To Brace or Not To Brace

[shifb]

Watching my daughter now in braces has peaked my interest in getting them again. I had braces as a child and my teeth are okay, but bottoms starting to shift a bit and tops have always been off center because i was missing a tooth.

I'd love to hear from 40+ adults who decided to get braces again... happy, regretful? what are the pros cons?

[GettingStraight]

I'm 43, and got braces for the first time about 2 months ago to fix a deep bite, some gaps on the top and some crowding on the bottom, but nothing really severe. My daughter got braces around 15 months ago, which got both my wife and I thinking about it. My wife started a year ago and will be done next week, and now its my turn.

The actual braces have been no big deal. I'm a manager at a high-tech company and my biggest concern was how they would be perceived at work. The answer - nobody really cares. I told the people I work closely with ahead of time, and they were all excited/supportive. Outside of that group, the only person who commented was one of the chatty cafeteria cashiers. I've since noticed two other people at work, about my age, with braces as well, so I'm certainly not the only one around going thru it.

I'm very happy with my decision to do this, and I'd certainly tell others to go for it as well.

[catgyrl]

I'm also 43 and got mine almost a year ago, with a quote of two years total that I will have them on. The worst I've ever felt is when I want to eat something that is either (1) too difficult, or (2) is just a hassle. It was more of a, "These things are a pain in the butt" rather than "I hate them and wish I'd never gotten them!" I've never, ever had even one day of regret about getting them. My teeth have improved so much that I can't even believe they're mine, and I smile more than ever, even with brackets, ligatures and elastics in my mouth. my dental hygiene has also never been better.

I say if you can afford it, go for it. And GettingStraight is right... No one at work gives a flying fig about them. They're a novelty for the first minute they notice them, and then life goes on.

Good luck with your decision!
Cathy

[Sandpiper]

I too am 43, and have been in braces about 9 months now (I'm hoping I have reached the halfway point). Like the others, I have no regrets about doing it, but I do get bored of them, and long for them to be gone. However, time passes quickly - I was galvanised into action when I realised that if I'd got them when I first thought about it, rather than dithering about the decision for ages, it would all have been over long ago!

Re work colleagues, I told my team before I had them fitted, and whilst I know some people have noticed, no-one has said a word....and that actually suits me - I can just forget about them. I'm sure you won't regret it - best of luck with the decision!