Post: #1

Does anyone have any experience or know anyone that to deal with getting braces sometime later in life than normal (teenage years).

I'm curious in getting a few consultations and looking into my options. My teeth aren't busted but braces would correct a few gaps and provide some alignment that I would appreciate aesthetically.

I am a few months short of 20 so I am wary of having braces at my age.

Post: #2

Consider it an investment. Tough it out for a now and rip the benefits in the long run.

How long are you going to have it on for?

Post: #3

(11-18-2013 06:24 PM)Nascimento Wrote:  Consider it an investment. Tough it out for a now and rip the benefits in the long run.

How long are you going to have it on for?

I've yet to get a consultation but I'd estimate 1-2 years. The investment would pay off in the long run, that is right..

Post: #4

I got braces in my early 20s. It was no big deal. Once they come off in a year or so, it'll feel like the best decision you ever made. Improving your teeth is not something you will regret. Now if you were getting braces at age 40 then yeah, it would look a little funny. I see people in their late 20s still getting them.

Post: #5

(11-18-2013 06:27 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  I got braces in my early 20s. It was no big deal. Once they come off in a year or so, it'll feel like the best decision you ever made. Improving your teeth is not something you will regret. Now if you were getting braces at age 40 then yeah, it would look a little funny. I see people in their late 20s still getting them.

Did having the braces change your social life or how you gamed?

Post: #6

(11-18-2013 06:33 PM)Esoteric94 Wrote:  

(11-18-2013 06:27 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  I got braces in my early 20s. It was no big deal. Once they come off in a year or so, it'll feel like the best decision you ever made. Improving your teeth is not something you will regret. Now if you were getting braces at age 40 then yeah, it would look a little funny. I see people in their late 20s still getting them.

Did having the braces change your social life or how you gamed?

At that age I knew nothing about game. But social life no. Nobody cared. It's like balding. If you were going bald I'm sure you'd think everyone noticed and it made a big difference in how people react to you, but in reality people don't even think about it unless you point it out. Don't worry about it. Get the braces. You'll be glad you did after it's done.

Post: #7

You can get them on the back of your teeth.

Post: #8

I'm in my mid-20s and I got braces 2 and a half years ago and they are come off in 3 weeks. I paid around $3,000 for it for everything with the quoted price being $5,000. If you shop around you can get a better deal than what they quote and if you pay cash like I did you can do even better. My insurance even threw in $500. For a long ass time it killed my confidence and I didn't want to show my teeth or talk but now I'm use to it and just glad they will finally be gone.

Post: #9

If it's minor look into Invisalign. Shop around a bit. It cost me less than braces, less hassle to deal with, 2 years.

Post: #10

It's quite common in places in South America to get them at an older age. I think especially with girls. They won't be able to afford them when they're younger and then get a boyfriend that will pay for them.

I'd say go for invisilign if possible, but if not, it would be worth it to do the braces. Think about it, a year or two of looking a little funky for good teeth for the rest of your life. You'll look better when you're in your prime, because 20 is still pretty far from your prime, I say do it. I had braces for fucking ever when I was young and so glad I did it.

Post: #11

I can chime in on this one.

I had invisalign on both top and bottom teeth lasting 24 months in total, I started at the age of 32.

My teeth were pretty busted, the front two teeth noticeably overlapping and rotated giving somewhat of an Austin Powers steez.

The results overall were reasonably pleasing but it is a big commitment and a hassle. The good thing about invisalign is You can take out the moulds for a short time if you want a night out, obviously this isn't recommended but I noticed no lengthening in treatment or ill effects from doing this pretty regularly.

Some points to consider if you go invisalign or similar removable tray treatment :

It hurts like fuck for a couple days every two week sweet you change to a new set of trays.

Eating and drinking is a hassle, you're supposed to remove trays and brush after every single meal or drink other than water. In practice by six months in I was regularly drinking coffee with them in and often rinsed instead of brushed, this is not good for tooth decay and also contributed to receeding gums I believe (no hard proof of this, just my experience).

If you smoke you mouth will permanently taste like the surface of a cigar factory.

You need to visit ortho every 3 months for new trays, they will also often have to file your teeth to make room for movement.

If you have any sort of twist on your upper teeth you will probably have to get 'buttons' fitted for at least part of the treatment. These are small acrylic pads glued to your tooth to help leverage. They are noticeable but probably more so to you than anyone else.

I have a wire retainer on the bottom teeth, lasts forever. The top retainer provided by invisalign is, frankly a joke and split and disintegrated inside 12 months, I ended up with an occsusal plate as a permanent retainer.

The results are not as good as traditional braces but the treatment is more flexible, particularly if you want to go out gaming.

After i completed this I also has some composite resin veneers and fillings, cheap and effective, these may even do the job for you if the problem is quite minor?

Overall I look and feel heaps better, go for it.

Post: #12

Come live in Thailand for a few years. Lots of older people (20-35) here with braces. I think because that's when they've started working and can afford it. A pity that 192 reported that the results of invisalign aren't as good because after having the traditional metal ones as a teen that stay on 24/7 I thought that invisalign would be the new way for sure.

Post: #13

I like my somewhat crooked teeth. They announce to the world that I didn't come from money. But I'm 28. If I had the money at 19 I would get braces. Hell, that's not old at all.

Braces won't even be a social impediment, unless you make it one. No one will care that you have braces, but if you're ashamed of them, that shame will hurt your game. The solution: Hang a lampshade on the braces, smile more than you would otherwise, and don't subconsciously hide them. "Hey world, I have braces bitch, fuck you."

Post: #14

There is a mega thread by DVY with a lot of great dental info (braces included) in there.
There is also a thread in the Game forum (by Greek Kamaki, I think) specifically covering issues related to Game and Orthodontic Braces.

I'm almost 32 and decided a few months back that I wanted to improve my smile. I went in for several consultations with lots of different dental specialists and had several treatment options detailed out for me.

First thing I needed was for all 4 wisdom teeth to be extracted because I was suffering from crowding. This was followed by 2 root canals to adjacent teeth and crowns are pending. I would inquire up front if wisdom teeth are going to be an issue for you ... having them out all at once was uncomfortable; but I could have ended up with a subpar end orthodontic result due to not fixing them first.

After WT extractions I decided to figure out what my orthodontic options were. It broke down to standard braces, lingual braces, and invisalign.

Invisalign would be the least 'annoying' as I could remove them when I wanted and in that way they were technically not a part of me. However, invisalign would not be able to to produce the best end result. Still a pretty good end result ... but not the best. Also, its possible that after 12-24 months of invisalign, I still might have needed some fixed ortho to get final results.

Lingual braces are the braces where the brackets go on the back of your teeth (the tongue-side). Thus making them near impossible to see during conversation. I was told that lingual braces are a little more difficult to install, cause more irritation and cutting of your tongue initially, and may need to stay on a little longer to produce a really good final result.

I decided to go with regular fixed ceramic braces. They are the same color as my teeth- just the thin wire that runs across them is metallic. I was told to expect a 12-15 month treatment period ... but I could shorten this time frame down some by having 2 pre-molars extracted before starting treatment so I decided to do that as well.

Once the braces come off at the end of next year I will have to finish the crowns adjacent to the prev extracted wisdom teeth and will look into perfecting the final cosmetic result of the front smile teeth with a prosthodontist. Had initially been considering veneers, but after reading DVY's thread I may lean towards PFC instead ... but I need to wait and do more research before then.

I would also recc purchasing an electric toothbrush (with a timer) and an electric water flosser. (I bought a combo unit make by WaterPik by Amazon.) I have never been a consistent flosser but with these two new gadgets in my arsenal I am being much more diligent about my dental hygiene and trying to make it into a habit that will stick. I also carry around a mini toothbrush and mini toothpaste with me everywhere I go so that I can discretely brush any debris after meals away.

I'm really looking fwd to be able to rock a killer smile next yr.

Post: #15

There is a guy at my work that has braces and he is almost 50. It is never too late and nobody gives a shit.

Post: #16

I got braces at 20. I hated the way it looked at first, but I got used to it. People just gave me the default "oh you got braces! I think I need some too" reaction, but other than that and asking me how much they cost, no one really said anything. I didn't smile a whole lot, but it didn't have much of an affect on my social life. I still had fun, and got laid. Some of my hottest lays even came during that time.

You get them, go on once a month for adjusting (which hurts like a bitch at first), and before you know it, they're off and you're rocking a clear retainer for a little bit.

I had the braces for 34 months, then for the first year after, I had to wear retainers at all times except for when I ate (of course I took them out when I was hanging out, but for no longer than 4-6 hours). Now I only wear them when I sleep.