Thinking about getting braces at 21

[Jennydavis]

I am currently 21 and live in the UK. I did not have braces when I was younger as I was told it was not nessasary but as I have got older the worse I feel about my teeth. I have seen an orthodontist and she has said I have a 4mm overjet and some open bite but my bite is fine. She has recommended me to find out about jaw surgery as the open bite is skeletal but I am unsure if I would want surgery. My main issue is my lip incompetence!!! The way to do it without surgery is to extract 4 teeth and have the braces for 18-24 months. I am really self conscious and I will be finishing uni this year so I will be applying for a job and having interviews so I am not sure if I should get them or not. Would people recommend me getting the ceramic braces?

[Frangipani832]

Well, I have ceramic braces and a lot of my friends do too. They aren't that noticeable, no lie. Obviously you can still see them but only if you are consciously looking at them or just focusing on it. And yes, I am a teenager, so I suppose that makes things a little different.
My honest personal opinion is that you should go for it. I mean, if you're already self-conscious without braces, then what's the difference with having braces, right?

Hope things work out for you.

[newbite]

Only get braces if your life will be stable enough for them. I think the self consciousness is much easier to manage than the practical aspects of having braces.

*Do you/will you have a stable job that allows you to live in one place? You wouldn't want to have to switch orthos mid-treatment if you had to move out of town.

*Would your schedule be flexible enough for you to attend all of your ortho appts (routine as well as emergency, which can be as simple as a wire cutting but that still takes time).

*Will you have the time for maintenance? Brushing after every meal and flossing which can take half an hour at first (!).

*Will you also have time to coddle your teeth during potential episodes of pain? Eating can be very slow and tedious, especially at the beginning and after adjustments. I couldn't believe how long it took me to eat when my teeth hurt (literally an hour for macaroni and cheese) and other people have mentioned that, too (but then other people have hardly any pain at all, of course).

If those things are all fine then you should go for it! I wish I had done it at your age-- but I would have answered "no" to most of those questions at the time which is why I didn't do it until 32.

And I agree that ceramic/clear braces are hardly noticeable at all, especially with adults. It's amazing how little people actually look at each other. Throughout my entire treatment only 1 or 2 people commented on my braces (without me bringing it up first). I had metal except the top front 8 were clear.

[occamsblazer]

Heya,

Thought I'd throw my tuppence in as I'm in the UK and was in a similar position regarding the surgery/braces tossup AND I'm in my final year of uni too so had all the same worries!

I've got a 7mm overjet and my ortho sent me off to the NHS to have a consult as he thought surgery to move my lower jaw forward would be the best option...the surgeon was basically like 'hell no, not worth the hassle of the surgery for a minimal effect, get braces' and so here I am! I've got ceramic on top and metal on the bottom (not my choice but hey ho) and in the week that I've had them on, only one person has said anything, I'm usually the one to be like 'LOOK AT MY BRACES!". I work in a huge operating theatre department so was really self-conscious about having to speak to patients and not sound like a pillock, as well as interacting with my colleagues and also not sounding like a pillock, and honestly, the reaction I've had so far has been really positive! The ceramic blends in really well (I have a metal archwire and it's still very subtle). I'm 26 now and I definitely wish I'd got them back when I was 21!

[NeilH]

Hi, welcome to the forum, it's a great resource both before and during orthodontic treatment so make use of the varied experiences and thoughts of those who contribute. I would be very surprised if having braces would have any adverse effect on your application for jobs, quite to the contrary, anyone interviewing would be far more interested in what you have to say and what you can bring to an organisation and wouldn't give any thought to you having braces. As for ceramic vs metal brackets, there's plenty of posts debating the merits of both and it comes down to personal choice as essentially they both do the same job. Good luck.

[Jennydavis]

Thanks for the reply guys!! I am going to wait until I see what they say at the dental hospital before I make a decision but I just wish that it can happen soon as I am leaning more towards getting braces and the quicker I can get the process started the better I will feel.

[Beach]

I would definitely recommend getting braces now. Trust me, you'll thank yourself for it later.

The first time I had braces, I was 19 years old. I thought I was too old for them then which is why I opted for an alternative to traditional braces. Looking back, I wish I would have just gone with traditional braces because I am now 25 years old and in braces again.

[Jennydavis]

Do you find people look at you differently because of you wearing braces at your age? That's what I'm most worried about.

[Prometheus]

No, here no one seems to notice or care. In the US it's common for adults to have braces, I cannot speak for folks in the UK though. My ortho's practice is >50% adults, and most are in their 50s and 60s with jaw/bite problems (me included). The consensus among us is that is that appearance and acceptance turned out to be far, far less of an issue then any of us imagined.

[jem]

Hi Jenny,

I am in the UK and work in a professional environment. I had braces ( upper only clear brackets) in my 50s and was also concerned about what people might think. It was not an issue. Don't worry-just do it.

good luck

jem