ADULT DISers WITH BRACES?

[gypsydoodlebug]

OK, so I'm my third month with these rotten things. I have ceramics on top with R system metals on bottom. I really hate the ceramics and wish I'd gotten the metal ones. They're much more comfortable than the ceramics.

Right now I'm looking at 2.5 to 3 years to correct a funky overbite. My teeth are 80 percent straight, so I was really surprised and shocked to find out my doctor was recommending me to an ortho. Total cost: $4895 w/ a 5% discount for paying cash.

I absolutely HATE them. Every day. Right now I'm sucking Harry & David Salsa outta them. They don't hurt too bad until I have an adjustment, and my ortho gave me a script for Xanax and gives me gas just to get me through that. I better be freakin' GORGEOUS when all this is over...

Any other DISers with me? How do they affect your self-confidence? I recently went out with my sorority sisters from college, and although I've dropped 60 lbs., gotten married and had a baby, I still felt like the ugly duckling!

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

Really, I'm the only one? Dang.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

Oh no! You are not the only one!

I am a mid-thirties adult with braces. I had them over three years, with a few months still to go. I had to have extraction surgery which was $2000 (four wisdoms and 4 premolars), and then ceramic braces which were over $6000. I also had other costs thrown in there, so the final cost will be well over $9000 easily. Not a drop of insurance, either.

Unfortunately for me, I had naive parents who REFUSED year after year to get me braces. My general dentist kept telling them they were doing me a huge disservice by not getting me braces, but they simply didn't want to bother or pay for them. All my classmates got braces, and looked great afterwards, so my bad smile really stood out. And my smile was pretty bad - basically I had teeth growing and protruding in places in my mouth where teeth were never meant to grow! I had the god-awful protruding fangs, crossbite, overbite, tilted teeth, sideways teeth, overlapping teeth, you name it! They were horrible. I was lucky I didn't need SARPE (Surgical assisted rapid palatial expansion) surgery or jaw surgery but it was a possibility at one time.

Got to say, I hit a point in my adult life where I realized I would never get anywhere looking the way I did. I honestly felt my appearance was preventing me from being hired or promoted. When you fail interview after interview, or when you get a job, you see attractive people promoted around you over and over - you get the picture. Fixing my teeth was the BEST thing I ever did, it was worth every penny and all the PAIN!!

If anyone out there is in a similar situation - please find the money and FIX your smile!! Appearances matter, don't fool yourselves! You need to have straight teeth nowadays to present yourself well, and it is expected in many corporate cultures and professions.

To the OP - Sorry you are having so much pain!! It will all be worth it!!! Imagine that perfect bite and smile when you are done!

 

[NCDisneyMom]

I do not have them right now, but I just got them off a little over a year ago, at age 32. I had the metal ones, for over 2 1/2 years. There was some pain with the adjustments, but most of my pain was them tearing up the inside of my cheeks. A little wax solved those issues.

I will tell you this, though. It was SO worth it! I had overlapping teeth on top and bottom, and had to get teeth pulled just to make the space for them to spread out. Now, I love my smile! Yes, I was a little self-conscious about them when I had them. But, I've always been a self-conscous person anyway. I mostly felt it in new situations where I'd be meeting new people. But now, I smile all the time, happy to show it off! Good luck to you!!

 

[JamieW]

Yep, I'm 26 and I've got them - ceramic on top and metal on the bottom. I've had them for about 4 months. They haven't really caused me much pain, not like people said they would anyway.

I was always self-conscious about my smile, so I figured why should I be more self-conscious about the braces?

I always wanted them, but never got them as a child, so I told myself that when I graduated from college and got a job, I would do this for myself.

I'm so happy I got them. I can already see a vast improvement. I sucked my thumb for many years, so I had the overbite from hell. One of my bottom teeth in the middle had gotten pushed back behind the others. Now, my bottom teeth are all straight.

I had to have my wisdom teeth taken out beforehand, so all in all, I'm paying about $4600 (I think).

The only thing that REALLY sucks about the braces is that food gets stuck in them and small particles of food will fly out of my mouth when talking if I don't brush right after eating. Yes, it's gross.

 

[Patricia]

I don't have them personally, but my husband does. He is about to get them off in fact. He has had the same set up with the ceramic on top and metal on bottom for 2 years now. Some complaints, but not bad. He hated the food getting stuck in them, but loves the results . I am sure we did not give him too much attention being both of my daughters wore their braces without one single complaint so when dad was getting all whiny about the idea that he couldn't eat without a trip to the bathroom to be sure his mouth was clean of food, we kind of just laughed about it. It's a small price to pay for how great he looks. The braces are coming off in May and he is getting whitening, we are all looking forward to the results! You will be fine and it's all worth it!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I have to say I loved having braces--except adjustment time and when I first got them. (Pressure pain--tylenol helped and it only lasted a few days---then only 1 day or 2 on adjustments).

I load up on the wax if I need it. I had ceramic on top and metal on teh bottom. It really didn't bother me at all. I knew that I was fixing a dental problem that i had for years that my parents though--"Oh you don't need braces".

I happily got my hardware adn was downright pleased with the results.

You must wear your retainer religiously though---following what the ortho tells you. and if they tell you you'll have a chance to not wear it anymore--they are pretty much not telling the truth and you will be one of "those" who complain "well I had braces--and now my teeth are back to the way they were".

I do try to avoid the foods they tell me too.

I am in braces on the bottom row again to fix a slight shift that occurred 4 years ago when I was pregnant with morning sickness. Wearing my retainer made me physically ill . I should be out in 6 months.

I look at it as a badge of honor to fix crappy teeth (at least the first time). This time my teeth are not so crappy--but it really really bothered me.

And my botttom row was so bad the first time around--it was 5 months in braces before my teeth were all in a decent enough position to be wired. They had to do some strange thing with brackets and rubber bands to get a couple of teeth to be standing up tall enough--to get the wire in.