Getting Braces as an Adult - Pt 2

Interview with a BraceFace John Continues...

My friend John just got braces as an adult. This is Part 2 of my chat with him. (Read Part 1 here)

Me: What has surprised you about having braces?

John: My newfound motivation for flossing has probably been my biggest surprise. Also, I’m convinced that I can already see some improvement even after just a few weeks, which I didn’t expect. I’m much more willing to smile than I have been for many years, and that has been a nice surprise.

Me: How have people responded to your braces? Are you self-conscious about having them?

John: I’m self-conscious only right after I’ve eaten and before I’ve been able to give my teeth a good rinsing and brushing. Most people don’t seem to have noticed my braces at all (and with clear brackets on the top, they are less noticeable). The ones who do know have certainly been supportive, although one co-worker felt prompted to comment on older people getting braces, making her wonder if they were trying to pick up dates at the senior center. That just made me think, “Well, I don’t feel nearly as old as you may think,” and realize that most people are probably as unaware as I was that more than aesthetics may be involved.

Me: Does it help having someone else in the family who has braces?

John: I’m not sure how much it helps, other than the initial motivation it gave me, but it has been nice. I think it gives me a little more leverage when I’m trying to motivate my son to remember to brush. Also, I was glad that my son prompted me to pick up “platypus floss” for its convenience when I’m in a hurry. I do like to be able to give him some encouragement (along with some ibuprofen) when he is feeling pain after an adjustment.

Me: A lot of people would like to get braces, but worry about the cost? How have you handled that?

John: I think my dental insurance covered close to half of the cost. Also, the orthodontist gave me a slight discount since my son was already his patient. But another big factor was that the orthodontist’s office was willing to set up a payment plan, which made the expense less daunting.

Getting Braces as an Adult

Interview with a BraceFace
My friend -let's call him John because that's his real name - just got braces. This interview with John will hopefully give you some insight into the experience of getting, wearing, and caring for braces. This is the first in a series of posts that will follow John through his experience.

Me: How many teeth do you have?
John: A lot. Twenty-eight, if I’ve counted correctly. My orthodontist says one of my lower incisors has a 50/50 chance of needing to come out to make room, but he assures me that only my dentist would notice.

Me: Why braces and why now? Aren't you really old?
John: It’s something I’ve had in the back of my mind for years, but planned to put off indefinitely until some magical day in the future when I would finally feel like I had enough money to do this for myself. Then, I took my son for his first visit to the orthodontist, and I was instantly curious, even fascinated. That motivated me to stop putting off a trip to the dentist (for the first time in years). When the dentist made the point that it wasn’t just an aesthetic consideration, because of how worn down my lower incisors had gotten over the years (to the extent that they might need to be replaced in ten years or so if the wear continued), I think that sealed the deal for me. I would definitely prefer to keep my own teeth for as long as I can.

Me: So there are many reasons that straight teeth are beneficial. Now that you know all this, is this something you wish you'd done earlier in life?
John: Definitely! I’ve been fairly self-conscious about smiling for a long time, so I wish I had taken the plunge sooner. When I was younger, my dentist never mentioned the possibility until he thought I was going to med school, and he suggested that I see about getting a good deal from the orthodontics school. I guess he thought it was a safe to assume that my parents wouldn’t be able to afford braces for me. But after I was out on my own, the fear of the expense was certainly what held me back.

Me: Do your braces hurt?
John: No, they really don’t. They were uncomfortable for the first day or two, and the inside of my mouth felt a little tender for a few more days, but it wasn’t bad at all. I don’t think I even felt prompted to take anything for the pain more than once or twice.

Me: How long will you have to wear them?
John: Probably at least 18 months, although the orthodontist sounded like he was expecting closer to two years. Even if I need to wear them longer than that, I don’t think it will bother me.

More with John coming soon, including how his braces saved a man's life! (Well, not really, but I need a cliffhanger at the end to keep you coming back.)

Braces: A quote to help you through

The famous artist Renoir had crippling arthritis later in life, but he continued to paint; often with his paint brush bound to his hand because he was unable to maintain a grip on the handle. When he was asked why he continued his work when it caused him so much pain he replied:

"The beauty remains, the pain passes."

While I had braces it was kind of a pain. There were many trips to the dentist. Brushing and flossing was challenging. Eating certain foods was out. When I got new bands put on - ouch! And I had to undergo some restoration and cosmetic work after the braces came off to perfect my smile. Renoir's quote got me through it all, though. I thought of it every day, every time I felt the sacrifice was too much.

Renoir was right. All my troubles with braces passed. My beautiful smile remains.

Wearing a Retainer

Put me on retainer!

After my speed braces came off there was still some adjusting to do, as my teeth weren't perfectly aligned just yet. So my dentist continued to move my teeth we an invisalign-like retainer. The first was pretty heavy duty - I felt like a football player wearing a mouth guard. I wore it all the time (except when eating) for a few weeks. Then I went back to the dentist and was fitted for another retainer, to move the teeth a bit more. This retainer was thinner and more like the regular retainer you wear after braces. Again, I wore that retainer for a several weeks until my teeth were finally in the right position.

Then I got my final retainer. It's nearly invisible and I wore it all day for about 6 months.

Tips on Wearing a Retainer
1. Remove Your Retainer in Private
Something about the plastic or just having some thing in your mouth makes for a lot of slobber. Like a hungry bulldog amount of slobber. So as you pull your retainer out of your mouth long strings of spit will cling to it.

2. Keep the little plastic carrying case the dentist gives you and store the retainer there when you eat or during the day once you're only wearing it at night. Don't just put it in your pocket or throw it into your purse. It can be damaged and you don't want that.

Keeping teeth straight after braces
Now I wear my retainer only at night. But every once in awhile if I find it feels a bit tight when I put it in at night I'll wear it all day the next day. Just making sure those teeth stay straight. I've come to far to be lazy now! See video below of what happens if you go for a long time without wearing your retainer...

One Year Later...

So it's time for your one year checkup with this speed braces patient.

After completing some cosmetic dentistry and getting my teeth whitened last year, I can honestly say that I now LOVE MY SMILE!

A lot of people asked me questions about the process, especially when I had the braces and it was obvious what my dentist and I were up to. Was it painful? Was it expensive? Was it worth it?

Painful?
It was at moments painful, I don't want to lie about that. But I never had a day of pain. Sometimes it pinched a lot when they added a band, but never more than a few minutes, and then I was fine. Other times I felt like I had pressure on my teeth, but they didn't ache or anything.

Expensive?
Speedbraces were really affordable for me. I'm not a millionaire and I don't have a six-figure income. I found speed braces to be less expensive than traditional braces. Talk to your dentist and find out what's possible and what the payment terms would be.

Worth It?
Are you kidding? Just look at that smile!

Bye, Bye Braces!

Speed Braces Indeed!
Yes, the speed braces worked all their promised magic and they were removed last Wednesday! It wasn't quite three months that I had them on. Taking them off was a lot easier and faster than putting them on; it took only a few minutes.

Of course, we had to take some more molds (my favorite activity at the dentist!) of the teeth sans braces to fit the final retainer. Dr. Glenski is also doing some cosmetic work on all the front teeth so they took some molds for that as well.

I am more than pleased with the results of the speed braces. Having worn them just 3 months I can say with great confidence that wearing them 2 years would have driven me completely bonkers. I don't know how people deal with it. It is a committement; to keep them clean, to watch what you eat, to get regular check ups. The only downside I experienced was that my teeth were sore a lot. But I'd do it this way again. No question.

Put me on retainer, please!
I have a temporary retainer now, until my real one comes in. It's clear plastic, like the Invisalign tray. I keep it in all the time except when I eat. You can't see it at all. I can feel it, though, and it's kind of smooth and plasticy like you'd expect. A gentle tug with both hands pulls it off and it goes back on pretty easily too.

Appearantly, the mouth finds the retainer to be a foreign object and the salivary glands go into overdrive trying to adjust. Since my mouth is already a running faucet, this makes removing the retainer a bit like running my hands under a waterfall. From what I've read, this will pass.

It ain't over 'til it's over
There's more work to be done; a few crowns, a few veneers, the real retainer, and a whitening. Stay tuned...

Space Patrol

Almost There

Had a checkup yesterday, and I'm happy to report that the teeth moved! Guess the silly Christmas outfit did the trick.

The green chain (and red bands) are now gone and I have a gray chain. I look all silvery again. There's only a small space between #4 and #5 that needs to close, so I'm on space patrol this week. If it closes by early next week I'm good for having the braces removed on Wednesday, just in time for turkey! It's ok if I don't make it, though, this has been so fast that I just can't complain.