I’m 34 and was treated in London. Treatment time was exactly 11 months; I had been quoted 18 months as an approximate time. I had Damon brackets with ICE clear on the top 6.
I found the whole treatment relatively painless and easy to manage. The first two weeks was the only time I had difficulty eating but this improved after the initial break in period and I ate pretty much normal food from then on. I never used painkillers or needed wax and had no sore spots in my mouth. I had a slight lisp while wearing the springs on the front teeth but that went away. I brushed after every single meal with a special soft toothbrush provided by my orthodontist and rinsed with Listerine. I had no plaque build-up over the time and only very minor staining on the lower arch around the brackets. I didn’t drink coffee or red wine during the treatment, but I did drink a lot of green tea. I had adjustments every 3 or 4 weeks.
I was lucky in that I found an orthodontist who would proceed without any extractions; I still have my full set including 4 wisdom teeth all intact. The first orthodontist I saw told me I would need 4 extractions and at least 2 years of treatment.
I’m very happy with the result!
This is what I had to start with. Not pretty!
I wore springs to separate my front upper teeth for the first 3 months.
I had IPR on my upper and lower front teeth at 4 months. Power bands fitted to close the gaps. At this point people start asking why I have braces, as apparently my teeth were fine to start with!
The last 5 months I wore elastics but only at night. I increased the strength of the elastics from one band each side to three each side. Wedges were fitted to the upper central teeth to speed up rotation.
11 months and they are off!
No extractions, still have my wisdom teeth in there.
I wish I had done it earlier!
Hope this is helpful.
