So here I am joining this group for some moral support.

I used to suck my thumb as a kid and I have too many teeth for my very small mouth, the legacy is that I have sticky out rabbit teeth, an overbite and my bottom midline is off. Having been given then opportunity to have braces in my teens and due to a break down in communication I find myself now 32 and in braces ... and ONLY because I asked my dentist what she could do about some chips in my front tooth and she suggested a veneer, which would have made my already rabbity teeth look horrendous! So she offered to send me to the ortho for a review.

So the ortho tells me that I have a complex case and that I will need braces for approx 2 years and that I will need to have 4 extractions ..aaaargh!! Now I hate the dentist, and a bad experience as a child left me terrified of needles etc, so you can imagine the feeling in the pit of my stomach

Luckily I have an excellent new dentist who is very understanding. I had left and right upper 1st pre-molars extracted without a problem. Then I went to have the lower right pre-molar taken out only to discover that my own dentist couldn't find enough room around the tooth to get it out, so referred me to the dental hospital who currently have a 12 week waiting list.

So this is fine, meanwhile I'm back at the ortho to have my upper brace fitted, I discuss the extraction problems with him and he says "but she's taking out the wrong tooth!" Apparently he had written a letter to the dentist outlining the extractions (L + R upper pre-molars, and lower L + R pre-molars) changed his mind, issued a second letter detailing upper L + R pre-molars and lower L pre-molar and R excluded incisor! and then the reception staff mixed them up, and my dentist got the wrong letter Anyhoo... the outcome is that the lower left pre-molar came out just fine and that only left the front excluded incisor to extract. I was a mess on extraction day, however my trusty dentist Teresa managed to get it out (tho it was tricky) and I, after floods of tears, made the happy call cancelling the dental hospital appointment.

I feel INCREDIBLY lucky to be given the opportunity again, even more so because my work is all being done and paid for on the NHS - they consider my case severe enough to forgoe the £300 they sometimes ask you to pay.

I have been fitted with metal braces on the uppers for the past 4 months, I haven't had a lot of pain just general discomfort, and I have found that I have dropped a dress size - which isnt good as I now look like Twiggy!

Things look like they are going well but today I went to have a wire changed only to find out that one of my back molars hasn't rotated enough to fit the thicker wire They couldn't even squeeze in the intermediate wire so they put in a 22.5 wire (sorry im not very au fait with the terminology) which I think is what I've had for the previous 4 weeks. I'm back to see my Ortho in 3 weeks time for his take on what's happening. I realise that I am pretty desperate to have my bottom braces fitted. I seem to have this fixed in my head as a goal post (tho I'm not sure why) and because it's another month or so away I feel very disappointed.

Looking forward to my next appointment with Nimo (my ortho has the coolest name!) hopefully he will agree to put these lower braces on soon ...

Hi there, I'm 32 also and I'm considering getting braces next year. Seeing a few orthos next week for initial consultations. My case is a bit complex also as I need to get an implant too. Anyway, I'm glad I'm not the only 32yo here. Good luck with your braces.

This morning I had another appointment with my ortho - he took out the old wire and said I was now moving onto the strongest wire I would get for the rest of my treatment. He's put a clear power chain back on across my front 4 upper teeth and replaced the ligatures on the front 6 uppers (nice purples ones this time ) but no ligatures on my back molars and I now have these gold hook things tied to my eye teeth.

Does anyone know what these hooky things are for??

Still no sign of my bottom braces, Nimo says we're looking at another few months before they go on

@smellbourne - I can honestly say that deciding to get braces is the best thing I've ever done. It's has been, and will continue to be a bumpy road but the end result will be so worth it. I am glad however, that I didnt get them as a child, I feel I'm having a much more positive experience as an adult.

Hi I'm getting mine on the NHS as well which I'm grateful for but my god, the waiting times and the screw ups! That sounds terrifying about them almost removing the wrong tooth. I was SO worried they would do that to me, I kept clarifying it to make sure everyone knew what was going on and felt like a complete idiot for it haha. I'm scared of all things to do with it too so its been a battle (though unlike you I completely freaked out the first time I had to have one removed and they sent me home) so here's to both of us

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Hi Revelvia - Congratulations on getting them approved on the NHS - seems even little kids these days are being refused the free dental treatment. The waiting times are horrendous arent they, I started my process in March '11 and FINALLY got braced on 8th August '11. To be fair to my dentist - had she managed to get that tooth out it would have just changed my treatment plan and added a few months more to it, luckily old toothy must have known and refused to budge

Your not a complete idiot for checking, I was like a broken record and had even told Teresa that she was taking out the wrong one but she was following guidance on a letter from the Ortho. It pays to check.

LOL I did freak out for the lower front incisor, my breathing was very quick and the anaesthetic wouldn't take - the appt was at 8:30 in the morning and I was numb until 3 in the afternoon. I was a complete mess, and because of where the tooth was my mouth looked hideous for weeks. I was genuinely concerned that I might scare my 4 year old! Have you had all your extractions yet? How far along into treatment are you??

sooooo.... I have news!!

My next adjustment isnt until 16th March, which is fine as we're just using band to move my incisors back to meet my molars. My news is that I've just found out I'm pregnant!! and now I'm panicking about having these things on my teeth when I go into labour in October.

Anyone else been in this situation??

hi there
congrats on the pregnancy
i am 32, in braces and in the UK as well. i am not pregnant though

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