I decided to take the plunge because I chipped a tooth. I always new that I needed braces and had been told so by an ortho when I was younger but my parents couldn't afford them. When I became an adult and could afford it I first had to have my wisdom teeth out because they were all impacted and causing me problems. They were removed over a year ago. I kept putting off braces and then one day I noticed that my bottom middle left tooth was chipped! The whole corner was broken off. I was really upset and my dentist said he could bond it and fix it but that because of my deep bite (you couldn't see my bottom teeth when I bit down) I would just break it off again. So I went to the ortho he recommended. Now I am one month into my journey!
I thought I would look silly because I am 24 and I already look young for my age but everyone at my office has been really supportive and I have come to like my braces.
What was your catalyst?
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macfancier
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Ditto! My coworker's "sentence" was only 4-6 months and she only had the bottom front 6 teeth braced, but I asked for her ortho's name and finally went through with something I've wanted to do for 20 years.markGl wrote:so after time goes along i made a friend at work who had braces ( she had them taken off right as i was getting mine put on )
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Folk Ballad
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I had braces for most of my elementary and middle school years for a myriad of reasons. I can't imagine what my teeth would look like if I hadn't had orthodontics at a young age, but it wouldn't have been pretty.
Near the end of Phase 1, I was told I would need jaw surgery when I turned 18. This revelation really irked my parents, who felt like they should have been told about this earlier, so it was so long to braces. I was given a retainer and that was that.
I wish now that they wouldn't have gotten me off track and let me carry on with all the braces and things, but I was going into high school and wasn't about to argue against not having to see the orthodontist anymore.
Fast forward a few years and I was still thinking about jaw surgery. My open bite was bothering me more and more and although, aesthetically, I like my teeth and my smile, functionally, my mouth is a mess and a half.
It was a hard decision (and I'm still not sure if I'm making the right one), but I decided to go back to the orthodontist and finish what I started while still in college. Money's already tight as it is, I want to study abroad (twice!) and although I hate the idea of having braces in college, I know I'm not going to enjoy the thought any more when I have a full time job and am out of school. It also seems that instead of regretting getting braces, most regret not doing it sooner!
So... that's basically it. Braces and jaw surgery were going to have to happen sooner or later, so I elected for sooner.
Near the end of Phase 1, I was told I would need jaw surgery when I turned 18. This revelation really irked my parents, who felt like they should have been told about this earlier, so it was so long to braces. I was given a retainer and that was that.
I wish now that they wouldn't have gotten me off track and let me carry on with all the braces and things, but I was going into high school and wasn't about to argue against not having to see the orthodontist anymore.
Fast forward a few years and I was still thinking about jaw surgery. My open bite was bothering me more and more and although, aesthetically, I like my teeth and my smile, functionally, my mouth is a mess and a half.
It was a hard decision (and I'm still not sure if I'm making the right one), but I decided to go back to the orthodontist and finish what I started while still in college. Money's already tight as it is, I want to study abroad (twice!) and although I hate the idea of having braces in college, I know I'm not going to enjoy the thought any more when I have a full time job and am out of school. It also seems that instead of regretting getting braces, most regret not doing it sooner!
So... that's basically it. Braces and jaw surgery were going to have to happen sooner or later, so I elected for sooner.
Braces were not a financial reality for any of us in my family. I had some aid and scholarships and loans to get through culinary school, now paid in full. My smile was overlapped in front, right over left, with lots of misalignment in back. My last preortho dental checkup and cleaning had the doc saying NOW was a good time not to wait to get the teeth in order. This would prevent tooth loss or other damage in the not too distant future.
I was surprised and depressed. Not a whole lot of professional chefs are in the kitchen with braces. (I know of 1, me!)
My partner was terrific, went and got an evaluation and found that indeed things could be better for him, and said let's do this together.
So we are in this together, and it is going just fine.
My big worry was: I have to taste constantly, so how do I keep my mouth clean and not end up with a mess of cavities? But with intermittent brushing and frequent rinsing, that has not been a problem.
Everything came together at once, the need and the opportunity, and the financial ability to do this. So that was the motivation.
I was surprised and depressed. Not a whole lot of professional chefs are in the kitchen with braces. (I know of 1, me!)
My partner was terrific, went and got an evaluation and found that indeed things could be better for him, and said let's do this together.
So we are in this together, and it is going just fine.
My big worry was: I have to taste constantly, so how do I keep my mouth clean and not end up with a mess of cavities? But with intermittent brushing and frequent rinsing, that has not been a problem.
Everything came together at once, the need and the opportunity, and the financial ability to do this. So that was the motivation.
