Braces for Adults anyone?

[SeeDisney]

Hi DIS friends,


I did a quick search on this topic and didn't see anything for this particular post.

Has any adult here gotten them? Please tell me your experiences and the price you paid.

Thanks!!!!

 

[mom2boys]

My aunt (60) is doing the invisalines. She loves them. Her teeth are straightening.

 

[FSUGrad97]

I have braces, and I am so glad I got them! At my next appointment, I should find out if I will be getting impressions for my retainers and I will be getting them off sooner than I thought.

My orthodontist said it could take 18 months-2 years (probably closer to 2 years), and I am just at 17 months with them on. I LOVE MY TEETH!! Now, I will say, there were times when my teeth were hurting REALLY bad and I wondered why I was doing this, but I would take a couple of Advil and I'd be okay.

I have metal braces, with temperature sensitive arch wires. My orthodontist felt that metal braces would work better for my teeth, and that was fine with me. Mine cost about $4800, but I have dental insurance and that knocked it down $1,000. I had an overbite, and my teeth were very crooked.

Good luck!

 

[rascalmom]

I had braces as an adult when I was in my late 20's and dh has them now. He had them as a kid, but he has some pretty severe TMJ problems & this is addressing that. Not sure of the cost - dh is a dentist & refers lots of patients to the ortho, so we aren't being billed.

I wore mine for about 2 years. If I was doing it now, I would look into Invisilign.

 

[alli'smom]

DH just had his braces put on. He had them when he was a kid but didn't
wear the retainers. Everything shifted and he needed them again.
They had to pull 2 teeth to get the space they need. His are the clear
braces but not invisalign. They will be on for about 2 years and are $3750.00.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I got braces as an adult, and now had them for just about three years, with no ending in sight yet. The earliest I would get them off is the summer. Got to say, it's the BEST thing I EVER did for myself. My previous teeth were horrible (think sticking-out Dracula fangs), crooked, crowded, crossbite, just awful! I truly believe I did not suceed in job interviews or advanced anywhere in jobs because of my poor appearance. But now with straighter teeth, I easily aced two interviews recently, and things are looking better career-wise for the first time in my life.

My case was so severe that I needed surgery with eight teeth pulled, and then the braces, so the total costs will be close to $9000. Not a dime of insurance. I have ceramic braces, which I like since I think they are more discreet during job interviews.

Watch out for Invisalign - they are for minor cases only. Unfortunately, Invisalign had a great marketing scheme so everyone thinks they are the most wonderful thing in the world, and their commercials showed that only dateless "losers" get traditional braces. But the Invisalign technology can't do some things well, and traditional braces are the only solution for many people, so anyone thinking about Invisalign need to do some research.

To the OP - I hope you get the smile you are looking for!

 

[thelionqueen]

I got the standard metal braces in 2003. The diagnosis was to keep them on for 2 years. Luckily, I got them off in only 18 months. My smile is wonderful and I feel so much better about my appearance.

I will tell you, it is worth every effort and every penny. I went to a great Ortho. who didn't charge anything up front except for records and 1 month pmt. Monthly payments were $125.00 for as long as I kept them on. After they came off, I had to pay for the retainer which was an additional $500+.

Go for it!!

What do you think? I spent a lot of $$ and effort on that smile, thought I'd show it off

 

[barkley]

i had them as a kid (in the 60's) then again as a young adult (put on on my 20th bday-removed on my 21st).

the circumstances were much different-as an adult i had tmj to the extent that i had to have 2 teeth and the jaw bone above those teeth surgicly removed (i was wired shut for 6 weeks). but despite the more intense problems the experience was much better. orthodonics has come such a long way-they are much better at dealing with pain and comfort issues now (i do not remember anything like dental wax being available when i was a kid and the metal rubbed my lip raw-nor do i remember anyone offering me a rubber bite plate to chew on after an adjustment to keep the pain under control).

i had the standard metal and had no problems with them (and once i figured out that a small can of tomato juice or v-8 would counteract the mouth drying pills they have you take for major adjustments i could go in and not have cotton mouth the rest of the day ).

 

[ottawa-newbie]

I have always hated my teeth - very crooked, with a huge overbite...

As a kid, my mom couldn't afford to get me braces (being a single parent), so I saved some pennies together until I had about $3000 ear-marked just for braces (I'm 31 now)....

Then, they tell me it's going to cost $6000

And my insurance doesn't cover orthodontics.

So I spent the 3 grand on..... our first trip to Disney World!!!!!!!

And now I still have crooked teeth but I'm still smiling in my Disney pics!!!!

 

[Aimeedyan]

Yes, I had them put on as an adult and 4 years later still have the bottom ones on. Eek! Pricey, yes, painful at times, yes, noticeable, yes, but it's ALL worth it. My top ones were clear (not invisilign but just clear brackets) but bottom were metal because the clear brackets are bulkier and not as comfy on bottom.

We hope my bottom ones will come off in the next few months, and my top look great! You just have to wear that retainer!

 

[bellacam]

Watch out for Invisalign - they are for minor cases only. Unfortunately, Invisalign had a great marketing scheme so everyone thinks they are the most wonderful thing in the world, and their commercials showed that only dateless "losers" get traditional braces. But the Invisalign technology can't do some things well, and traditional braces are the only solution for many people, so anyone thinking about Invisalign need to do some research.

I second this. Three years ago I did Invisalign for 14 months and at the end of my course, I ended up wearing regular old metal braces for another year. I was so pissed at having shelled out big bucks for the Invisalign only to end up with regular old braces. Luckily my orthodontist didn't make me pay for the metal treatment on top of the Invisalign.

 

[crz4mm2]

I had braces at age 40. Had them on for 9 months. I had buck teeth that were over 1/2 inch apart in front. My lower teeth were crooked as well. The cost was about 3k. I had gold brackets. They told me they were less noticable than the silver (invisable ones were more $$) so I went with the gold.... They look yellow in pictures so I did not like that, but they were only on 9 month.
I still wear my retainers and probably always will. If I go without my retainers for a night then my teeth come apart a bit.....
DD had braces at the same time I did. Hers were on for three years though!
I am very happy with the results.
I paid a down payment and then monthly payments (with no interest) on both of our accounts. NO insurance here.
It wasn't too painful.
I say go for it.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I got braces at 24, and I have never regretted it for a minute. I paid $3950 for all the orthodontic work, including the first set of retainers (he'll replace them if they aren't holding my teeth straight, but not if I break them or lose them). I had the silver metal ones. I had to have my wisdom teeth and one other tooth pulled to make room, that was not included of course.

I wore them for about 2 years, maybe a month or two less, and I'd do it all over again in a minute. I'm so happy with my straight teeth!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

I got braces in college, and my mom got them at the same time (she was in her 40's). We both got the ceramic "tooth-colored" braces and we both had good experiences with them. I had mine on for 3 years, DM had hers for almost 4. I don't remember the cost, but that would be about 15 years outdated now anyway.

The only problems we had with the ceramic braces was that they sometimes stained (just like your teeth do) and needed some extra cleaning. Not so bad, though. I'm glad I did it, and I know my mom was glad she got braces as well.

 

[binny]

I just got mine off last week!

I am SO happy I did this!! It was worth every penny and then some! and every ounce of pain, which wasnt as bad as I anticipated most of the time.

I now have my retainer which I dont really care for but I know it will prevent me from needing them again and I am NOT willing to risk everything over the last 19 months for a bit of irritation



All in all I am THRILLED with the results!


Go for it, Ive never heard anyone say they regret it!


BTW, I had the clear braces on top ( not invisalign but just like regular metal braces but clear plastic) and silver on the bottom.

 

[FSUGrad97]

I just got mine off last week!

I am SO happy I did this!! It was worth every penny and then some! and every ounce of pain, which wasnt as bad as I anticipated most of the time.

I now have my retainer which I dont really care for but I know it will prevent me from needing them again and I am NOT willing to risk everything over the last 19 months for a bit of irritation

All in all I am THRILLED with the results!

Go for it, Ive never heard anyone say they regret it!

BTW, I had the clear braces on top ( not invisalign but just like regular metal braces but clear plastic) and silver on the bottom.

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of retainer do you have?

 

[binny]

Its just a regular non-permanent retainer.

I can take it out when I eat so that is nice.

I have to wear it full time for 6 weeks then at night for 6 months. After that just every so often.



I also have a permanent bar on the inside of my bottom front teeth that will stay forever I guess. Im used to it already so it doesnt bother me much.