Orthodontics

Who's had braces?

=> At 29, I currently have to wear fixed braces on my top and bottom teeth. I choose clear ones for the top and regular metal for the bottom.

When did you have them and for how long did you have them?

=> I currently wear them, got them one 5 months ago and will have to wear them for another approx. 2 years.

Did you have any other "appliances" to go along with them?

=> I have to wear elastics with them.

If you haven't had them, do you wish you did?

=> I wish I got them earlier, they are quite embarrassing as a guy at my age.

Had mine for about two years. Had a removable retainer before I got my braces for another year prior.

Had elastics pretty much the whole time as well. I was about 15 at the time.

I had braces for 2.5 years, and along with them I had spacers and every type of rubber band orthodontia ever invented. I wore my retainer diligently after I got them taken off, but they stopped fitting when my wisdom teeth grew in. And then my teeth shifted, so now I'm thinking about getting invisalign at some point.

I had headgears for about 2 years when I was about 11-13 years old.. And after that I did wear removable retainers for 2 more years...

I am 43 now and in the meantime my teeth did shift back again. But I am proud of my "crooked" teeth... So I don't think I take braces again...

I had braces in my teenage years for about 2 years. There was nothing particularly special about them, just good old fashioned metal braces.

I got a clear molded retainer which I wore for 2 years after, broke and never replaced. My teeth never shifted so everything still looks pretty good.

I had metal braces as a teenager. I am getting invisalign on june 3rd.

I had traditional metal braces.

In the summer before high school freshman year, my TMJ was so painful that my parents finally took me to the orthodontist. They were applied a week before school started. They were painful, but I had such a malocclusion, and such an overbite, a huge gap between my two front teeth, and just crookedness altogether that I welcomed the pain of adjustments because with each new adjustment came new progress.

I wore rubber bands as well, to pull my lower jaw forward.

At one point, I had a frenectomy done so that my gap could close. This procedure, to this day, is why I avoid the dentist at all personal cost (though my teeth are in very good shape and I have never had a cavity). The orthodontist put the Novocain in... and didn’t wait despite my protests before he started the procedure.

The week before senior year, the braces came off and I was given a retainer. I wore the top one for YEARS. About 10 years ago, it finally broke.

I had braces. The front hooks were composite and back were metal. The composite part got coloured easily so I had cleanings done often. I had them for a year and half. Not the most pleasant experience.

I had traditional braces from my senior year of high school through my senior year of college, 1975 through 1979. My look became more androgynous during the time, a frosted Dorothy Hamill hair style, big designer glasses, women's Calvin Klein jeans tucked into women's boots

I just had Invisalign when it first came out. It was pretty expensive at the time. Was just like wearing a mouth guard all the time

In 2004 when I had some major cosmetic dental work, my dentist said that what was done back then really wasn't that great.

A full mouth reconstruction was done and it was well worth it

In 2004 when I had some major cosmetic dental work, my dentist said that what was done back then really wasn't that great.

A full mouth reconstruction was done and it was well worth it

DECADES before then, cosmetic dental work was MAGNIFICENT if you went to good people.

When I was much younger, I thought retainers looked awesome! I wanted one so bad! When I was 13, I got fitted with braces. First, they put spacers in between some of my teeth and I was told not to brush for a few days. Those suckers HURT! Little did I know that it was just the beginning! When I got my braces, they started reading off a list of things that I was no longer able to eat, corn on the cob, ribs on a bone and some other things. I was heart broken! I LOVE BBQ Ribs! Then, a little while after leaving, the surprising pain hit me, coming from a dull small ache to my mouth was just throbbing and so painful! That was going to be my life for about 2 and a half years. I had the fugly head gear, I had the rubber bands. I had the bristles of toothbrushes getting stuck in my braces. I had wires poking and tearing my mouth. Then, I had to go in and have them tightened up. That was awful! It was always about the time things stopped hurting and I could eat again. Then I was back to the part of where even toast hurt to eat! I hated my braces so much! I hated the head gear too. I wouldn't wear it. They said wear it at night. Well, not easy to do when you are a side sleeper or (at the time) a stomach sleeper! Finally, I was able to get them off! I was about 16 and a half. I was soooo over those damn things (I had the rings that went around each tooth). The first thing I did when I got home was brush my teeth! It felt soooo deliciously good! I finally had my retainers too. THOSE I didn't mind so much!

My parents wouldn't pay (20% after insurance paid) for them for me, but they did for my brother (He was the favoured child). Yes, I wish they had, but after reading Breeze's post, maybe not! 😉

My parents didn't feel straight teeth were an essential thing. A few crooked teeth never hurt anyone. So braces were never an option in my family. I never felt I missed out on any part of the braces experience.

DECADES before then, cosmetic dental work was MAGNIFICENT if you went to good people.

The price was magnificent too!

The price was magnificent too!

If you ever wanted something good, you had to pay for it.

That goes for cars, stereos, kitchen knives, shoes, mechanics. . . . everything.

The dentist that did my work was one of the dentists on "Extreme Makeover"

I got braces at age 15, toward the end of my 9th grade in school, and had them for a little over 2 years. I had braces on both uppers and lowers, and rubber bands connecting the top and bottom. This was in the '80s, when they weren't as common or as desired. Although I initially hated getting them, I got to enjoy the feeling and look, and that I was made to wear them. I also got glasses around that time (shortly before my braces), and it helped that I was becoming a budding young masochist in many ways (although I never let anyone know). By the time I got my braces off, I got to enjoy having been made to wear them, and looking back, they were a large part of my memory of who I was back then.

UPDATE:

Who's had braces?

=> In my thirties, I currently have to wear fixed braces on my top and bottom teeth. I choose clear ones for the top and regular metal for the bottom.

When did you have them and for how long did you have them?

=> I currently wear them, got them one 10 months ago and will have to wear them for another approx. 2 years.

Did you have any other "appliances" to go along with them?

=> Two months ago, I needed to start wearing a headgear along with my braces, so humiliating.

If you haven't had them, do you wish you did?

=> I wish I got them earlier, they are quite embarrassing as a guy at my age.

Have braces now. It's almost been a year. Glad results came by pretty quick as far as my smile goes. Bite feels better now (before I felt like I had two "stable" bites, both lopsided).

I have them now as an adult and don’t regret them at all. I went for Invisalign as it suits my lifestyle more than fixed braces.

Absolutely no pain and after 10 weeks I can already see a difference.

I’m in the U.K. now and dental is expensive for cosmetic work as insurance doesn’t cover but I think worth it.

I had a removal appliance aged 10/11, with wires on the top and a plastic it to bite into on the bottom. it had wires to clip onto my back teeth, and two plastic prongs at the bottom which dug into the bottom of my mouth.

It started to work, then one of the retaining clips broke. it was taken off me, never repaired, and I relapsed. Going back a year or so later, I was told further treatment would require a fixed brace. No information, no explanation. Make the decision there and then. I declined.

Now I regret it and am seriously considering Invisalign, so it's interesting to read the positive reports.

I ordered a new expansion plate with connected headgear tubes and a highpull headgear! very great feeling to have the pressure back on the teeth

I had braces as a teen, and I actually have them again now. I was given the choice between Invisalign and traditional, and a dental hygienist friend of mine suggested I go traditional, as often true dental emergencies can be overlooked during Invisalign treatments as just pain from your teeth shifting.

I had braces when I was 12. I had the braces, rubber bands, and a retainer.

I needed braces from an early date. In 1960, at the age of 12, our family dentist suggested I see an orthodontist to fix my deep overbite. My parents didn’t think I needed an extensive treatment plan, like full braces, so they choose “Plan B” for me which involved wearing an upper retainer provided by our family dentist. Soon, the retainer was made and I wore it faithfully. I had adjustments made on it every month where the wire would be tightened. For a few days after each adjustment, my upper front teeth would indeed, be rather sore. After a year, my teeth were nicely lined up, but nothing had been done to address my overbite issues.

Through high school and my college years my bite continued to deepen. My bottom teeth actually would rest in the gum tissue behind my upper front teeth when I closed my mouth. Around the age of 39, I had a new dentist who quickly identified my problem. He referred me to an orthodontist AND oral surgeon who did all sorts of x-rays, pictures, impressions, etc., where they both recommended that I have jaw breaking surgery to fix the problem. Shortly after this diagnosis, I moved to another state for a new job not having done anything yet to address the issue. A year or so later, I KNEW something had to be done. I was now having all sorts of jaw problems (TMJ). I soon found an “old fashioned” orthodontist who specialized in “difficult” adult cases. He said he could correct my problem, WITHOUT JAW SURGERY, but that I would have to be a COMPLIANT patient which involved wearing headgear full-time, in addition to nice shiny metal bands and brackets on both upper and lower teeth. I had all sorts of rubber bands and much of the time, heavy power chains strung through the brackets of my upper teeth.

At the age of 42, I was quite a sight! It took nearly three years to get the desired results, Those years of rather sore, but not always painful, teeth WAS WELL WORTH IT. All my jaw issues and deep overbite were gone. Now, nearly 30 years later, at the age of 72, I still wear retainers at night to keep everything in place.

I had braces from around age 12-15. Unfortunately my teeth have shifted again, and I’m considering adult braces.

Brooke Lynn

Did your teeth shift because you did not wear your retainers OR was it due to your wisdom teeth causing them to move out of alignment? Yes, your wisdom teeth will probably need to be removed before your next orthodontic treatment begins. Good luck!

TM48

@TM48

It was mainly my wisdom teeth causing the shift. I wore my retainer as instructed, mostly.