Is 37 too old for braces?

[SKKY]

Poll question: Is 37 too old for braces?

I'm getting them next Wednesday. Can't say I'm looking forward to the pain, but I've waited a long time. I always thought it was kinda creepy for older people to have braces. I can't say why, just did.

[Suich]

1. Go for it!

Good luck! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[redqueen]

2. Heck no...

If you take care of them, you should have those teeth a good long while, so why not?

[SKKY]

7. That's what I'm thinking...

..it's just seems kinda, I don't know, icky.

[redqueen]

Well I don't know why it would...

seems reasonable to me.

[qb]

3. "older people"??? You're just a pup!

Your teeth will be straight before you know it. Good luck! :hi:

[SKKY]

10. Thanks!

I don't feel like just a pup, but I guess that would depend on your perspective.

[Iris]

4. although someone called my husband's gapped front-tooth sexy last weekend

so maybe they're not necessary after all!

[SKKY]

5. Yea, but I don't have that "David Letterman" gap...

...although they're not bad, just need some work.

[Iris]

11. well, I'd do it.

It can't hurt to have your teeth aligned properly!

[MrCoffee]

6. Why now?

Is there something medically wrong with your teeth?

[SKKY]

8. No, just some crowding that has always been a problem...

...plus, they're free, so I'm going ahead and getting them taken care of now.

[MzShellG]

28. Really?

Where can I get free braces? I have one rogue tooth between my canines, but it makes my whole bottom row look crooked. Arghhh!

[SKKY]

45. Join the Navy and get evaluated for them....

...if you're accepted, they're free. :P

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. Generally, it's only the older folk who wear them.

Though it seems some of the emos have taken a shine to braces. And mimes, for some reason.

[SKKY]

12. Oh, just freakin great...

...now I'm emo. Fucking hell!

[x-g.o.p.er]

13. Got mine when I was 34,

had them for 4 years, and I'm glad I did it. I never used to smile in pictures before or during braces, but now I smile all the time.

Do it and don't look back!!!!

[SKKY]

14. Cool. Thanks!

I'll get over it I'm sure. Painful?

[qb]

16. I had braces as a teenager and only remember minor discomfort after tightening.

And that eased up pretty quickly.

[x-g.o.p.er]

41. After tightening, for the rest of the day, but not too bad

Are you having any jaw surgery or anything like that?

[stuntcat]

17. LOL!

I was JUST thinking those exact words.. I never used to smile in my pictures and now I smile, all the time.

[stuntcat]

15. defintely nope!

I got them when I was 33 and wore them 2 or 3 years. I'll always be glad because I had one tooth that stuck out like a fang whenever I smiled so I never smiled much in all my old pictures. My mom couldn't pay for braces though, the only reason I finally could afford them was because my aunt married a dentist.

[qwertyMike]

18. Not if you're a Brit n/t

[KansDem]

19. I'm 55 and I went to an orthodontist in December for a consultation

I had braces for many years as a kid. I got them off when I was 16 and had the perfect smile. Then my teeth shifted dramatically for the next 39 years and now they're out of alignment on one side.

The orthodontist said I need more than braces--probably some kind of corrective surgery...:(

I don't smile much.

[dropkickpa]

20. No way!! I'm jealous!!

I'd love to get braces, I have misaligned teeth that are wearing unevenly, which bugs me (I'm 31).

[Cant trust em]

21. It's slightly goofy, but a small price to pay

I'd rather have the good teeth. Moreover, two years for an adult is a lot shorter than the 2 years when I was ages 9-11.

[supernova]

22. No, I'm 45 and thinking about Invisalign

[racaulk]

23. Not at all! You're never too old to take pride in your smile!

I'm 32 and will probably get them in the next couple of years. I'm not worried about it, and you shouldn't be either. :hi:

[JVS]

24. It's a little bit strange looking, but there's nothing wrong with that.

It's just that braces are usually worn in the pubescent years.

[Pacifist Patriot]

25. Shoot no! I had them twice in my life.

I got them off for the second time when I was in my 30s. Needless to say I wear my retainer every other night now. No way am I risking braces for a third time. I see more and more adults getting braces these days. In fact, I just married a couple where the groom had braces on his teeth.

Good luck and I feel your pain. Truly, I do.

[oregonjen]

26. Not silly at all. You'll be glad you did it!

As a matter of fact, my daughter gets her braces off tomorrow!!! I'm so proud of her. Investigate SureSmile, http://www.suresmile.com/suresmile/home.jsp . It's a new technique in which a computer is used to scan your mouth and then form wires that will fit only you. It eliminates the ortho's need to manipulate the wires and the wearing time is decreased. Worth it for my daughter, she only had braces for 10 months instead of about 2 years, the projected amount of time without SureSmile!

Good luck!

[Mugu]

27. I'm 55 YO and got my braces off last 9/11.

It all started with an injury to my lower front teeth when I was 16 and a repair that the dentist told me would only last 3-5 years. 37 years later one of damaged teeth broke and the dentist advised having the other removed as well. Now I have this big gap in the front of my mouth. The teeth had always been crowded so I decided to straighten the remaining teeth and have one implant rather than two.

If you're like me, you're not going to like the experience, but pain wasn't the problem. If you have ever chipped a tooth and couldn't stop playing it until your tongue was bloody, just wait till you have a mouth full wires, anchors, and rubber chains.

A few suggestions:

The first few days are by far the worst. Once you get through that, it's downhill. It's a long hill, but still downward.

Don't lose the paraffin that the Orthodontist gives you. It can make all the difference those first few days.

Every time you have any adjustments made, be very critical of anything that doesn't feel exactly right or that is sharp. Even a rubber chain that is slightly out of place will get to be a real nuisance after a few hours of rubbing and will make little things like eating a miserable experience.

Get a Water Pic machine and use it every chance you get. Don't get a cheap one or you will have to replace it a couple of times.

Don't goad the doctor with little taunts such as "That's all ya got?"

Regards, Mugu

[snowbear]

46. Mugu, OMG... your comment about parrafin brings back memories!

I had braces 10 years ago at 28. I got the clear ones, and they were hardly visible.

But at the time that I got them, I lived in rural Alaska, 4 hours from the city of Fairbanks which was the closest dentist.

After I returned home, my gums where the braces were hitting were bleeding and it hurt like hell.

I called the dentist office in Fairbanks and asked them if that was normal.

They said "just make sure you apply the wax as indicated"

Wax??

No one had ever mentioned wax to me and they never gave me any.

The dentist wound up contacting the town I was in's Physician Assistant and he actually came over to my house with some dental wax! It was amazing that he had some, but he did.

A few days later, a ton of the wax arrived in the mail from the dentist.

I'm glad I went through with the braces, but listen to Mugu and GET THAT WAX! LOL!

[LeftyMom]

29. my boss just got his off and he's 40.

Sure, he kinda looked like a dork with them on, but they're off now and he has a nice smile.

Anyhow, it seems easier when you're older. Teenagers are all gangly and their skin is usually bad, they don't need another reason to be insecure. An adult can deal with having braces for a couple of years much more easily.

[Mugu]

44. You clearly don't understand how unpleasant braces are.

Most orthodontists won't put braces on old people. The main reason is that old people don't respond as well.

Regards, Mugu

[mondo joe]

30. Not at all. In fact I'd suggest you consider having that litle bar thing put in behind

your front teeth afterwards to help keep them in place, because as you get older your teeth keep pushing forward.

Sorry - I don't know the technical name of the little bar thing.

[oregonjen]

35. A retainer...

I have a permanent retainer on my lower front teeth and I'm glad my ortho was insistent.

[Cannikin]

31. I work for a 57 year old that has them.

[bigwillq]

32. Not at all.

It's not so bad...I've had them for four years. Couldn't really chew gum, although I tried a few times, and I had to watch with really hard food. I broke them one time when I was biting down on a peanut shell.
But all in all not really a bad experience. Just think how perfect your teeth will be! :hi: Good Luck!

[no name no slogan]

33. The braces these days are better than when we were kids (I'm 38)

I had them when I was 11-13, and they weren't much fun. The ones they have today are pretty cool from what I understand. I think they'll be wikkid!

[GigiMommy]

34. Had them at 35-37 years of age.

Glad I did. My teeth NEVER LOOKED BETTER.

[Ilsa]

36. Ihad them in my twenties. It is never too late to save your teeth and improve your smile. nt

[Quantess]

37. Get the clear kind.

Less obvious.

[Lady President]

38. My grandmother and I had them at the same time

My grandmother and I had braces at the same time-- I was 12 and she was 65. I can't tell you how appreciative I am for my parent getting me braces. They are painful, but in the end you have a pretty smile and healthier set of choppers.

**My grandmother had them to prevent needing dentures. Her dentist felt that correcting her bite would stop some of the wear & tear. She is now 90 and has all her straight teeth.:7

[snailly]

39. My father got braces at 50

He always wanted to have a nice smile so that's what he did. He's 62 now and tells me it's the best thing he ever did for himself.
You're the same age as me and I've seen lots of upper 30's and early 40's with braces in the past few years. It's not that unusual. I think you should do what makes you feel better about yourself!

[rurallib]

40. No, I started wearing suspenders (braces in the UK) about then.

[DarkTirade]

42. Is 37 too old for straight teeth?

:shrug:

[SKKY]

48. To quote Carlos Mencia...

..."That's a good point fucker! I believe you have won that argument."

[margotb822]

43. My mother did when she was 38

[jgraz]

47. Absolutely! If you're getting braces, invest in a new set.