Fixed braces in adulthood

[kkelly82]

Hi all. I really dislike my teeth and have wanted to get braces for a while. I had hoped to get Invisalign after being told by two dentists I would be eligible, however recently I visited a third dentist who is a platinum provider who said my case was too severe and I should see an orthodontist. He said he felt fixed braces were the best option for me.
I really don’t like the idea of this mainly due to the work I do (teacher) however the alternative is living with my teeth as they are which I don’t want to do either. So before I go to the expense of seeing an orthodontist I’d like to know from those of you who have had fixed braces in adulthood what it’s been like. What have been the biggest issues, or on the flip side was it not as bad as you thought?

Look up incognito braces. They're amazing. Train tracks but in the back of your teeth so totally invisible and no faff of having to remove Invisalign every time you want to eat.

Hi OP, I've had fixed braces on for a year and have been pleasantly surprised! The teeth move so quickly and it's really encouraging to see the changes. I would recommend it honestly

I've had fixed braces, they've been off for over a year now and in retrospect I'm so glad I did it. I also couldn't have Invisalign. But, but, it wasn't fun! I had ceramics so the bands were clear but would get stained from tea, spices etc, so I often felt a bit self conscious. However people frequently didn't even notice I was wearing them, so probably more in my head. I absolutely regretted it in the first two weeks, it's not that it was painful it was just a horrible sensation having them on and I just wanted to rip them out. I managed the inside mouth pain using wax on the brackets. I used a water flosser to keep them clean. By the end I was so over it, but now I'm thrilled with the results and definitely glad I bit the bullet.

I had them for nearly two years, they came off in February this year. One friend who I saw regularly in that time didn't even notice, she only realised after I'd had them off and someone mentioned it.

TBH there are so many adults wearing them now - and it seems likely almost every other child at DS's upper school - they are completely unremarkable.

I had ceramic ones on the upper teeth which cost about £1000 more and they were an absolute bugger to get off at the end of treatment. The ortho easily levered the metal brackets off the bottom row but ceramic ones shatter and he had to chisel away for ages, and then get the really stubborn lumps off with a drill. I would get metal ones on top and bottom and save the money if I could do it over again.

@Vinoveritass thanks for your post. I think I’ll feel the same in that I’ll really dislike having them in initially. Thanks for that tips on keeping them clean and easing the discomfort.

@AnnPerkins Really interesting to here about your experience of ceramic brackets. I initially thought I’d go with this but maybe not after hearing this! Did you have to have any teeth removed before the braces were fitted? Dentist I saw said he thought an orthodontist would suggest this is done due to overcrowding but the thought of this is just awful!

@kkelly82 I also had one tooth removed before braces fitted and it just eased out I barely noticed! In the midst of getting used to braces it was just another discomfort for a few days. I had no problem getting my ceramics off top and bottom too, so it isn't necessarily going to be difficult

less bad than it sounds, you get used to them quickly and the time flies by! worth it IMO. Do shop around and get a couple of quotes though - worth it.

I had two retained milk teeth removed for my lingual fixed braces. They took a bit of getting used to because saying “s” sounds was a bit tricky to start with. Interestingly I have had no migraines since which was an unexpected bonus. I had them on for two years, lost a fair bit of weight, and now have a thin wire behind my front teeth and a plastic retainer at night.

@Vinoveritass that’s good to hear that the tooth was easily removed (I have visions of the dentist having to apply lots of force!). Also good to know that the ceramic brackets came off easily too.