| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/12/2009 11:55:21 PM | There were a few threads on braces but none in Health and Fitness, and none to do with actual medical experiences or feedback.
I'm planning on getting some braces so my teeth are in better overall health and shape when I'm older. I never "needed" them as a kid, but now I am getting spaces. I dont want to be the fang-toothed wonder in the cafeteria line of fellow "senior citizens" when the time comes.
I've got consults with 2 different orthodontists next week and they're going to advise me on which product is best, time frames, and options.
Im not 40 yet but I expect to be 6 months away from 40 before I get them off. A nice smile is one of the major attrations in dating, and I see it as a way to almost reconstruct your smile through a basic routine treatment that isnt just for kids anymore.
Has anyone here had braces as an adult? What was the impact on you physically as well as socially? I've seen adults with them (mainly women) and praised their courage to do so. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/13/2009 7:09:42 AM | | i have not had them as an adult, but if your teeth are or will make your self-concious then go for it, once you get them off you will have wonderfull teeth for the next part of your life. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/13/2009 8:23:54 AM | Well, if it makes you feel any better, I won't get my braces off until I'm 52.
I'm not sure what you mean by whether braces have affected me physically. I can tell you that it's not a pain-free experience. I can also tell you that you will get sores inside your mouth. On the other hand, I'm an adult. If kids can endure braces then it's pretty silly of me to complain about the inconveniences of wearing braces.
Socially? I'm oblivious to any social impact because I refuse to be self-conscious about wearing braces. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/13/2009 12:51:41 PM | | My ex bf who is 62 was getting his teeth straightened while I was dating him, that was just over 3.5 years ago... He wore braces every night when he went to bed and felt they were helping his teeth to look better. He didn't however wear them through the day but I believe he got ones to specifically wear through the night. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/13/2009 9:26:33 PM | My mom didn't get braces til she was 45. She couldn't be happier. Its funny because so many people looked up to her anyhow(just that kinda person), but now she laughs more, smiles more and tooooo funny drinks alcohal now. She was self conscious and afraid to cut loose, but now if I order shots Mom better be getting one and I always catch her sampling my drink. I truely believe her crooked teeth held her back.
I guess her son thats too stubborn to get braces could learn something from Mom. Guess at 33 maybe its not too late......... Let us know how it works out for you. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/13/2009 10:00:06 PM | Was at the post office a week ago and one of the clerks smiled when I asked how she was (this is a small town post office were we all know each other) and she had braces. She's in her thirties and was so excited to finally have braces and I was so happy for her. Fact is I know dozens of friends who have had braces in their forties and even fifties. Good dental care is so important to me. Am so happy for the woman.
~Beth~ | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/13/2009 10:45:47 PM | I wore braces for 4 yrs and had finally gotten them off when I was in my forties. I had suffered for years with migrains and tmj. I was given the choice of the clear removable or wires. I chose the wires I felt that if I was going to spend that much money I wanted everyone to know! My brackets were tiny but I went for clear wires and pink and blue bands. It was very painful the first 2 days of adjustment after ea. visit and the wires hurt also. Lots and lots of wax to cover the wires.
You learn quickly what not to eat.. corn on the cob, bbq ribs, candy apples etc. I guess my best advice would be for you to get a water pic, lots of childrens tooth brushes, and to floss all the time. The one thing you don't want to happen is you get the braces removed and you have a mouth full of tarter and cavities. Good luck and embrace your braces. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/16/2009 12:18:47 AM | | I donno, I dont want to have to fool with remembering to do something every day. I just want something thats going to be there and do the function. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/16/2009 5:17:36 AM |
can you eat peanut butter with braces on?
Of course you can; and I do, every day. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/16/2009 8:02:16 PM | hi... I had braces at 38, it was a little painful but it gives you huge lips for a few years  ... blessings, warmly Mona | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/20/2009 3:06:11 PM | well I bit the bullet today and I started my treatment. I got some blue spacers between my back teeth today, and go back next week for the "brackets". This one said he could correct my overbite (mild, about a 3 out of 10 he said), slim down the spaces between my top teeth, and correct the alignment in my front teeth, but he said generally that they are in pretty good health and that I dont "need" them as a mandate per se. I told him that I am doing it so I have a better profile in advanced age. He's gonna put the porcelain ones on the top jaw and the metal ones on the lower jaw.
I almost laughed when a 12 year old girl came in. I thought how on earth are they gonna treat her? I was right. I was in the next room over and overheard she was reminded she had several milk teeth left and that it would be a few years before they could do it. I'm sure "she" didnt ask to be there. Some crazy "keep up with the Joneses" parent booked her I'm sure.
Ive heard of kids having it done (trendy?) but dont you need all of your permanent teeth first? So to speak. This is posted by a gal who *still* has one retained "E" well into adulthood that never had anything behind it and its perfectly healthy tho. lol.
They told me 15-18 months, with visits about every 6-8 weeks. I'm amazed that in one week these spacers will work well enough to get those brackets in. Wow. If these can affect your teeth that quick, think about what neglect can do!
Everybody | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/20/2009 4:46:25 PM | Bassgirl,
When you say you're doing it for your profile, do you have an overjet as well as an overbite? Is your ortho going to be expanding your arches?
If you haven't already discovered it, there's a website for adults in braces. archwired.com. Make sure to check out the forums over there as well.
Good luck! | |
|
keat87
|
Joined: 12/2/2008
Msg: 13 | |
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/20/2009 7:20:29 PM | Someone earlier spoke about their (ex?)partner only wearing them at night. I believe she was referring to a retainer, not the actual braces. You'll get a retainer when the braces come off to help prevent your teeth from drifting. I was given a permanent one for my lower set (not visible, its fused around behind the teeth) as well as a removable retainer for the top set.
Just be prepared for a few changes in brushing your teeth while you have them on, as well as when you get them off. Remember to floss and clean behind the wire thats attached to the brackets and you should do well!
I don't have any regrets about the braces, the only real trial for me was not being able to eat apples or uncooked carrots! | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/20/2009 8:35:40 PM | | This orthodondist does permanent retainers in adult patients. He's going to put permanent ones on both top and bottom for me. They're going to go over what I need to do while I have the braces on next week. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/21/2009 7:23:05 AM | | I am almost 25 and I wear braces. I have the clear braces, so they don't look half as bad as they did when I had them the first time around (in the 5th grade). Most people usually can't even tell I am wearing them. But I do think they make me appear younger, which people already thought I looked young before the braces, haha. Honestly, my teeth were kinda janky before. I had an overbite AND underbite, and my braces brought my jaw forward and now my teeth are pretty much all corrected. My confidence and self esteem literally sky rocketed. I can't even explain it. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/21/2009 7:54:47 AM | For the porcelain braces, please make sure to stay away from staining drinks and foods. Coffee, pop, CHEETOS! My mom about had a cow when she had her clear braces and thought she'd possibly, permanently stained them orange the first month she had them. LOL I think she brushed about twenty times that day to get all of the orange off. Your dental hygienist will tell you this too - it's important to keep up with your brushing because you don't want your teeth to yellow around the brackets and then have whiter spots where the brackets were when the braces come off. Invest in a water pik. Yes, after adjustments to the wires, you will hurt for a day, maybe two. Soups, jellos, soft foods and a couple of tylenol are nice on adjustment days. I don't think Mom ever had any issues with them as an adult. I do know she was much better about wearing her retainer than I was. ;)
And I was one of those kids with braces. I had lost all of my baby teeth by 3rd grade. Got my first set of braces in the 3rd grade and it was mostly about need - I had a crossbite and a bit of an overbite. Cute smile as a kid, but a bit messed up.
Good luck!  | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/21/2009 2:12:18 PM | Water pik is a good idea, esp with a bit of hydrogen peroxide in it to keep teeth white. The ortho said that a Sonicare brush is good too because others can go in "circular" motion getting caught in the brackets but this one has such fine motion that it doesnt do that and it cleans better.
My back teeth still feel a bit "large" from having the bands put in yesterday. This afternoon I unwittingly chomped on a piece of ice I sipped, and whoa I felt it alright.
Valid point about the staining. I guess I will have to try to keep away from artificial colors as much as I can. No Fanta Orange!
How do your normal dental cleanings work with these things on? WHat does the dentist/hygenist do differently when you have these on for regular cleanings (prophylaxis)? | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/28/2009 10:49:31 PM | OK its been 2 days and my face is officially killing me! And my teeth ache like crazy.
I got the top half done Tuesday and am not going to start the bottom for another couple of months.
I've already learned I'm going to have to take smaller bites of everything, avoid eating nuts and chips, and to chew slower so I dont slip.
Does it get any better or do I have to settle for this pain for 18 months?
Oh I asked about staining and they said the new ones dont do that. I do have the porcelain ones, and they said I shouldn't need to worry about that. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 5/29/2009 2:04:16 AM | Yes, I remember the days... it does get better - absolutely. I had braces when I was 31. Coincendentally, my sister got braces at the same time by the same orthodontist and neither of us knew until later.
I went for a Dairy Queen Blizzard while my teeth were still loose and I didn't enjoy it like I usually did. They were only on for a year and a half - same as you, bassgirl. Totally worth it | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 8/6/2009 10:12:10 AM | | well I thought that I was going to be getting my lowers done today, but he said I wasnt ready, so all that was done was a thicker-guage wire for the tops. I can tell already, since I have a tad bit of a headache but nothing dramatic. 4 more weeks til I get my lowers done. I had to wait a little bit longer than expected since I have a regular cleaning in 3 weeks. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 8/6/2009 11:32:54 AM | | How long do you adults have to wear the retainer for? is it a forever thing? | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 8/6/2009 12:08:47 PM | | I dont know. I knew one guy who stopped wearing his because he had a crown fitted and it didnt fit anymore. Others said they stopped because they "havent had any problems with their teeth not being straight since". And stuff like that. I want one of those molded retainers. This particular ortho. isnt into those but I can't stand the thought of having to sleep with a romance-breaker in every night and take it out every morning. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 8/6/2009 1:11:43 PM | I decided to do braces when I was in my early 40's. I think it was a good thing to do, as it will help preserve my teeth from excessive wear as I age, and it also improved my self-confidence to have a nicer smile.
Most of the discomfort will go away in a few days after each adjustment. Watching what you eat is a nuisance, and dental hygiene is more work, but in the long run very worthwhile.
The bones in the upper jaw are much softer than the lower jaw, so the teeth can shift if you don't wear the retainer/night guard consistently (assuming you need one at all). It becomes a habit and I don't find it a nuisance at all as it takes less than a minute a day to clean and insert. It may need adjustment or refitting if you have any dental work done, and it may wear out after 10 years if it's the night guard type and you grind your teeth a lot. | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 8/6/2009 7:09:58 PM | | Braces are much different now than they were when I had them, at the age of 15. After removing the braces you can have wires inserted behind your teeth, (just the front 4 teeth, top and bottom) and wear a clear retainer at night. Depending on the issue, you may also want to investigate the 'invisiline'? Regarding your question about being "an adult" however, I've seen many adults in braces and my only thought was, "That person obviously cares about their teeth." Not such a bad thought? | |
|
| Braces on a 40 yr old?
Posted: 8/6/2009 9:39:09 PM | | Oh I know about those. Those are the ones I want. But my orthodontist doesnt like those. He says they're "prone to decay". But I think its because braces for the majority are still mainly put on kids and they forget to brush back there whereas I dont. | |
|
Home
login 
