I probably should have started this sooner but never mind better late than never... So here's the (relatively) short story, the 411/background as to why I got braces at 29:
Why I never got braces as a child: I grew up in England and to the best of my knowledge I was never offered them; much to the horror of pretty much every American dentist i've come across. The last British dentist I saw also never suggested getting my impacted wisdom teeth pulled, simply saying they were coming in sideways and they'd just let them come in, but that I should get x rays to check the impacted wisdom teeth for cavities (x rays that they could not do on site). But I digress... I think too that in some cases braces in the UK are perceived as a comestic procedure (i'm sure this attitude is changing and definitely not a generalization) but possibly for kids whose parents have crooked teeth; the health benefits are not fully understood. Growing up I only knew two kids that got braces! At the time uneducated on brace benefits as a kid I thought the railroad look, looked well tragic... I bet those people have great looking teeth now though!
My Orthodontic Issues: Excessive over bite (0.7) crossbite on left side (which may be the only thing they can't fix, given my age) severe crowding, numerous bite issues, teeth don't touch and a long list of other things I would have to refer to the diagnosis letter the ortho gave me.
Why I took the plunge: I got my wisdom teeth pulled two years ago and having had increased bite issues, along with fighting gum recession due to the tooth overlapping and being conscious of my smile goofiness in photos finally convinced me to take the plunge. Plus I worked with a couple of adults who had braces at my previous job. They didn't regret it and felt your bite only gets worse over time. Not a good prospect so here I go.
There's no turning back: Due to the overcrowding the orthodontist recommended extraction of 1st pre-molars on top and 2nd pre molars on the bottom. It was a tough decison given they were healthy teeth... But the more I researched it (thank you archwired) the more it made sense: I have a small mouth, my teeth overlap, the impacted wisdom teeth essentially created pockets and you can see my gums drop on x rays where the wisdom teeth were. So the wisdom teeth extraction didn't create much space if any.
I said "bye bye bicuspids" on Tuesday 17th 2011. I was lucky overall I had a relatively pain free experience and the worst part was trying to eat after with gaps in the middle of my mouth. The gaps while not really visible unless you're looking at my side profile (while i'm laughing) definitely made me want those braces on asap.
Coming up: My first 3 days in braces and pictures!
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