Getting braces at 20+ years old

[Guest lovefool]

is it worth it?

i'm in my early 20's and i'm thinking about getting braces for my crooked/overcrowding teeth. Usually people I know get braces when they are in middle school or highschool. So I feel weird thinking about getting braces at 21. Has anyone ever gotten braces when they are in their 20s? How long did you have them for (excluding retainers) and how much was it? Can you share your experiences with me? I might go to the doctor next week so I just need some soompiers advice/suggestions first =)

[Guest Malice_Kaiser]

Well, I've seen a few people in their upper 30's or 40's with braces, as well as young adults. My boyfriend will be 20 later this year and he still has braces.

My personal opinion is you shouldn't let age hold you back. I think in the end, if straighter teeth will really make you feel better about yourself and feel more confident, then go for it. Better "late" than never! Though really, you're still pretty young. Me personally, I would do it now before I'm out of college and trying to make it in the professional world.

But, there's also things like Invisiline you could do instead.

Also, how long you will have to have braces for varies from person to person, so I'd imagine it'd be hard for anyone on Soompi to give you an accurate answer for that.

[Guest teukiie]

Yeah! A teacher from my school had braces, as well!

I wore braces for 7 months, because mine moved fast & also cuz I migrated

Braces = hard at first, but you'll get used to it. food getting stuck wtv

Retainers = if you talk, you sound like a 'tard at the start, but its ok later :>

[Guest bonjour tristesse.]

I don't think it's worth it. Just get invisalign, its way better.

[Guest misuran]

I work at a dental office and I have seen people who need braces and refuse to get them because of $$ or appearance. Then there are those who want them if they have slight rotation or crowding present.

From what I've heard the doctors say to the patients, having braces at an older age causes some bone loss.

My doctor was wearing braces and she recently had them removed. She's in her late-----late 20's and I love how her crowding was corrected.

If your speech and bite are being affected.....definitely have that corrected....but if you only want straight teeth....think about it before getting the work done.

[hamster428]

^^ that's for the orthodontist to decide. invisalign isn't efficient in fixing more complicated misalignment.

i've thought about getting braces ever since high school, but never got it because our family couldn't afford such things. i'm now a working adult so i can finally afford it. this past summer i met a lady in her 40's and she had braces on. so that was like the final motivation for me to go do it. i'm only a few months in. and i was told it'd be 18 months. price range is around 4000 (and insurance doesn't cover it since i'm too old).

it's definitely uncomfortable, if not painful. the metal brackets poke me all the time, and i bite myself in my sleep too. plus it's a hassle to floss i'm hanging on waiting to see the light at the end of the tunnel >_<. lol but don't let this discourage you. i think you should go get consultations. and ask lots of questions for any concern you have.

[Guest dilly_dally]

yes! for a beautiful, confident smile....its always worth it

[Guest charley_joey]

21 is still a young age to have braces! I'm in college now and I just had my braces installed late last year. And my adviser (who's in his late 20s) just got his about 2 years ago. Go ahead!

[Guest Malice_Kaiser]

it's definitely uncomfortable, if not painful. the metal brackets poke me all the time, and i bite myself in my sleep too. plus it's a hassle to floss i'm hanging on waiting to see the light at the end of the tunnel >_<. lol but don't let this discourage you. i think you should go get consultations. and ask lots of questions for any concern you have.

Just gotta say, since you're only a few months in, it WILL get better! Eventually the inside of your mouth seems to toughen and it doesn't seem to get cut as much. Of course, when it does, wax is a LIFESAVER. But in general, you get used to everything about braces. (then again, I had mine for years. I wish I only had them for 18 months )

[Guest LycheeLa]

You should definitely get them!

Don't let age get to you because in the end you'll have straight teeth.

so it's all worth it

I've had mine for 3 years now I'm gonna get mines off in a few weeks

but yea get some tyneol if you do

you'll be feeling pain @_@ LOTS OF IT

[Guest PDURRR]

my coworker recently got them and he's like 1 year older than me, so he's 21

my dentist recommended me to get them too but my teeth aren't butt ugly so i don't really want them anymore, i did for awhile because i get superficial sometimes but i think they make me kind of unique (that i have this kind of snaggle tooth) lol

[Guest JJ no Baka]

My aunt's 40 something and she just got braces. Super late, but it was her decision. My friend is 20 and he still have his braces. It's been 5 years already as well and I don't think he's getting them off for another 2 years.

[Guest sojuiicy]

It's okay, it's your choice and sometimes you have to get it so your teeth don't grow crooked. It's just another way to enhance your appearances. Just think of it as, if a woman is 40, she will still get botox or breast implants to make herself look better - same terms go for braces.

[Guest vixen___xoxo-]

if your teeth is really crooked then you probably should before its too late D:

because if you don't right now, in the future your teeth might like, have problems and you're gonna waste more money on solving it (likemydadcoughcough)

i see old people(around 30 to 40 yearsold) wearing it too! !! besides, its fashion rofl. ..

its really worth it ! cuz when your teeth it pretty, your mouth feels so clean and fresh > w <

i know how it feels cuz i just took off my braces like a few weeks ago XD (after wearing it for 3 whole years & having some of my friends make fun of my teeth T ____ T)

But its still really worth it! !! ^______^

[Guest sunny_dance]

i got my braces at 20, and it's been 3 years now. i had a snaggletooth on my upper right side, plus my upper and bottom teeth were overcrowded. during my consult with the orthodontist, he assessed that i had a small mouth and i simply had too many teeth. therefore, i had to get extractions to accomodate space for the realignment to occur. i've had 4 extractions plus my 4 wisdom teeth done, which equals 8 teeth pulled out altogether. i have top and bottom braces, which costs $5000 but i only pay $100 per month. as of now, my teeth is aligned and straight except for a small gap on the upper left side that needs to close and it's taking forever, which is why i can't take them off yet. just keep in mind that as you get older, the slower your body heals. so if you want to get braces, i suggest you get them now. basically, braces work via the bone remodeling process. it means that bone is reabsorbed, which causes your teeth to move. so i reckon the shifting process of your teeth will actually take even longer if you decide to wait say around 30 or 40 years of age.

[Guest lovefool]

i got my braces at 20, and it's been 3 years now. i had a snaggletooth on my upper right side, plus my upper and bottom teeth were overcrowded. during my consult with the orthodontist, he assessed that i had a small mouth and i simply had too many teeth. therefore, i had to get extractions to accomodate space for the realignment to occur. i've had 4 extractions plus my 4 wisdom teeth done, which equals 8 teeth pulled out altogether. i have top and bottom braces, which costs $5000 but i only pay $100 per month. as of now, my teeth is aligned and straight except for a small gap on the upper left side that needs to close and it's taking forever, which is why i can't take them off yet. just keep in mind that as you get older, the slower your body heals. so if you want to get braces, i suggest you get them now. basically, braces work via the bone remodeling process. it means that bone is reabsorbed, which causes your teeth to move. so i reckon the shifting process of your teeth will actually take even longer if you decide to wait say around 30 or 40 years of age.

thanks for the suggestions and advice guys! Yeah i finally decided I want to get braces so I need to make the appointment but I think i might wait till after my school presentation which is in a few weeks cause I still don't know how I would sound with braces on .

sunny_dance: I think i am like you cause I also have a small mouth so i think i have to get some teeth pulled. I'm curious, does your insurance cover the braces? Or did you pay $100 per month up until you get to $5000? my insurance doesn't cover it but i think my dentist allows payments. So you have worn braces for 3 years? I thought the normal time was 2 years? Thanks for the details it makes me feel better that i'm not the only one with a small mouth haha.

I work at a dental office and I have seen people who need braces and refuse to get them because of $$ or appearance. Then there are those who want them if they have slight rotation or crowding present.

From what I've heard the doctors say to the patients, having braces at an older age causes some bone loss.

My doctor was wearing braces and she recently had them removed. She's in her late-----late 20's and I love how her crowding was corrected.

If your speech and bite are being affected.....definitely have that corrected....but if you only want straight teeth....think about it before getting the work done.

I think part of it is the $$ that turns me away but if i do get them i want to get it sooner, like now, instead of in my late 20's. I have a slight overbite where my top teeth covers like part of my bottom tooth..is that normal? And how do you know when the overbite needs to be corrected?

[Guest j_and_d_show]

I think its worth it.

Its like how many Koreans get plastic surgery or sangkapul surgery in their 20s... its a cosmetic fix and teeth are a huge part of that. id rather have a girl with nice teeth than a girl with creases above their eyes.

go for it!

[Smiling_TOFU]

My oldest brother is around 25 years old and got his braces around 2 years ago and he's going to get them off this March. It's doesn't matter when you get braces. My older brother wanted braces earlier but my lil bro got braces first and then me and now my other little bro and so then my big brother decided to get braces too. They are expensive, but talk to your orthodontist about the cost and making monthly payments. My parents had to pay ~$5,500 for my braces and I wore them for two years. And my two younger brothers had to pay about the same for theirs too. With insurance we only had to pay half of the total which was not too bad but it's still a lot. My older brother paid the entire cost out of his own pockets by doing monthly payments.

One great benefit to do it now is: Your teeth has stopped its growing process of breaking and re-growing so then you won't have to worry about new a tooth growing in and messing up your beautiful straight teeth once you get braces.

[hamster428]

Just gotta say, since you're only a few months in, it WILL get better! Eventually the inside of your mouth seems to toughen and it doesn't seem to get cut as much. Of course, when it does, wax is a LIFESAVER. But in general, you get used to everything about braces. (then again, I had mine for years. I wish I only had them for 18 months )

haha, i hope so! but i hate wax though. kinda a hassle to take in and out to eat. and it doesn't help at all with me biting myself >_< i've stopped using it about a month ago. now i just cushion myself at night with gauge

I think part of it is the $$ that turns me away but if i do get them i want to get it sooner, like now, instead of in my late 20's. I have a slight overbite where my top teeth covers like part of my bottom tooth..is that normal? And how do you know when the overbite needs to be corrected?

top teeth are supposed to cover part of the bottom one, but only a fraction. mine totally covered the bottom, except they didn't protrude like normal overbites. so i think instead of my upper teeth widening to cover the bottom ones (normal overbites), my lower ones actually became crooked to fit under the upper ones so i got overcrowding.

and about the payments, most offices will accept a down payment plus monthly payments. so for example, if my treatment is 18 months and total cost is $4K, they'd want something like $2200 now and $100 each month thereafter. they'll make the payment options more attractive to gain patients i'm sure.

[Guest rawrritsgracex3]

i'd say go for it.

BUT braces hurt more when you're older.

your teeth won't move as easily as they would when you're in middle school.

my mom's friend has braces with her middle school son. x)

and apparently some teacher at my school has braces too.

and she's not one of the young ones...

but i haven't seen any of them ^

braces are painful, but they're definitely worth it.(: