Braces

g-bebe · #1 05-30-2007, 02:08 AM

So I'm at a kind of crossroads with my teeth this summer.

As a child, I grew in a bit of a different pattern. In my early elementary years, I was one of the biggest kids I remember. As I got older into early highschool, I was just average, and from late highschool until where I'm at now, through two years of university, I've grown quite a bit, and thus, because of my late growth, my teeth have grown as well. I've always been happy with the way my teeth looked, even though I had to wear a retainer while I slept for a year or two when I was about 13.

The way my jaw has grown, the inscisors (sp?), the front middle teeth on the lower jaw, have crowded and have overlapped a bit. However, my bite is still fine, I'm comfortable with it and how my teeth and face looks.

My orthodontist is giving me the option of doing nothing (obv), getting jaw surgery and then braces (which I've already ruled out), and getting one of the inscisors removed and then get braces (which is my top option, if I choose to do something). This would mean having to take a few weeks off of work probably, in addition to the 1-2 years of braces.

The whole background for this was whether or not braces are as big a pain in the ass as they seem to be? Do they require insane amounts of cleaning so you don't get [censored] stuck in them whenever you eat? Is it harder to eat, do they hurt? Do they require too much maintenance?

I'm leaning toward not doing anything. I like the way I look right now, but my parents think I should do it because of the dental care plan I'd be on right now, and because they don't want me to regret passing up the option right now if my teeth get rough later in my life.

JackInDaCrak · #2 05-30-2007, 02:08 AM

just do it, you wont regret it.

catalyst · #3 05-30-2007, 02:44 AM

Not to hijack, but does anyone on this board have experience with Invisalign?

Edited to add: I think it would suck having braces my last two years of college

mbillie1 · #4 05-30-2007, 02:45 AM

How old are you? If you're 18 or 19 it will probably be very, very unpleasant. Still probably the right decision, just be prepared...

Drew16 · #5 05-30-2007, 08:12 PM

Do the braces. They arent that bad and they will fix your mouf. Usually you get them adjusted once a month and they are a little sore for about a day. Other than that they dont really bother you.
They arent that much harder to clean just brush your teeth.

Nonfiction · #6 05-30-2007, 08:21 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Not to hijack, but does anyone on this board have experience with Invisalign?

Edited to add: I think it would suck having braces my last two years of college

[/ QUOTE ]
ive wondered about invisalign too... having braces in your 20s would be awful.

Dilznoofus · #7 05-30-2007, 10:50 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Not to hijack, but does anyone on this board have experience with Invisalign?

Edited to add: I think it would suck having braces my last two years of college

[/ QUOTE ]
ive wondered about invisalign too... having braces in your 20s would be awful.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have regretted for a long time not getting braces when I was a young teenager. I'm now 27 and thinking of looking into the invisalign whenever I get some money.

OP, get the braces. Two years of irritation is worth it for a lifetime (or at least a long time) of good straight teeth. If in a few years your teeth get bad you will be so strongly regretting that you didn't just get it done when you had the chance.

born2ramble · #8 05-30-2007, 11:28 PM

I was borderline-needing braces my freshman year of high school. I erred on the side of not getting them and convinced my parents/orthodontist that I'd be fine w/o them. Anyway, my teeth/jaw grew like yours and I had a terrible overbite and I ended up getting the braces just before I turned 19. They suck. Maintenance isn't so bad, I still brush my teeth once per day (morning.) You get good at tonguing out crap / swishing water around in your mouth and it's pretty okay.

I've always been a liiiitle shy/nervous in general, so I've naturally been self-conscious about them (I'm pretty much the only person I know my age with them.) It's almost exactly 2 years I've had them now, and I'm due to get them off in a month or two. I'm pumped.

FWIW, my mouth does feel a little bit better and my overbite has gone away so I'm pretty happy with it. Wish I had them on as a kid, though.

mrcoughman · #9 05-31-2007, 12:00 AM

I personally had braces for 5 years, from late 15 to early 20 ( Before I had a huge gap between my teeth and an overbite, similar to your average yokel). Physically speaking braces aren't that bad. Sure it hurts every time they tighten them but it's quite bearable.
For me the biggest problem was image issues. they definitely did a number did a number on my confidence especially when I was between 19 and 20 and barely any of my peers had them. My teeth are a lot better now so i am quite glad that I had them. I would have obviously rather not had them though. If you are comfertable with your mouth how it is (and are relatively certain it won't get worse) then I'd say no. But if the ortho forsees your teeth being a major problem than i would get them because they would probaby be on for less time.

dlk9s · #10 05-31-2007, 01:17 AM

g-bebe, braces will be uncomfortable at first, but this is just because your teeth and jaw have just been subject to pressure they are not used to. With each adjustment, they will hurt a bit, too, but the discomfort will subside in a reasonable amount of time.

After a while, aside from when you run your tongue over them and get the occasional piece of stuck, you won't really notice them. Brushing well is usually all that is needed as far as cleaning, but you can always get some special stiff floss (called super floss, I think) if you need to get into some nooks and crannies.

Disclaimer: I only had braces over 4 teeth and for a short time (one complete school year about 17 years ago), so experiences with a mouthful of braces might be different. I did play trumpet that year, though, which was a bitch with braces.