Getting braced at a late 28

[mcb012]

I'm 28 (turning 29 next month) and getting braces for the first time tomorrow. My bottom teeth have been moderately crowded as long as I can remember. When I was younger I had dentists recommend braces but my parents couldn't afford them. I was also told I would have to have a lower tooth removed to make room for all my teeth. That was not an exciting thought. So flash forward a bunch of years and I'm still bothered by the way my teeth look. Getting braces have always been at the back of my mind but I was never in a good financial place to be able to afford them. My upper teeth have generally always been fairly straight. The last few years though I have noticed one of my front teeth starting to shift and now they don't line up the way they use to. I also have some uneven wear on a quite a few of my teeth.

I started my journey a couple weeks ago with consultations. I went to three different ortho's. One was a recommendation from a friend and the other two I discovered online.
Consultation #1 told me I was a perfect candidate for Invisalign. He said it would only take 14-16 months for either Invisalign or clear Damon's. I still wasn't sold on Invisalign. There's something about it that doesn't just doesn't feel right to me. He also mentioned I have excessive wear on some teeth and would probably need dental bonding after everything is all said and done.
Consultation #2 seemed to go more in depth than the first one. I found out I have a good back bite. Slight crowding on the top and moderate crowding on the bottom. Top midline is off 1mm and bottom midline right on. Overbite is 20% and overjet is 1mm. He thinks it will take 12-18 months. It may take longer due to the fact that my teeth fit together so well right now. Might take longer to fit everything in properly. He also mentioned we could just bottom braces for 6 months and see where we are, but my bite might change by messing with everything so I would probably need the top done as well. It was also mentioned that we could try Invisalign if I really wanted it and was okay with my teeth being "just okay" at the end. He also mentioned the wear on my teeth but no talk of being excessive or needing dental bonding.
Consultation #3 was the recommendation from a friend. This one said I was not a candidate for Invisalign and my only option was at least one extraction... maybe 4!! He didn't think it would be possible to fit all my teeth perfectly in my mouth. This shocked me to say the least! Especially after the 2 prior appointments where extractions weren't even mentioned or hinted at. This one was also the most expensive. There was also mention of the wear but like #2 no talk of being excessive.
I ended up going with #2. The office was the closest to my work and I felt the most comfortable with them.

Everyone has been really supportive of everything. Some friends have even mentioned that they've thought about getting braces for themselves but haven't gone through with it yet. At times though I doubt my decision and wonder if I really even *need* braces. My teeth aren't that bad. You can't even notice my bottom teeth when I smile... although I tend to wonder if they don't show because I've been conscious of them for so long. But like I've said before, braces are going on tomorrow! I'm hoping that will stop the second guessing!

[mcb012]

Braces went on as planned yesterday. My teeth are sore and the amount of hardware in my mouth is driving me a little crazy. As I walked out of the ortho's office yesterday all I could think was "What did I do?!?!" I'm still trying to get use to them and hoping it will get better. I'm having trouble figuring out how I'm going to last with these things on for 18 months.
My lower arch wire is not connected to my back four molars. There are also no brackets on my top rear molars (just the back two) or on one of my lower teeth that is crowded behind the others. So that makes flossing smidge easier. Definitely trying to look on the bright side of all this. Also a couple of my premolars hit the brackets when I bite down. It was much worse at first but the ortho filed down a bit of the brackets so my bite feels a little bit more like normal. It'll be interesting to see how chewing will go when I finally move off soft foods.

[MissRed]

Hi mcb012

Looking forward to following your story! I've had my braces on for a week now and it quickly gets better, I also walked out of the office wondering what I'd done but a week on I'm very happy with my decision .

[Matilda]

Best of luck on your journey!

[Anna5]

Good luck with your treatment!

[jazzyjazz]

good luck with your brace

[mcb012]

Thanks all for the nice comments!!

Just thought I would post a little update. It's now been a little over a week since getting my braces and things are going pretty well. I think I've gotten over the feeling of a bunch of nuts and bolts shoved up under my lips. I've only had two areas where I've needed to wear wax and a few days ago I stopped. At first flossing wasn't too bad. Then the floss started shredding in my teeth/braces and things got really frustrating. I bought some of the Glade Floss Threaders and, as expensive as they are, they work pretty well. I still have some sore teeth (mostly my front ones and a few on the side) but they are so much better than they were at the beginning. I'm getting more adventurous with the food that I am trying... but generally still trying to stick to softer foods. Last Saturday I was at a big family dinner and didn't really think about what I was serving up. I ended up with a salad on my plate only to realize that lettuce is *really* hard! It's definitely taking a different mind set when I pick something to eat, but it's manageable.

Everyone has been really positive about my braces. No one has really said anything when they see me brushing my teeth in the restroom at work in the middle of the day (not sure why I thought someone would). I have a coworker that I never told I was getting braces. So the first time I saw them after getting the braces put on, I didn't mention it because I was curious if they would notice. It wasn't until they offered to bring me one of the cookies they brought in that I had to decline (as my teeth were super sensitive that day) and explained that I had just gotten braces the day before. This person actually told me they didn't really notice them, just knew there was something different. It wasn't until I mentioned my slight lisp (sometimes I manage to whistle under the arch wire) that he said he had noticed that, but thought that I had just taken up chewing tobacco. I about died laughing. I think I would rather be seen as a 28 year old with braces than someone that chews. No offense to those that do... It's just not for me!!