one point I feared he would pull a canine out!

Back again in four weeks so hopefully more progress. On the upside I can go through Christmas without having to get used to a bottom set of braces!

** bitch not hitch

@SnarkyBag it's great news that you get to enjoy Christmas without the added complication of your bottom set of braces!
I had my top set fitted 10 days ago and I'm still struggling with food. I'm able to eat pasta but anything more solid and it's very uncomfortable! My teeth all ache when I eat. Does anyone else feel like this?

Oh I found eating very uncomfortable and still do to be honest. My teeth haven’t really been aching but even now it’s not much fun. My bite feels off and I’m worried I’ll snap a wire and hate the feeling of food caught up in my braces!

Oh and other new weird phenomenon is one of my back teeth feels slightly loose. Apparently normal as the teeth shift but disconcerting all the same!

@Beniceandyoullbehappy tender teeth are totally normal, although 10 days is quite a while - maybe ask your ortho if you're concerned? My teeth used to be too tender to eat properly for a day or 2 each time I had the wire changed.
I also found it challenging to eat while my bite changed, just had to eat really, really slowly. But I had extractions and the gaps made it hard too.
@SnarkyBag one of my front teeth was wobbly for a while. It was particularly bad one day until I realised that's because the wire had popped out of the bracket! Luckily I had the kind where you can push the wire back into the bracket and secure it yourself. Otherwise don't worry too much, you need a lot of force to dislodge a tooth and the wire holds it in place.

Thanks for the advice. I'm definitely feeling an improvement so I'm not overly concerned. It just feels so odd eating wearing a brace and has taken the enjoyment out of eating. I just keep reminding myself of how lovely my teeth are going to be at the end of the process 😊

@Beniceandyoullbehappy I've had mine for 5 weeks and my teeth have only just stopped aching. I still have to cut everything into bite-sized pieces and put them into the back of my mouth. I also eat very slowly.

How's everyone doing? I had my bottom brace fitted today so I'm back to soft(ish) food for a day or two. The ortho said he could see some progress already which is super exciting!!

How's everyone doing? I'm getting braces in a couple of weeks. I am a bit worried about how they will look and being judged for it

Hey @nephrofox I’m 9 months in and as of yet have still not had the bottom braces put on. They were ready to go on this month but annoyingly I’ve had some pain and inflammation on a tooth I have a crown on so had some antibiotics and had to wait for it to settle down. Hopefully the bottom brace will go on in 3 weeks. I think in all likelihood once the braces are off the tooth with the crown will need removing and I’ll need to have an implant but I’m hoping it will hold out until the end of the braces treatment!

The top teeth have moved loads and I can see (and feel) changes. It’s weird noticing old gaps closing and new ones appearing!

I still find eating a fairly joyless experience. It’s not painful but just never feels quite comfortable somehow and I get sick of food getting stuck in them.

No hints from the orthodontist as to how long treatment will be I suspect I have a minimum of another 18 months left but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a couple of years.

As for how they look my top ones are clear and most people don’t even notice I’m wearing them. My colleague didn’t notice for 6 months!

They're on!

Top & bottom. Top doesn't look too bad. Bottom is awful as he's put like a mini spring on one of them to push the neighbours apart. All white / clear.

I've had soup for lunch.

The wax stuff he gave me - does that go on the braces themselves or on my lip where it rubs?

Wax on the ends of the wires...

Can I resurrect this thread as I'm nearing the end of treatment and would love to compare my experience with others.

I got fixed braces in April 2021, clear on top and metal on bottom. Treatment would be approx 18 months, no extractions - space would be made with interproximal reduction (filing).

Last visit the ortho said I'm nearly there. My next 8 weekly appt is next week and one top front tooth still feels a bit twisted. Because of the shape of my teeth I have black triangles between my top teeth. Ortho said he could do a bit of IPR but obviously not too much as could cause sensitivity. Has anyone else had black triangles and what did you do about them?

Bumping for the evening crowd?