Braces or Invisalign

[braceface]

I'm 31 and very nervous about wearing braces. I have a horrible bite and was told for years that I would need surgery. Now I have 2 dentists that claim that can straighten my teeth and correct my bite without surgery. I am opting for the cheaper dentist because its going to save me $5000. I get my impressions tomorrow. Are there any encouraging words from anyone in their 30's with wires. I know that I hate the way my smile is now - so technically "the look of" braces shouldn't matter. Should I get invisalign and wear them longer or just bite the bullet and get metal braces? I am nervous because I hear that after 30 it takes a lot longer for the teeth to move. I've been quote 18-24 months which I think is what they tell everybody but I don't want to have braces at 40.

[mariahfromchicago]

Welcome braceface! no one really notices braces unless you make it a big deal. I don't have invisalign. Keep in mind that both braces and invisalign do have their pros and cons. Good luck!
By the way I am 14.

[Zoso]

What's important to understand is that whilst Invisalign is great for some cases, there are many things that it can achieve only with poor predictability of success, and still others that it cannot achieve at all. If yours is a case that many wanted to treat surgically, then it seems a stretch to hope it could be handled using a more limited technique like Invisaliagn.

Mariah's right too that it's not such a big deal wearing fixed braces. And it's only for a couple of years, which is nothing when you set it against a lifetime with your new, healthier, more beautiful bite.

[Zoso]

I just read your post in a different thread. There you stated that "with the removal of some wisdom teeth I should have a class 2 bite."

From this, I am assuming that you currently have an overjet - your upper front teeth sit quite some distance ahead of the lower front teeth - this is what commonly results from a Class II molar relationship. I don't think that with extraction of the wisdom teeth alone, this overjet will be corrected (and indeed your doc has said you'll still have a Class II) though it could be camauflaged to some extent by tipping the upper incisors inward (retroclining) and the lower incisors outward (proclining). I just wanted to make sure you've understood what sort of results you can expect from an aesthetic standpoint, and also that your orthodontist has discussed with you the predicted stability of the results (typically, full correction to Class I ought to render more stable results than a camauflage approach)