Are braces worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here...wow that's a lot of opinions!

We just had a virtual consult with a 3rd ortho who now is suggesting a face mask?! But suggested we just come in to the office in a few weeks to discuss in person since they had to go off of my photos vs in person exam. Price wise, around $6200ish if we pay in full but covers all work, whether or not we need this mask, this doc prefers invisilne vs the last dr who said my son can only do braces. They did say, we could do a mix of braces on top, invisiline on bottom and also moving back and forth as needed based on patient, so I like the sound of that...even-though I'm dubious about needing another expander/face mask.

I'm leaning towards this 3rd dr but will have to see how the in person session goes. Appreciate all the thoughts here and personal experiences!

One more opinion, OP. I had ortho when I was your kid's age, but I was really opposed to braces, so we did the "not perfect" option. 15 years later, my teeth were a mess, and I wound up doing Invisalign. My teeth still aren't perfect. If your kid is willing, and you can afford it, it is absolutely worth it to get all the work done when they are a kid. Ortho when you are a grown up is expensive and annoying.

Ironically, I went on to marry an orthodontist. He will do clear aligners (Invisalign, etc.) for people who want them, if their case can be treated with them (not all can). But, he always tells me he can get better results faster with traditional braces. When you think about how braces versus aligners work, this makes sense. So, if it were my kid, I would go with the doc who can make his teeth perfect with braces, and forget about half measures and/or face masks.

This is helpful, thank you! Yes, when the assistant said they might suggest a face mask that was a put off for sure. I'm going to wait for the in person discussion first and see how hard they push for that. I think the concern was that when you move teeth around and make space it can angle the front teeth forward at an angle and that might make a less perfect profile. I wish I had an ortho in the family for an honest opinion.

[Anonymous]

All these people in here saying no one wears their retainers after a few years make me feel a bit silly. I'm 36 and have been wearing my retainers nightly since 8th grade. (Not the exact same pair; they don't last forever).

In my own life I've known people who stopped and had to go in for round two. And let me tell you, you do NOT want to go in for round two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would do full treatment. You don't need to wear the retainers for life. No one does. If he wears them until he is 100% done growing, so for men, probably early 20s, that is good enough. Sure there will be some mild shifting, but his teeth will be mostly straight and perfect.

I had braces from 10-12, probably wore my retainers until college (had been done growing by 14). I'm 38 and my teeth are pretty close to perfect. The shifting has been very subtle.

Wait til you're 50...the shifting will be much more noticeable!

--- got invisilign at 50 after never having had braces because teeth on lower arch were seriously jacked up. I see others my age with very crowded teeth on bottom as well.

Just got Invisalign at 51! Never had braces. I had only very minor overlap/crowding and it would have been merely cosmetic but you barely see my teeth when I smile and people always told me I had a great smile, perfect teeth. Same length, good shape, naturally white, etc.

By 51. I have had a lot of shifting and one top one started to turn a bit so I decided —wtf I’ll do Invisalign. Dentist said it will help maintain teeth, jawline/bite with age.

Braces were awful when I was a kid in 70s/80s so I was ecstatic when dentist told my parents they weren’t needed. No bite or structural issues.

Both my kids have had palate expanders and Invisalign and have great teeth.

[Anonymous]

Didn’t read the thread, but to answer your question, YES. You don’t want your kid to be the 30yo kindergarten teacher with braces, or the 40yo executive with invisalign (they aren’t invisible).

[Anonymous]

i will be the one poster that says do not do them too young. both my kids had braces around age 13. they both had good results. neither wore their retainers like they should have. they both ended up paying for a second round.. one at age 25 and the other at 29.

[Anonymous]

A lot of times braces are good at protecting you from teeth and jaw issues down the road. It’s not all about looks. Although I personally don’t find very crooked teeth attractive on anyone. It’s a major turn off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you switch insurance during open season soon, like fed MetLife high option, and get braces in January?

Be careful with this strategy- a lit of dental insurance companies require you having their insurance for 1+ yr before they're willing to pay for orthodontia work.

Read the fine print

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you switch insurance during open season soon, like fed MetLife high option, and get braces in January?

Be careful with this strategy- a lit of dental insurance companies require you having their insurance for 1+ yr before they're willing to pay for orthodontia work.

Read the fine print

Good point. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would do full treatment. You don't need to wear the retainers for life. No one does. If he wears them until he is 100% done growing, so for men, probably early 20s, that is good enough. Sure there will be some mild shifting, but his teeth will be mostly straight and perfect.

I had braces from 10-12, probably wore my retainers until college (had been done growing by 14). I'm 38 and my teeth are pretty close to perfect. The shifting has been very subtle.

I’m 55, also wore my retainer until I was in my late 20s. Shifting was subtle, but by 40s it accumulated and by 55 now really looks bad again. I’m here to tell you wear your retainers for life. Skip a few nights here and there, but basically wear them for life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you switch insurance during open season soon, like fed MetLife high option, and get braces in January?

Be careful with this strategy- a lit of dental insurance companies require you having their insurance for 1+ yr before they're willing to pay for orthodontia work.

Read the fine print

I switched to fed MetLife high specifically for the orthodontic coverage. This plan does not have the 1 year requirement. Definitely a good idea to read the fine print on any plan though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS went full set, around $11,000.

Looking at through old photos, (ours, not the orth) you can realize the difference of how his mouth looks, and profile how his upper lip sits...hard to explain but it amazes me what a difference it is on his face (and I too thought, does he really NEED braces?)

Re the retainers for life, DS has "permanent" retainer wires cemented onto his teeth on the inside, so you cannot see them but they are there doing the work. Also wears an upper retainer to sleep.

Truly depends on the issue how much needs to be spent, but our story is a lot like this one and I have no regrets about that money.