My story

Hullo world,

I started this blog because (like several others) I've noticed that a lot of the literature available out there is geared at kids/teenagers getting braces, not many are geared towards adult brace wearers. Hopefully my inane ramblings here serves to be informative for those who are thinking about getting braces.

How it all started

Since it is my first post I guess I should give you a little bit of background about me and how I got to be braced.  I am 33, an Australian born Chinese who works in corporate originally in sales but have now moved up the rank to management, one thing that hasn't changed with work is the fact that I deal with people, lots of them on a daily basis.

I was officially told by my dentist I actually needed braces when I was 19 but never went ahead with it due to a combination of the following: -

1. Too self conscious and worried about what people might think
2. The invasive aspect (extractions etc,) scared me off
3. I didn't think my teeth were THAT bad
4. Being Asian was pretty sure my doctor just wanted to make more money out of me

Cue some decades later I have completed my MBA studies and made a decision that 2015 was going to be the year of change (in so many aspects) and that change was going to come from my list of things that I have always thought about but never had the courage to do, this list obviously included being braced => Hence began my journey....

The thought process

To start the process off I scheduled in a few appointments with various orthodontists as I have been told (by my good folks and fellow forum mates at www.archwired.com) that this is an essential step of the process. I saw three of them before I made the choice.

Being fairly conscious of my appearance I had initially looked into invisialign but I was told by all that I was not a candidate due to my severe overbite. I then contemplated a technology called simpliclear (clear brackets and clear polymer wires) but apparently the future of the manufacturers for that was uncertain and my orthodontist did not recommend me going through with that treament. Here's a picture of the simpliclear braces: -

I ended up going with an orthodontist who is about 4 hours away in a different country as I felt the most comfortable with her proposed plan, she also sounded like the one out of the three who knew what she was talking about

She did give me an option for a combination treatment of invisialign and damon clear however the results are uncertain with this one with a longer projected treatment time, I definitely did not want to spend many years in metal so I ended up going with option 2 which was Damon Q Clear braces with white coated wires, here's what they look like in the brochures

For better clarity you may find the following comparison between brace types useful

The diagnosis

Whilst there were some differences in the approach my diagnosis was fairly consistent across the 3 consultations:-

1.  I have a Class 2 malocclusion - a pretty deep overbite which is covering my bottom row, I have been told this only gets worst with age and that some surgery may be required later on in life if I don't fix it now (!!) - I also have bruxism, coupling this with the overbite I'd be lucky to have any bottom teeth by the time I'm 50 (as it is I can see the wear and tear on my front row teeth)
2. Upper canines left and right - they need to come down and align
3. Crowding is also beginning in the front bottom row which I have noticed is getting worst

The treatment

I went with the option of Damon Q clear braces on the top and bottom. I will have my top 2 premolars extracted to make space for the canine teeth to come down and correct my overbite.

Estimated treatment time is 2+ years

Here are some benefits of the Damon braces as touted on the brochure and why I ended up selecting them: - 

1. Shorter treatment time, less visits to the ortho
2. No elastics to hold bracket in place therefore making it more hygienic, easier to clean and no staining (I can eat/drink anything pretty much)
3. Less/no extractions
4. More subtle than metal braces but works just as well if not better (here's a pic of my smile 2 days post braces)

My musings so far as an adult brace wearer

1. It is so important to pick an orthodontist who you feel comfortable with, after all once them braces are in you're stuck with them for 2++ years! - the first one I went to seemed to prescribe a one size fits all approach of remove 6 teeth (2 on the top row and all 4 wisdom) and metal braces. The second one I spoke to took her time to explain the procedure and options and said that she would only extract as necessary 
2. Once the whole internal struggle on whether or not is done it actually feels quite exciting to get braces! if not only because I'm spending time dreaming about perfect teeth now 
3. Collecting soft food recipes and have fun experimenting with blender shake recipes - there is no need to starve yourself just because you can chew when you have braces or get your tightening done => pinterest is an amazing source for these recipes
4. If Tom Cruise can do it so can I (right?)
   
5. I've really begun to notice adult brace wearers around me and you know what? there's a lot of them! I am 33, work in the corporate world and have to talk and interact with a lot of people for my job and this actually makes me feel better about the whole pending process

In my next post I will share some pictures of me from day zero to now close to 2 months in braces

Feel free to ask me anything (relating to braces) in the comments section