Braces after 60

[librarylady]

I am always been extremely self-conscious of my crowded teeth so finally decided after retirement to take the plunge. My husband has been super supportive .... my children, not so much. Most of my friends claim to have never noticed what I was so conscious of. I got my top braces (ceramic) in January and the bottom (damon metal) in March. I am not sure that I made the right decision. I am having lots of problems adjusting...pain, mouth sores, inability to eat. The process should take 24 months and now I am wondering if it will all be worth it. Of course, it is too late now to go back as my teeth have begun to move and actually look worse than when I started. Did anyone else think they looked worse before things got better?
Anyone else out here wait this long and were you happy with the results?

[parsleysage]

Hi librarylady!

I think you will like it on the boards. There are several members in their 50's and 60's. JeniK, plugnickel69, Dee17, and djspeece are a few frequent users in that age range that I can think of off the top of my head.

I have not been braced yet, but many of the stories I have read say that things get worse before they get better. Gaps showing up in weird places, midlines shifting, etc. I think it is totally normal. Also, you are probably inspecting your teeth 50x more closely than you were before, so you are noticing much more detail. And, to top it off, it sometimes seems like the brackets and wires themselves affect your perception of your teeth! I have seen people post photos that they swear show huge imperfections and everyone who looks at the photos kinda scratch their heads, lol! We are our own worst critics.

You need to make it to 9 or 10 posts (the rules say 7 but I do not think 7 is enough), and then you will be able to see pictures. This will be really helpful to see the changes that people's teeth go through before they get to the final product. And most users here that I have seen do have crowding so they will be similar to you.

Good luck with your treatment! Have fun on the boards!

[jem]

Hi Librarylady.

i was 57 when i started my treatment ( uppers only). I finished about 9 months ago. My supposedly short treatment took longer than expected, but I am pleased with the outcome and glad I did it. I think we all have highs and lows during the process, but I am confident that when you are finished you will have no regrets. There is some great support available on this site.

Good luck with your treatment and keep smiling.

Jem

[shredie79]

I am into day 13 now....you are ahead of me! Let's get through this together! I am 53

[oldguy]

Hi........
Believe it or not I'm older; The discomfort is part of the process.
Don't be afraid to eat solid food it actually helps your teeth to move in
the proper position.. I too have Damon.
Don't worry your brackets are really bonded.
Over the last year and a half, I have had 3 brackets break off.
not from eating solid food. Cut up your food and eat little bites, your
whole view of the process will change. Get a water-pic if you don't
have one, it will make the whole cleaning thing a lot easier.

Oldguy

[Dee17]

Hi library lady,
Dee17 here.
Welcome to the boards. I think that all of us go through that. Of second-guessing ourselves once we first get her braces. I've had my braces now for about 18 months and I expect I will get them off in October 2014. Anyone who knows me from this forum will be able to tell you that I had tremendous anxiety before I got my braces on. It also took me about eight months to adjust to them. Now that I've been in them for about a year and a half, I am fine and I actually, I'm embarrassed to say, Connelle like the way they look.
I can definitely understand what you might be going through at your age. I am 55 years old. And even though my orthodontist told me that about 30% of his practice is made up of adults, I have yet to run into anyone who is even close to my age who was wearing all metal braces. I was not in the same situation as you are. I was not really embarrassed about my teeth except that I had developed a very large space between my two top incisors. It wasn't really until after I got my braces on but I became very self-conscious.
The fact that your husband is super supportive is really wonderful. I think you're very lucky as far as that goes as for the rest of the people, I will try not to dwell on that too much. Most of the people who have been on this board have all said the same thing and I found it to be true myself, that most other people really don't notice what's going on in your mouth. They may have a comment if you say something about it or bring it up yourself. So, I guess my best suggestion to you is to just try to remember your goal when you're feeling either depressed or like you've made a mistake or self-conscious. Believe me when I tell you that the time will pass very quickly and in no time you will have the smile that you always dreamed about.
Best of luck to you. I don't come on this board very much anymore but if you want to send me a message go ahead and we can support each other.

[AnnB550]

Hi,
I am new here and recently had scans done to get Invisalign braces at the ripe old age of 60. I know that your post is a year old but hope that you will see this. My orthodontist said that they kind of push the teeth out and then push them back in to line them up nicely. ( in response to your post about getting worse before better) I am wondering how you are doing now after a year with braces.

[AnnB550]

[quote="AnnB550"]Hi,
I am new here and recently had scans done to get Invisalign braces at the ripe old age of 60. I know that your post is a year old but hope that you will see this. My orthodontist said that they kind of push the teeth out and then push them back in to line them up nicely. ( in response to your post about getting worse before better) I am wondering how you are doing now after a year with braces.[/quote]

[Dee17]

Dee17 here again. I finally got my braces off in December 2015 after 26 months of treatment. I have not regretted it for a moment. Most of the time I thought the treatment would never end but it finally did and my smile is beautiful and I could not be happier. Recently I've had some trouble with the space between my two front teeth starting to try to open up again. I am getting a new retainer on Tuesday and that should stop that problem in its tracks. Try to focus on the end result you are trying to achieve. You WILL get there and you will be SO happy you made the journey. Trust me. xoxo

[AnnB550]

Thank you Dee, that is encouraging and I'm happy that it was so successful for you.

[6bug]

I hope things are much better one year later. Like Dee17 said, focus on the outcome, on that beautiful smile you'll have...I'm only one month in and keep kicking myself in the arse that I should have done it sooner.

[AnnB550]

Thanks for the reply 6bug, I am still waiting for mine to come in and already wishing I had done this sooner..I have to say though that the longer I wait the more nervous I get. Good luck with yours smile.

[Dee17]

AnnB550 I had so much anxiety before I got my braces put on I was having full-blown panic attacks that were waking me up at night. Right after I had them put on I could literally feel the anxiety melting away. I was shocked to see how much smaller they were than what I had envisioned them to be. Within one week I was no longer waking up at night in a panic. Good luck to you!

[tartanhabit]

I know this is an old thread but I'm encouraged to see this post and hear other's chime in too. At 47 I'm strongly considering braces. I am such a baby about the whole thing - not so good with change!

[AnnB550]

It's not such an old thread ...I say go for it. Don't wait until you are 60 like me. Now I wish I had done it much sooner. I could have had a nice smile for all those years that I can't get back.