Got Braced today

[Phillymanhere]

I'm braced!--at least partly so.

And today, after an exhaustive review of various orthodontists and tons of research, I got braced. I got my ceramic uppers. The metal lowers will go on later.

I have the Inspire Ice clear brackets and they look pretty good. Not too noticeable. And I don't feel as self-conscious as I worried I might. In fact, I have been walking around with a little jolt in my step, proud of myself that I took the step to really fix and align my teeth and my bite. What a smart and confident cookie I am to do this!!!

I've had them on for about 7 hours now. The braces are starting to hurt some. I know the pain is likely to worsen.

I started this process thinking that Invisalign was the only way to go. But Invisalign requires will power. You take them off to eat and it's up to you to promptly put them back on.

I recently read a book about willpower, and the writers said we we have a finite amount of it. I would rather spend my willpower eating well or exercising or pursuing other goals, rather than putting on my Invisalign.

One important point that only clicked with me a few days ago (with Dr. Tam's help) was that the different orthodontists I consulted had different treatment goals. Some of them predicted treatment time of a year and they were just going to straight the teeth in the upper and bottom arches.

Several other orthodontists presented treatment times of about 2 years, and these folks wanted to straighten the teeth and fix my bite in various places. I figure my teeth will last longer and I'll enjoy food more with a corrected bite!

I'm 50. I am grateful for my beloved mother's guidance on this. Her philosophy was that anything healthy you would want to do at a younger age, go ahead and do it (within the bounds of sanity) at an older age. My mother frankly didn't gain confidence in herself until she was in her 50's and 60's. She graduated from college at age 42 and got her masters degree at age 57. I do not exaggerate when I say that she dressed far better (and looked far better) in her 70's and 80's (in really exquisite outfits that made her look elegant) than she did in her 30's and 40's.

If I would want straight teeth at 20 or 30, why not get straight teeth at 50? ... My mom would say, why not 70 or 80!

One observation that may help folks. I was worried about the orthodontists in my discount plan network. So I searched hard, and I found some very good ones in network and I went with one who I think is excellent. My ortho's treatment plan is almost a duplicate of the treatment plan of the high-end ortho (not in network) I briefly considered. He's friendly and sharp and a great communicator and he has a great staff.
These young women were so fun to work with today.

My treatment estimate is 20 to 24 months. I get the lowers on in a month, I think.

Thanks for everyone's contributions and shares his ... It helped me through this process.
To straighter teeth! At any age!

[Bracesat40]

Congrats! I will be 40 in March and went back and forth with actually getting braces. I decided that I did want a better bite and alignment more than I wanted to save myself from feeling "weird" about having braces at my age. A plus is that I now appear younger to even those who know me!

[Dr.B]

Congratulations!!! Update us on your experience! ;-)

[NarcoAngel]

I am not sure which clear brackets I got, I figured there was only one kind. But several people have mentioned different kinds. I think I got the radiance ones just by looking them up.

[lightskinnnn38]

Congrats on the first steps to a beautiful bite/smile!! Welcome to the brace face club LOL Keep us updated on your progress!