upper sectional brace

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jem
Posts: 942
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:05 am
Location: UK

upper sectional brace

#1 Post by jem »

My name is Jem and I am an over 50 from the UK. I had removable braces in my early teens but my front teeth have gradually become crowded again over the years. I had considered further orthodontic treatment after discovering this site but done nothing about it until my dentist noticed that my teeth are wearing down excessively. Part of the problem is bruxism and I now wear a splint on my lower teeth at night. The other problem is that one of my upper incisors bites down on top of my lower teeth instead of in front of them and this is causing damage.

I have seen an orthodontist who has advised that I need an upper sectional brace. This will consist of a Damon clear brackets on just my upper 6 front teeth and an archwire spanning only those teeth. Treatment time is estimated at 6-9 months and will start in January.

I was keen to get started soon ( but not before Christmas for obvious reasons) in order to finish soon, but am rather apprehensive. You don't see middle aged men in the UK wearing braces and I hope this will not affect peoples' perception of me or the professional practice which I run. Any support/reassurance would be much appreciated!
Sectional brace with Damon clear brackets fitted to front 6 upper teeth 3 January 2012
Brackets added to premolars 2 April 2012
Estimated treatment time originally 6-9 months
. Brace removed on 22 July 2013 after 18 months and 19 days
Now enjoying bonded upper retainer plus part time essix/hawley( I have both)

Click here for my story http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=42194

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lau
Posts: 222
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: So Fla, USA
Contact:

Re: upper sectional brace

#2 Post by lau »

hey Jem-
as much as people from the UK think it is more normal here in the US, it is still pretty uncommon for people over 30 to have braces. I'm 37 work in a multinational company and have meetings with senior leadership often and it's been challenging a little bit. They stare at my teeth (i went with upper/lower metal because my ortho recommended for my case) or ask why did you do this if your teeth were ok. its tough but as many people on this board say, you get used to it as time goes by. 2 months into this, I can say it is getting so much easier, most of the people at my company already have seen me- so its 'out of the way' and it feels like no big deal.
What i do love about having them is that a lot of people (about 10 ppl so far) and shared that they were either thinking or planning to have braces in the near future. like i went to NY on this business trip and this lady at the coffee shot started asked personal questions like: does it hurt? does time go fast? is it worth it? there was this huge line and she was all interested in my experience - which makes me think i am inspiring people to do this as I was inspired by many of the senior board members of this Message Board.

Anyway- what i can say is that i guess the older you are the wiser you are and the more confidence you have to do it. In my 20's I was not mentally strong enough to do it, so now is the time for me.

hope this helps-
Wore Top & Bottom traditional metal brackets, wore elastics both sides 24/7
Brace day: Oct 4 2011 / Sentence: 18 months - DONE in 16 months
My story + progress pix

jem
Posts: 942
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:05 am
Location: UK

Re: upper sectional brace

#3 Post by jem »

Thank you Lau. Your reassurance is much appreciated and I know I should not be getting too stressed about a sectional brace when other people on this site are coping cheerfully with full braces for a much longer time. Good luck for the remainder of your treatment.

Jem
Sectional brace with Damon clear brackets fitted to front 6 upper teeth 3 January 2012
Brackets added to premolars 2 April 2012
Estimated treatment time originally 6-9 months
. Brace removed on 22 July 2013 after 18 months and 19 days
Now enjoying bonded upper retainer plus part time essix/hawley( I have both)

Click here for my story http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=42194

jem
Posts: 942
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:05 am
Location: UK

Re: upper sectional brace

#4 Post by jem »

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/824/upperarch.jpg/

Attached (hopefully) is picture of my upper arch. Whilst the obvious issue is the under-sized left lateral incisor which is pushed out of the arch, the main problem is the left central incisor which is pushed back and bites down on my lower incisors.

My sectional brace will be fitted on 3 January which is now only a couple of weeks away. I am looking forward to getting the problem sorted out but at the same time getting more apprehensive about wearing a brace at age 57. I guess I wll just enjoy the Christmas period and try to forget about the brace until New Year.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Jem
Sectional brace with Damon clear brackets fitted to front 6 upper teeth 3 January 2012
Brackets added to premolars 2 April 2012
Estimated treatment time originally 6-9 months
. Brace removed on 22 July 2013 after 18 months and 19 days
Now enjoying bonded upper retainer plus part time essix/hawley( I have both)

Click here for my story http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=42194

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