HollyHats - 12:10 pm on Oct 2, 2002 (gmt 0)

Hey! It's never too late for braces. I was the Patient Manager for an orthodontic office for some time. We put braces on everyone...even up to 80 years old. Can you believe that? If something bothers you, your never too old to fix it, right?
Some tips that I have for you...
Take some pain reliever before you go to your appointments. It's better to nip it in the bud, so to speak. Also, ask your orthodontist to give you some wax wafers. They come in different flavors (grape,cherry,bubblegum) and you bite on them to relieve the pressure of the bands. Also, I learned the hard way. I was given 2 plastic retainers that looked like mouthgaurds. Did I wear them? Of course not, and now my teeth have shifted. Ask for "bonded" retainers. This is a small bar that goes behind your teeth, out of view. Your bottom teeth tend to shift very easily, and with the bonded route, you never have to worry about those messy plastic retainers that chances are you'll be picking thru the garbage at McDonalds for anyway.
They bonded retainers can stay in for a long time. I've seen them in for 10 years and more with no problems.