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Ask HN: Anyone choose to get braces / aligners later in life?

2 points by civicsquid ↗ HN
I'm 21, going to be 22 soon, and going to graduate college sometime next year. I've had a 100% overbite for a while. Makes me not want to go do things or smile, so I figured I'd change it by looking into braces/aligners when I start work after graduation.

Has anyone done it at that stage in their life? How was it? Did it affect your work or social life (not that I have much of one as it is)? I'm terrified of regretting it, but I want the result more than anything.

5 comments

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melcor
You could look into getting "hidden" braces, if you're concerned about how they look. Braces that are placed on the back of your teeth instead of front. It'll probably be more expensive, but may be worth it.
civicsquid
Interesting. I'm almost not too concerned about the look but more so the impact it'll have on my daily life outside of that.
kageneko
I've over 40, have had a major gap in my front teeth, and a slight overbite all of my life. I wish I had gotten braces when I was younger but this is the first job I've had that pays for adult orthodontia. I've had Invisaligns for about 11 weeks now. I love them but they take a while to get used to. (they were also pricey) Stuff that's happened:

* I got a terrible lisp since the shape of my mouth changed. It took quite a few weeks to get used to.

* The first couple of days after switching trays (I switch every week) are kinda painful because of the new positioning.

* My diet changed because I cannot eat (or drink many things) with my trays in and I need to brush my teeth after every meal. I used to eat many, small meals throughout the day but now I do 3 larger ones because it's annoying to brush and such a lot.

* Eating out is "fun" -- I bring a toothbrush and my tray box, so I can take care of things.

Fortunately, I work from home most of the time so a lot of this is not a serious problem.

11 weeks in and my overbite is disappearing and there has been some changes to the gap. Overall, I am very happy.

civicsquid
Congratulations. That's great to hear. The eating part is going to be tough, but I figure that would probably be easier with invisalign than braces.
ezekg
Me and my wife both got braces in our early twenties and do not regret it. Started with clear brackets and that was great. My family couldn't afford to get me braces when I was younger, so I had to have them for awhile (along with an implant), but I'm so happy I did. Neither of us could do invisible aligners because we had bite problems, and that usually requires braces to fix (rubber bands).

It doesn't effect your social/work life as much as you think it would. Rubber bands are annoying, but honestly, having braces is not a big social thing like it was in school. I've had friends get braces because me and my wife had braces and they realized it's not that bad and nobody cares.

You have to of course be mindful about some foods (hint: smaller bites), but in general, it's not a big change, but the first few weeks might be an adjustment to how you talk and move your mouth.

And the pain after an adjustment is fun, so there's that. :)

tl;dr: you won't regret it.