Getting Braces...Again

... As an Adult by Jan Cullinane

drift.” Sounds like something lovely and soothing. But, it turns out that our lower jaw continues to grow forward, AND the width of the lower jaw shrinks over time! So, I ended up with my lower jaw having crowded teeth….again. When you combine this with our faces “falling” somewhat as we age, and our lips becoming thinner as collagen is depleted and our lip muscles thin, my bottom teeth, which were pretty much invisible when I was young, were now jumbled and noticeable. Too noticeable.

“FFlashback to sixth grade…I needed braces – badly. My upper and lower teeth were crowded, my bite was off, my front teeth REALLY protruded. I could have been the poster-child for “buck teeth.” Thankfully, my parents took me to an orthodontist, and after having four permanent teeth pulled to create room in my mouth, and two years of braces and rubber bands, the braces were off, and I loved my teeth and my smile. I wore my removable retainer faithfully through high school, although I ratcheted down the frequency (per the orthodontist’s instructions) through college, and at the ripe old age of 21, I finally stopped wearing my retainer. The prevailing wisdom - at least according to my orthodontist at that time - was that the teeth were now fixed in their new position after eight years. I was DONE. Not so fast. Fast-forward to my forties and fifties…my upper teeth still looked great, but the bottom teeth had “migrated” forward. There’s a term for this – it’s called “mesial

Because I do a lot of public speaking, and I no longer liked the look of my bottom teeth, I decided it would be “back to braces” for me. I know, first world problems, but my bottom teeth really bothered me. And, in addition to the aesthetics, improperly aligned teeth can contribute to issues such as gum disease, cavities, wearing away enamel, TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders, and difficulty chewing. So, off to an orthodontist, where I was surrounded by mostly preteens/teens in the waiting room, along with several adults; it turns out a third of those who get braces these days are over the age of 18 (many of them older repeaters, since we weren’t told 40+ years ago we needed to wear our retainers FOREVER).

At the initial consultation, there was a visual inspection, along with 3D scanning and X-rays, and the pros and cons of traditional braces vs. Invisalign were explained. I opted for traditional braces, since I was told it would only take about five months of treatment to correct the crowding, compared to 12 to 18 months with Invisalign. Since my braces were only on the bottom, I was willing to be a “metal-mouth” in exchange for a shorter timeframe. Brackets are smaller and much less noticeable these days; most people never knew I had braces on my lower teeth until I told them. (There are also “at home” teeth-straightening options, such as “byte” and SmileDirectClub, but I wanted an orthodontist supervising my treatment.)

So, I would visit the orthodontist every six weeks, for an approximately 15-minute appointment of checking and adjusting the wires. True to their word, it took just about five full months for my bottom teeth to once again become straight. And, now rather than a removable appliance (and this is true of my three children who had braces when they were young), they cement tiny brackets and a wire to the back of the teeth to keep them fixed in place. There was an extra (surprise) benefit – during the time I had braces, similar to when I had them as a kid, there were quite a few “no-nos” – no eating things that could break your brackets or increase the possibility of cavities. So, no chewy, sticky, crunchy, hard food/candy; no food you bite into such as corn on the cob or whole apples. No chewing ice. I am a compliant patient, and I didn’t want to jeopardize completing my treatment as soon as possible, so I gave up candy and nuts for the five full months…and guess what – lost 12 pounds.

Finally, the cost. The total, which includes future appointments with the orthodontist (without charge) if anything becomes loose or breaks, was $2,422. Was it worth it? I’d say emphatically YES.