Anyone here gotten late life orthodontics?

[LoneRanger]

Braces. I'm 53, and I've probably needed them since age 15 but large blue collar family and tight budget meant a no go, and into adult hood I never worried much about it just kept up good oral hygiene and keep 'em as white as possible. Over the counter white strips don't work well due to a couple displaced teeth so I use custom molded upper/lower trays and the paste. Anyhow, all I really need is upper right incisor (adjacent to upper right canine) moved forward from behind and into place, and lower right canine moved backward and into place. Crowding. Did a consult a while back and the Orthodontist formulated a treatment plan that would span about 18 months to two years that will straighten everything up but wow-- a lot of stuff needs to be done: extra space grinded-in (little emory wheel thing or something) in between a bunch of teeth to make room instead of pulling any teeth, and then they need to put some kind of hard blue substance onto topside of rear molars to open up the bite or occlusion while the treatment plan is going on. The hard blue stuff stays there the entire 18-24 mo time period of treatment with braces. And rubber bands to help "procline" or something the front teeth.

The out-of-pocket after insurance is attractive: $1800. And effective January 1st my employer is gutting employee health insurance benefits including dental and devolving it down the minimum required by the federal affordable care act, while keeping employee premiums the same. (Thank you, oh affordable care act).

So I need to decide once and for all if I want to go through this with a set of rail road tracks, asphalt (the blue stuff), and serpentine belts (rubber bands) installed in my face for about two years, because the Price Is Right for only four more months.

Mainly hoping to hear from anyone who's undergone orthodontics as an adult.

 

[LoneRanger]

Also while going over the treatment plan he referred to being able to "get enough torque" on certain teeth. Being a bitoger that was the wrong terminology to use when talking about how to move my teeth around, LoL. Like... how many lb-ft, dude, and we talking Hemi power here, LS3, or EcoBoost Ford? Ouch my mouth.

 

[IndyIan]

I had it done as a kid 28 years ago. It was a little uncomfortable when you got a new stiffer wire put in but its not too bad. Cleaning them out was the worst part really.
I would get a couple of opinions though, with older bones and teeth I imagine its not quite as easy to move things around.

 

[cptbarkey]

my sister at age 50 just got braces and sounds like daffy duck. good luck.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Man, I thought I was old at 29 for my last "round" of braces.

Joking aside, I see several older people with braces. It's nothing to be ashamed of.

 

[Lolvoguy]

OP, what's you objective for getting them?

From my experience, it's not really worth the hassle, and terrible pain if you have no reason for getting them.
Personally I got them as I was changing my career to acting/performing arts. I also did a fair share of marketing and "waitering" jobs where a nice smile, meant better $$$.

Also, if you dont' use the retainers RELIGIOUSLY, prepare for your teeth to return to the previous position ASAP. Your muscle tissue (gums) have a memory that makes them want to return to the previous position as soon as the braces are removed. In my situation, I have permanent appliances on the top and bottom center four teeth. These keep the teeth in place during the day. At night, I wear clear retainers every other night.

hope this helps your decision

 

[skyactiv]

I got braces as a teen and have been wearing retainers at night since 1992. I have the clear ones that snap over my teeth. I skipped wearing them a few times. I went three days once without wearing them and the bottom retainer was hard to get on. So once you start wearing braces, your committed to wearing retainers while you sleep for the rest of your life.

 

[cwing6]

I got braces at 37. At first, I was good with them and the final result was great. But I will tell you the last year I had them on they drove me crazy. Almost 3 years total as my teeth didnt move very quickly.

 

[sasilverbullet]

But what will the OCI be on them?

 

[skyactiv]

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
I got braces as a teen and have been wearing retainers at night since 1992. I have the clear ones that snap over my teeth. I skipped wearing them a few times. I went three days once without wearing them and the bottom retainer was hard to get on. So once you start wearing braces, your committed to wearing retainers while you sleep for the rest of your life.

I only wore my retainer for a couple years after and haven't had a problem in the last 20+ years. I'm guess my teeth have moved a bit but not significantly. I'll have to look back at some old pictures and look for any difference.

 

[69GTX]

My wife and I both had braces in our teens, 45 years ago. I never wore a retainer after that and my teeth haven't moved any. What I would be leery about is the potential for leaving gouges in the teeth and starting gum recession. It was shortly after having the braces off that my gum recession issues began. I'd watch those things closely to ensure they don't get a foot hold.

 

[Fsharp]

I had braces at age 18, so not really an adult. As someone else said, keeping them clean was the worst and I also kept breaking off the mounts from my teeth by chewing hard stuff like ice.

That being said, I'd do it if I were you. The price is right and you'll get to enjoy straight teeth and a good bite for the rest of your life.

 

[alphanumeric]

I had braces in my 40's. You want a doctor who is not rough with the hands and who will explain what and why they are doing. Adults want information, kids don't care so much.

I had braces for years starting in about 6th grade, but my lower jaw kept growing, and despite 8 teeth pulled, I ended up with a bad underbite.

Severe-severe headaches for most of my adult life. My regular dentist thought it might be jaw related. He is a smart cookie.

I had the second go-around with braces when I was about 45. Had them about two years, then upper jaw surgery where it is fractured and moved forward, then screwed into place.

The 1st surgery did not turn out like it was supposed to, had to have it redone a month later. 6 weeks with jaws wired together.

Another year of braces after the surgery.

My underbite is gone, I am a little asymmetrical from the front because they said there was a limit on how much they could move.

However, I am now free of headaches, and that is the main thing. Never was about cosmetics for me, although that is nice.

Also had a severely deviated septum repaired about the same time--also helped to reduce muscle tension. Never knew I was supposed to be able to breath freely through my nose.

Tend to loose a little bit of root when forcing the teeth around. Make sure you brush a lot when wearing the braces. Keep toothbrushes and proxie brushes everywhere.

Orthodontics is much more than cosmetics. The teeth should ideally overlap each other. With bad bites, the brain keeps shifting the jaw, especially at night, looking for a resting spot but never finds it. This causes grinding and overworked jaw muscles.

Braces were a little over 3k at the time. Jaw surgery was about 40k the first time, 20k for the 2nd-luckily insurance picked up nearly all of the surgery, but I paid in full for the braces. You are lucky if an insurance company will pay for orthognathic surgery: they have to be convinced it is not for cosmetics.

 

[xfactor9]

Get a couple of opinions from different dentists. But it looks like you don't need any teeth extracted, which is good.

I had mine done in my early 30s and didn't require any extractions. I'm very pleased with the result. I wear a retainer twice a week.. it's not a big deal.

My former co-worker did his in late 50s! There's no age limit to getting braces; the only requirement is that your teeth and gums are in good health

There's a reason besides aesthics for getting braces: You said you have crowding.. so it's probably hard to clean behind those teeth. Straightening them will make it easier to keep them clean.

I say do it