Getting braces as a young adult?
Getting braces as a young adult?
Hello lemmies,
Yesterday was a bit of a shocking moment for me as my dentists told me I need to get braces to fix the alignment of some of my teeth. For context; as a young kid (11years)I broke my four front teeth, and had them replaced with fake ones (i believe they are known as veneers in English). They are now slowly falling off, as I have had them for a while (I am now 24). But before they can put on new ones, they want me to straighten out the positioning of the current ones, with braces.
Obviously this is the right choice, but I've always hated the thought of getting braces, especially this year as I will soon be starting work life and meeting new people.
Was therefore wondering what experiences people have with braces, especially if you had it as an adult / young adult. Anything I should know for upfront?
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Obviously this is the right choice
Is it? It's ok to get a second opinion from other dentists.
If their current position isn't causing you pain or tooth/jaw wear problems, then straightening them is a cosmetic decision. And if you didn't even realize they were that crooked until the dentist suggested straightening them, then the cosmetic aspect hasn't been bothering you.
In my country (US), dentistry is notorious for upselling unnecessary cosmetic procedures.
For example, I went to a new dentist and he found two "developing" cavities he wanted to proactively drill out and fill and a "flaw in the enamel" he could fix with a veneer. I thought that was weird since I have never had a cavity before in my life and the "enamel flaw" was cosmetic only and never bothered me. I went to another dentist for a second opinion and she told me my teeth were fine. 5 years later and those "developing" cavities never formed.
Yeah, I had to switch dentists because of a move, and my current dentist won't stop recommending me braces.
"It's not just cosmetic. It will help the functionality and longevity of your teeth." I mean, my teeth aren't absolutely perfect, but they function and look fine to me. I have only ever had one other dentist mention that as a suggestion forever ago when I was a kid, and they didn't keep harping in about it.
It makes me super suspicious about it because the last dentist I had never mentioned a thing about braces, and my current one keeps bringing it up unprompted. My current one also tried to sell me a $300 toothbrush.
Get a second opinion.
Well that’s not wrong though. Misaligned teeth can wear down faster, causing issues down the road. Also it can cause headaches and a bunch of other issues.
As for the toothbrush, was it the oral b IO? Mine did too, and I reluctantly bought it. The reason is I press too hard when brushing and I was affecting my enamel and gums. My dad and brother both do the same and both had to get gum grafts. The toothbrush notifies you with a light if you press too hard (or too gently), so it helps train me. I’m liking it
Yeah, I don't mean to say that it's a total scam...just that it's ok to want to weigh your options to see what is worth it and what isn't. Especially because braces ain't cheap. And if someone doesn't want it, then it's appreciated to stop harping on them about it every single time.
I honestly have no idea what model the toothbrush was, but it wouldn't surprise me if it had that sort of feature. Nice to have for some, but not something I seem to have a need for.
To add to this as a person who has broken teeth and have had to have fakes in, OP: - those are not your natural teeth and may actually be the cause of the misalignment (if they are even a little wider than your natural teeth were, they could have slowly shifted the natural teeth around them). If you have to get them replaced anyway, I would do that first and let your jaw settle first, then if you/the dentist you saw/a second dentist you might want to ask still think you need braces, you can have them then. It's definitely not a time sensitive decision, like Vanth says above - if you've not had any discomfort and it isn't actually bothering you, you might not want to spend the money and time in discomfort that braces would cause.