Getting My Braces at 33

I have a new Adult Braces Poll up. If anyone has had braces as an adult, I encourage you to share their experiences. Its easy and completely anonymous. I would like to shar the results of my polls at some point on this blog, as soon as its been up with enough time for people to respond. 

So, continuing my true story. . . next I got braces. I was still a bit nervous about the whole process, since I was 33 and well into my career. I was concerned about looking odd or different in front of my boss or fellow co-workers.  This is probably routine for many others, but getting my braces on took several visits to my Ortho. First, there was the trip where the x-rays and measurements and all that was taken. I don't remember it all now, but I do remember standing in this big x-ray machine that went around you, and the ortho staff inserting stuff into my mouth.  Oh, yes, I also remember that I had to sit down in the dentist chair, and the staff put a small tray in my mouth that they had me bite down on. They tray contained this gushy silly putty like substance, from which I figure they made the molds of my teeth. They did this twice, once for my bottom teeth and once for my top.

I remember they made images from all the tests, and the ortho showed them to me on a computer screen, explaining what had to be done. My treatment would require full braces, on top and bottom, with elastics, for two years. I told the ortho about my desire to keep everything discreet, since I was trying to look profesional for my job and my adult friends. It was decided that my braces would be the clear ceramic on top, and metal on the bottom.

Then there were two vists. One to get my top brackets on, and an archwire that didn't yet have any pull to it.  Then a second visit, if I recall about a week later, to put on my lower brackets.  I don't recall when they finally put on my archwires that actually pulled on my teeth, but it may have been that second visit. Anyway, eventually that happened and my elastics were also given to me (two elastic rubber bands on each side of my mouth connecting top and bottom teeth). And my teatment started.

Next, came going to work, and facing others with braces.  I seem to recall that I timed my first visit to get brackets right before a weeks holiday, so I wouldn't have to initially face job in my braces. But, at some point it had to happen. LOL.

Told I Needed Braces

I had been waiting a bit to see if I could pick up more traffic to my blog before I started posting. I'm a bit disappoited in the lack of response so far, but I'll just start my story and hopefully they will come. I would evenually like my blog to be a place where we can have fun sharing or experienced with this odd thing called orthodontia.

I have a survey/poll up, accessible at the top of my blog, and by clicking here, regading having braces during the 50s, 60s, '70s or '80s.  The point of this survey is to find out more (and give people a chance to share) about having braces back "in the day" when they weren't a popular accessory (like they sometimes are today among teens). I'd encourage anyone who has had braces back then to take the anonymous survey and share your story.  I should have a new survey up soon about having adult braces . . . be on the lookout for it.

I got my braces in my thirties a few years ago. The reason was basically crowding. I was suddenly surprised when I went to a routine dental checkup, and first the dental assistant, and then the dentist, both recommended going to an orthodontist. The assistant did my cleaning first, and as she probed around in my mouth, mentioned I may have a problem. She took a page from a stricky pad and wrote on it: "Adult Ortho?"  The dentist then looked at me, and at one point mentioned that I had some problem with crowding that had caused a substantial misalignment which could be problematic. I did have some clear crowding on my lower teeth that you could see from the frint, but noone until then had said anything about it. Apparently, the crowding had caused even worse problems in my back teeth. I was given a referral to an orthontist, and suddenly to my surprise I was taking at the start of my orthodontic journey.