Why did I get Adult Braces At 40? (Pictures)
I’m a 40 year old woman who has always had a desire to get my teeth “fixed”. When I was growing up, my parents were not wealthy, but we always had moderately standard dental insurance. This insurance covered yearly cleanings, fluoride treatments (kids), cavities, and other typical dental related procedures, but it only covered a percentage of orthodontia and orthodontic treatments. Since changing the way that my teeth looked (My Before Six Month Smile picture below) was not considered medically necessary, my parents could not fathom purchasing thousands of dollars of metal to put in my mouth to make me feel good about myself.
Everyone has that “one thing” that they would like change about themselves if they had the time and money. My “one thing” has always been my TEETH (My Teeth Above).
When I started college, I thought about getting braces because I was working, and I could probably afford to “help” my parents with the cost of braces. I was certainly not in the type of financial situation where I could afford to pay for them by myself. Another thing, I didn’t want to be “that girl with the metal mouth” on campus. There were enough awkward moment in college without having to deal with the entire campus referring to me as “that girl with braces”. I hope that this story is hitting home with someone. Have any of you ever thought about getting braces but later decided not to for any of the reasons mentioned above…money…time…appearance…money? I thought so. I knew that I was not alone!
After college, I started my first real job. Once again, I thought about getting adult braces to correct my misaligned teeth, but I had no idea how much braces would cost. On top of that, I did not want my braces to be my identifying marker. The perception of adults with braces was just as much of a deterrent as the cost. I visited two orthodontists (dentists who specialize in dental braces) to find out how long I would need to wear braces and how much braces cost. They both told me that I would need to wear braces for 2 years, and the cost of braces at that time was well over $5000.
Most dental insurance plans do not cover orthodontia after the age of 18, but these dentists offered no interest payment plans. I did not want to make payments on straight teeth! I wanted an option that required the shortest amount of time to correct my teeth at the lowest price point. Over the years, I’ve evaluated several options for adult braces and a few non-brace related teeth correcting options: Invisalign invisible braces, veneers, implants, and partials. None of these options were viable because either the cost was astronomical (Invisalign (>$5000), or they severely damaged the teeth to achieve the look (veneers, implants, and partials).
Everything changed for me when my dentist introduced me to a short term option for adult braces, “Six Month Smile” (6 month smile).
Check for tri-monthly updates where I will be sharing my experience with adult braces, the associated costs, maintenance tips/tricks, time frame (before, during, and after detailed pictures), drawbacks to getting braces, statistical data about dental appearance and how it affects getting dates, being hired, and personal relationships. Basically, anything and all things related to adult Braces At 40 will be discussed right here.
Please feel free to reach out to me with questions, comments, suggestions and ideas about adult Braces At 40.
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