Braces

[Pillow]

To keep with my obsession with teeth, flossing, brushing, and denistry...let's expand a little to orthodontics.

Who had em? How old? Worth it?

[Troy McClure]

To those who had them and hated them:

My honest opinion is that I didn't and wish I had. My brother and sister had screwed up teeth and had braces. The dentist said mine were OK, and I didn't have to if I didn't want to.

Now, my brother and sister's teeth are perfect, mine are not even close. And, I am jealous.

[Buru Buru]

I am curious to know who had them, just to have their teeth go back to the way they were when they got their braces taken off. I know just so many people who had braces in childhood and later either got them again in adulthood or just decided to live with teeth that reverted back to the way they were pre braces. After I got my braces off, I didn't wear my retainer for the rest of my life as instructed by my othodontist. I was one of the lucky ones (well so far) in that my teeth have only shifted slightly back, but I know others who weren't that lucky.

[ne11er]

I had them. They weren't loads of fun, but I didn't hate them. Actually, the only time I hated them was when I got bread and other food caught in the front brackets. I got them on at 21 and got them off at 22 (16 months and one day...) Definitely worth it, IMO. It was a tad embarassing having them in college, but I survived.

[ne11er]

Originally Posted by Buru Buru

I was one of the lucky ones (well so far) in that my teeth have only shifted slightly back, but I know others who weren't that lucky.

Not everyone's teeth structure does the same thing. It's a luck of draw, I suppose. Even people who do religiously wear their retainers can have some regression.

[Pi Man]

had em. hated the pain (soup for days at time after 'adjustments'). the raw, chaffed insides of the cheeks... yeah, real fun.. especially when my teeth reverted completely. what an idiot THAT guy was....

[Patience]

hated when they were tightened
hated having the molds made
hated broken pieces of sharp metal impaling the inside of my mouth
hated keeping them clean
not eating corn or whole apples

liked playing with the rubber bands
liked smiling at the last second & having my brother bust his knuckles

[Pillow]

Originally Posted by Patience

liked smiling at the last second & having my brother bust his knuckles

Yeah, the rubberbands were fun to play with, weren't they?

I think the only time I got colored bands was for homecoming...and I ONLY did the bottom half.

[thing]

Never had them. My teeth are noticably crooked, but I just don't care. My parents tried to talk me into getting them, though.

I'm pretty sure all my siblings did. Not positive, just pretty sure.

[Maine-iac]

I had them, around 5th or 6th grade. Had them off by 7th, I think. They were kind of a drag, but not that bad. The teeth have pretty much stayed put. Since I had a tooth growing out the back of the jaw rather than up for lack of space, I didn't have a whole lot of choice about it.

They pulled that one out, and hauled the others into position. Funny, though, I now have a small space where the pulled one could have fit if I still had it.