If you had braces as a child/teen - are you happy with the result? - Page 2

[babynatasha]

I am very happy with my teeth! I thank my parents for them often. I had braces around 1990-'93ish. I still have to wear my retainers every couple of weeks, but it is no problem to keep my teeth straight and perfect.

I may be a little stuck up in saying this but, teeth are the first thing I notice when talking to people. It says a lot to me about how people care for their bodies. If a person has nice straight, white teeth, it tells me they care about their body and want to keep it in good condition. (I know not everyone can afford braces, but hey, my parents sacrificed stuff for me so I could have them and if necessary I will do the same for my children, I have already paid for my neice to have braces) I guess if you have nice teeth that are a little crooked, but you take care of them, it would be fine not to get them. I do feel having nice teeth gives people an advantage in life though. When talking to people my eyes are drawn to their lips to listen to what they are saying and it is always nice to have a great view

[kirstenb]

I am so glad that I got braces. I had them from 5th grade to 8th grade in the 90s. At that point it seems like most kids had braces or were going to have braces so I don't remember any teasing because of them. There were times when my mouth was sore after appointments and tightenings but I wouldn't go back and do it differently. When I got them off I had a permanent retainer placed on the inside of my bottom teeth which I still have in today- I probably won't ever get it removed unless it becomes a problem. I had a regular retainer that I wore for a year or so before I stopped. I wish I would have continued to wear it- I know my teeth have moved a little bit but nothing major. They still look straight.

On the other side, DH never had braces and has pretty crooked teeth. I know he wishes that he was able to have them as a kid. He would like to get braces someday so he can straighten out his teeth.

[AndVeeGeeMakes3]

Well, I had them as an adult (34-37) and I wish constantly that I had had them as a younger person. Way too much trouble as a grownup!!!

[EENS]

I'm happy I got them. However, now at 37 I have major gum recession. I've always been told it was the braces that caused it.

[Panthira]

Originally Posted by EENS

I'm happy I got them. However, now at 37 I have major gum recession. I've always been told it was the braces that caused it.

I've heard this can be a side effect of braces, but usually when you get them on as an adult.

I had braces for 5 years as a kid. I quickly lost the retainer, and my mother was angry and didn't replace it. As I got older, my teeth became crooked, and after baby number 5, my teeth moved like crazy, and 2 of my front teeth are incredibly crooked now. It's awful, and I'm starting to feel extremely self-conscious. I know people look at my teeth when I talk. My teeth are white and I only have 2 cavities, but one is pushed really far back, and the other on top is pushed forward. It sucks, and I'm thinking if we can ever dig out of our financial hole, I'll get braces.

babynatasha - What you said kind of hurt. I know you weren't trying to hurt anyone, nor was it directed at me, but my own husband has said the whole - straight teeth is a sign of good hygiene and health - thing, and he has waaay more cavities than me. It doesn't make any sense. They are not pretty, but they are healthy, and I wonder if most people think the way you do.
Maybe I shouldn't leave the house...

[Leatherette]

I had braces from age 8 to 11, and I am glad I did. You'll have to ask my parents if the expense was worth it.... The only problem was that my braces were taken off too early because my last orthodontist was really insane, we were living in a foreign country and he was perhaps the only pediatric orthodontists there who spoke English, and my mom just wanted to be done with it.

So my bottom teeth are still a little crowded, but my top teeth are very straight.

I think we have two sets of braced teeth to look forward to in the next several years.....

L.

p.S. I thought my headgear was really cool. I wanted to wear it to school, and my mom said, "No". :

[annethcz]

It worked well for the most part, but my teeth started moving back again after I had the braces removed. Because of this I had braces twice. I think that my teeth would've stayed in place if I had a permanant retainer placed on my top teeth. Instead I only have a permanant retainer on my bottom teeth. I have one top tooth that won't stay put and is slowly sliding behind another tooth

If our dentist recommends braces for my kids, we'll definitely provide orthodontics for them.

[Climbergirl]

I had weird teeth. My mouth was not big enough and my jaw was misaligned. I had an awesome dr who did not put braces on a child for more than a year. I spent years getting bars and jaw widening devices put in before I ever got to braces.

Yeah, it hurt, but I had such issues that I needed to have something done. I did not consistently wear my retainers so my teeth are a little out of alignment but it looks natural instead of perfectly straight.

I started seeing the dr when I was 8 and I had one baby and one permanent front tooth.

I would do it again.

[JamesMama]

It worked for a while...then my wisdom teeth came in and the dentist said they didn't need to come out...well my top teeth are okay but my bottom teeth are worse crooked than they were BEFORE I got braces...my mom is LOVIN that $1600 she put into my mouth let me tell ya (well she didn't pay, we had great dental insurance but STILL ya know?)

[tinuviel_k]

YES! I had braces for several years and the were 100% absolutely worth it.

Both my mom and my dad have narrow mouths. My dad needed to have four teeth pulled to make room in his mouth, and my mom needed six pulled. Until she had teeth pulled her eye teeth grew in front of her other teeth, causing them to stick out and making her look like a vampire. In every single picture until her mid 20s when she got the work done she smiles with her lips closed.

My teeth were certainly going the way of my parents: gaps in some areas, severe crowding in others. My eye teeth had never descended: they were stuck up in my gums with no room to come down. I had braces, wisdom teeth removed, and retainers for quite awhile. I am so appreciative of my nice teeth now, and I know they would have been so much worse.

[Dillpicklechip]

I had braces for about 2 years, I think around age 11-13. Before the braces my teeth were pretty crooked, after they were perfect. Twenty years later, my teeth are not quite as perfect as when I got my braces off, but pretty close. The braces were definitely worth it.

My mom actually had braces the same time I did. She was in her late 30s at the time. Her teeth were absolutely terrible, very crooked to the point where she was embarrassed to smile. Now her teeth are perfect too.

[vegmom]

I did not take the poll because I never had braces. But my sister did when she was 16. She is now 31 and still has crowding issues. From what I can tell her bottom teeth have moved and became slightly crooked. But they still look pretty good.