anyone had dental braces - for an adult

One of my close friends had her permanent brace removed in January after 2 years and 9 months! She is 47. Her teeth now look absolutely fab! She said it was worth the hours of meticulous cleaning, and the avoidance of any berry fruits (raspberry pips being the worst trouble!!). She did suffer slightly, but ibuprofen on really difficult days helped a lot.

Hi there JTH

...permanent brace removed in January after 2 years and 9 months!....

That's why I chose the Inman Aligner - you only need it for 3-4 months if you wear it 20 hours per day. You take it out when you eat, and when you brush your teeth. Plus it's cheaper (£1300).

My front teeth are squint and I have a big v-shaped gap between my two front teeth. I think you can only correct a maximum of 6 teeth with the Inman Aligner, so perhaps your friend also had problems with the teeth further back. I could not possibly (with my low self-esteem) wear train-track braces for nearly three years like your friend did. I admire her strength and commitment. Good to hear too that she's happy with the outcome - that's the main thing!

Ava x

Hi Ava,

I wore "train track" wire braces for the best part of 4 years when I was in my mid 30's in the '90's. And then again in my 40's for a little while.
I had a very narrow upper pallette and prominent front teeth, so no bite. I finally met a dentist who understood the problems and referred me to a wonderful team at York who "transformed" me.

I had braces on all my teeth, as well as a brace inside my upper jaw (which was needed to widen my top pallette) for 2 years before the op.
Initially the discomfort was due to the friction of the studs on the inside of my mouth and the ends of the wires, which I could aleiviate with special wax that they provided, but as the braces were gradually tightened over the time the pain from the teeth could be quite high so pain killers were needed. It felt more like they had been banged rather than the pain that you would associate with needing a filling etc.

As it was something that I was 100% determined to do, and being in my mid 30's I was not fazed at all being around people wearing them. My family all supported me, I carried a small toothbrush kit so I could clean my teeth after eating. I was told not to eat sticky foods, chewing gum etc.
I had a busy job managing people in a factory so talking to people had to be done! I suppose I lisped a bit, infact I do a bit now anyway! Most people I met were fascinated by the process. I suppose it was a bit more unusual back then as it was before the celebs all started having it done.
I don't remember any worries kissing apart from when things were painful initially! 😉

I was shown a computer image of how I would look post op but nothing prepares you for the final outcome really.
I was given a photo album of my experience by my orthodentist at the end.

I needed an operation to remove 9 mm of bone from my upper jaw and have my lower jaw rotated to give me a perfect bite. My jaws were then wired up together for 6 weeks afterwards.

Once all the ironwork was removed I had to wear a retainer every night on my top jaw (I have relaxed to one night a week now) and I have a fixed brace behind my lower teeth which is glued in place.

I did have to wear braces for a while again in my 40's as teeth do have a habit of wandering and mine seemed to want try to return to their old places!! 😀

Absolutely no regrets - apart from finally being able to bite a sandwich etc I now have a wonderful profile so a lot more confidence, even 14 years on 🙂

Hi, I am in the process of wearing Invisilign. They, I have got to say are great. I have been wearing them for 3 months and I think I got about 6 - 8 weeks left. They have not caused me any pain.

I would definately recommend it! If it is makes you happy, well that is what is important. Whats a year out of your lifetime.

I will also add here that I have had train tracks twice, and also the head gear that went with it......strong chance that I will be wearing my plate for the rest of my life. But I can already feel the difference inside me when I go out. I want to smile, I want to strike up a conversations with people.

Goodluck!

Hi gaiaholistix

Wow and oh my goodness! From your description I can clearly see that there is a world apart from the need for train-track braces, and what I am getting. My front two teeth have a big v-shaped gap between them (5mm at its widest) and they are squint. The next two teeth are also squint, but not so bad. I don't have any deeper orthodontic problems.

From the Inman Aligner website pics they show some amazing results with people who look like they had a lot of bad misalignment. That's why I wondered what the story was for people undergoing YEARS of train-tracks, rather than WEEKS of Inman Aligner. I do suspect that folk with lesser problems may be unnecessarily wearing train-tracks, maybe because their dentist isn't aware of the modern options. But, evidently there are cases where orthodontic surgery and years of train-tracks are the only way to sort out dental problems.

I worry that you now have a lisp, whereas before you didn't. I'm going to double-check with my dentist that that'll not be the case for me. I absolutely utterly hate the sound of whistles when people talk - I actually leave the room when I hear a woman with a whistle-sounding-'s' - it's like chalk down a blackboard to me. God, you've got me worried now!

Thanks for sharing your adventure with me. And it's great to hear that you're happy with the outcome. Fingers crossed that I have a happy result to share in 4 months time.

Ava x

Hi lineyd

I actually thought that I was getting Invisalign - I did some reading on it before I met with my dentist. Luckily I had one short appointment before the assessment bit and he dropped in the words 'Inman Aligner'... so I scuttled off some to read about that instead. My understanding of the Invisalign system is that it looks very much like a mouth-guard that you'd wear when you are doing a home teeth-whitening treatment? And it is clear plastic, and you wear it over your teeth all day (24/7)? And that you get a new one made every month? Is that right?

If that is the case then it's very different from the [DLMURL="http://www.inmanaligner.com/images/whitebow.jpg"]Inman Aligner[/DLMURL]. This has a clear plastic bar which sits in front of your teeth, and has a springed thing which sits behind your teeth and pushes them into position. Or rather into their new aligned position.

I have to ask if you've noticed any permanent changes to your speech, as a result of your train-tracks and now your Invisalign? I'm now worried about that.

Only two more days before I get it fitted. I'm nervous and excited.

Ava x

Hi Ava,

Don't worry it is only a slight lissssssssssssp 🙂
It sounds like a soft "th" rather than a shrill "s"!!

Seriously, mine is due to the fact that my top pallette has been widened so it is flatter and my front teeth have been completely re-sited so my tongue has had to adapt.
A small price to pay for all the positive results. 😉

I shall be thinking about you on Thursday.
Be positive and visualise the outcome that you want.

Don't worry it is only a slight lissssssssssssp 🙂
It sounds like a soft "th" rather than a shrill "s"!!

Whew! OK - I'm not so worried now.

I'll be brave and put a photo up of my teeth 'before' (i.e. now), one with the contraption on, and then one when the treatment is over.

Ava x

Well, it's been fitted. I'm sitting here now with the Inman Aligner in. I was told to go straight home and take an Ibuprofen because for the first day it would trigger inflammation and pain. However, I feel nothing, at all, whatsoever. It's been in for 5 hours.

At the surgery I was shown how to put it in and take it out. I am pretty sure that it's sitting in my mouth in the right place, but I don't get the feeling that it's touching where it's supposed to. Mind you there is only one place it can go... cos it has grooves which sit in the grooves of my teeth... but the pushy pressurey hingy thing behind my teeth doesn't seem to be touching all the teeth evenly. My dentist is away tomorrow and Monday. If I'm still unsure on Tuesday I'll email him.

Mind you, I should be pleased there is no pain or discomfort. However, the dentist said that his name would be mud all weekend I was expecting something by now. The dentist is very very good - and he spent 20 minutes adjusting the aligner to make sure it fitted me properly. So, I shouldn't doubt that everything isn't AOK. It's purely cos I feel no pain that I'm doubting that something isn't right. Maybe the pain comes later??

Mind you when I speak I sound like someone who is seriously drunk. Oh, my, God! I have [url]this passage to recite[/url] - and I promise you I am going to do it three times an hour until I go to work on Monday. I've already read it a dozen times. I have a hairdressing appointment tomorrow - hooly dooly cos hairdressers like to talk. And I have a new flatmate moving in on the weekend (and I can't just ignore her). One of my flatmates came past and told me his good news re getting funding for his course, and telling me which courses he is taking, and honestly this is something I would normally have gushed about with delight with him but I instead put my hand over my mouth and mumbled that it was great news. I'm feeling very self-conscious about my speech.

Oh, I have taken before photos - they are very close-up. Very frightening. My teeth look much worse at that degree of closeness than they do in real life.

I'd love to make a recording of myself talking for you guys to hear. Honestly it is hilarious!

Ava x

Oh, and I am producing so much saliva (your body thinks there is food in your mouth) that I would make a dog envious. So, not only do I sound like a drunk person, but I am having to break my speach every minute or so to swallow a gallon of saliva.

This had better be worth it! 😉

Ava x

p.s. the dentist showed me a plaster-cast model of how my teeth should look at the end of the treatment. Very interesting.

Thanks for the update Ava! hope all goes well over the weekend and the pain is not too uncomfortable - I'll be thinking of you!

Thanks for the update Ava!

Ha, bless - you almost had me believe that you are interested! 😉

OK. I know it's a bit too much detail, but for me it's totally weird new territory.

I still have no pain. But, honestly, the lisp (or multiple lisps!) is really really obvious. Really obvious. It's not a lisp, it's a major speech impediment. My flatmate's eyes were watering with polite restrained laughter when I was talking to him. One of my pals put his nephew onto the phone to have me speak with him, and when he went off I could hear him doubled up with laughter. Apparently I don't sound like I am drunk - but like I have "been drugged by some weird drug and am being interrogated by Russians".

Oh, people can be so cruel 😉

I can only imagine what work on Monday is going to be like. I think I'm getting better at reciting the bit of text, but I'm drowning in my own saliva... and that makes me stop and swallow at least every 30 seconds.

It's certainly going to be an interesting 4 months!

Ava x

Hi Ava
I do wish you well and believe me, you will get used to it in no time. However, I'm glad that I'm writing to you to tell you this, rather than speaking with you as I have a lisp. I'm not sure how you would describe it but I think your attitude of 'not being able to be in the same room as a woman with a lisp' is just a tad immature, if you'll forgive me. It's what's inside that's important, as you probably well know. Your family are only laughing because your speech is different from your normal speech. Other people, who don't know you, would treat you with more respect. Don't be paranoid about it: it's what you say that matters, after all.
I'm sure you won't lisp at all once the braces are off but, let's face it, it's not the end of the world if you do.
xxx

Ha, bless - you almost had me believe that you are interested! 😉

Ava x

Ava - how could you think I was NOT interested!! I may not have posted, because I had nothing constructive to add! but I have read every word, believe you me! - and was concerned for your possible discomfort too :D. As for the lisp - that can be very sexy 😉 - now there's a thought 🙂