Tell me about braces...the kind that straighten your teeth

[FrayedKnot]

I have a gap betwwen my top front teeth and it seems to be getting bigger as I get older.

How much do braces cost? How long would I need to wear them for, potentially?

ou have to be referred by your dentist. when i asked mine she told me the initial referral check was iro £80. Braces can be really expensive. She gave me an estimate of around £1800. I decided that, for now, I would rather have a wonky smile . Just fyi orthodentists are not available on nhs any more in my area esp once you reach adulthood

I don;t have an NHS dentist anymore anyway, we couldn;t find one when we moved.

Has anyone had a brace for something similar? Do they still have those fixed train track things or is there somehting more discreet on offer now?

I paid about £3K for train tracks about 5 years ago took 2 years

There are alternatives now like invisalign but dunno about them

I havent seen many but do anaesthetise the odd dental list for teenagers - there are all sorts of interesting and very discreet contraptions around, not infrequently they run the brace on the inner aspect of the teeth, or just have a little bit poking through to the front.

The removable plates were always relatively discreet.

I imagine you get what you pay for... so start with expensive and then escalate to re-mortgaging territory.

I havent seen many but do anaesthetise the odd dental list for teenagers - there are all sorts of interesting and very discreet contraptions around, not infrequently they run the brace on the inner aspect of the teeth, or just have a little bit poking through to the front.

The removable plates were always relatively discreet.

I imagine you get what you pay for... so start with expensive and then escalate to re-mortgaging territory.

there are loads of different methods now. Maybe if you are seriously thinking of investing in our smile you could investigate veneers??? They are a lot quicker and would not involve too much painful tooth moving etc. Enquire at your dentist. You are not obliged to do anything even if they have on record you are considering it.

see my post on Invisalign- I posted a couple of days back here.

link link link

You need to have a consultation with your dentist to look at your options.

If you get braces, you will need to still wear a retainer once you have them removed, all the gap will simply reappear and all the work will be lost. I have a bonded retainer, so I never have to worry about it.

There are different types of braces, but usually the train tracks with metal brackets are the most reliable and efficient, meaning you have them for a shorter time. I had this kind in my late 30s and I didn't feel awkward or self-conscious.

You may want to have the gap cosmetically closed, for example with porcelain veneers, or having the dentist widen your teeth using composite.

Thanks all will hunt for the invisalign thread.

I didn;t realise you could close the gap cosmetically.

I'm sure it will be expensive whatever the option...

Hi FK.

I had a massive gap between my teeth as a child and spent ages with train tracks and night retainer but the gap opened right up as soon as I stopped wearing the retainer.

Then when I hit 30 the gap started closing on its own. Something called "medial drift" I think that is apparently relatively common. It is now really small.

So if you do decide to have anything done it would be worth asking about whether it might either open up or close up after.

Good luck