The Student Room Group

Braces at 19?

ive realised my upper two or three teeth are a bit crooked and out of place and when i smile its not pretty. Is it possible to get braces at my age and how much are they likely to cost me? Would it look weird in society for someone my age to be wearing this.. is there anything other than braces i can use to change my teeth?
Reply 1
Yes it's entirely possible for someone at 19 to be wearing braces. I'm not sure how much the entire procedure would cost you (surely it would vary from person to person, depending on the type of braces, your oral hygiene and dental maintenance, the length of time your orthodontist suggests you keep them on etc.) and while you may feel uncomfortable smiling with braces on initially, you'll get over it. It's very normal for one to feel as such at the start, but it's a matter of self-confidence. Thinking long-term (about the benefits you stand to reap) would certainly help as well.
Reply 2
Don't worry, my mom didn't get her braces til she was married and about 30 :smile:
Reply 3
My mate's got braces and he'll be 19 soon. He thinks they are a fashion accessory though - he takes his own gaudy coloured bands for them to put on for him. Heh.
Reply 4
you can do that?
I have a brace on my top teeth which are pretty much all bent, and I'm 18 (got it earlier this year on the NHS). I'm waiting on a jaw-line operation before I can have a brace on my bottom teeth (there's only 2 bent teeth here, but they're really quite bad and apparently I was born with a deformed jaw generally such that my two sets of teeth don't meet if that makes sense), which given what waiting lists are like could be years and years away. So I'm pretty confident I will have braces well into my 20s, and it does bug me sometimes, but that's life I guess. I have had people I don't know very well say 'Oh, you have braces!' in a really insensitive way but most people I know haven't even mentioned it. I think we obsess about ourselves too much in this life and forget that everyone else is far more concerned about they way they look themselves than the appearance of other people. I would be more embarassed sticking with the bent teeth than having a brace.
Reply 6
Put it this way...would you rather have them now or later when you're married? I think depending on your circumstances, the NHS will pay for some of your treatment but may not pay for the entire treatment. I would think they are worth it, you cant put a price on a lovely natural smile! Theres the option of clear braces too, and from what I've heard, the NHS wont pay for these cos theres still the option of cheaper regular silver braces. I think they are in the region of abt £1500-£2000.
P.S I dnt think it would look weird, seen so many ppl with them on!
hey dont worry about it. I'm 18 and I've had braces for the past 1 1/2 years and noone's said a word.. it's only if u show you are uncomfortable that people will try to make yo uncomfortable.. just remember that it'll be worth it.. cuz you'll have priceless smile afterwards.. anyway ont worry about ti so much.. it's only for a year or so.. then a perfect smile for the rest of your life!!!!!!!
you can get braces that are hidden behind your teeth, so it looks like as if it is not even there. just ask your orthodontist about it.
Reply 9
my old physics teacher had braces and he must've been well into his 30s.

i got my braces off about a month ago and i was ecstatic about that...until i found out how bad retainers are!

don't worry...over time, people will be saying that they can't even remember what you looked like without braces! :wink:
Reply 10
Don't worry, an orthodontist at my orthodontists' has braces and must be in his early 40s at least. Half the time you can't even tell if people have got them. Just think about how great you teeth will look when you get them off!
(I'm 18 and have been wearing them for 3 years).
yeah i actually had a teacher with braces a few years back.. she had them for two years n then got them off.. she was so happy she announced it to everyone in school.. very funny n it was roughly the time i got mine first n she gave me a lot of tips..

about the 'hidden' braces.. they might be les visible but they're supposed to hurt a lot more cuz it's rubbing against your toung (?) which can give u ulcers..

and yes.. noone (even I) can even remember what i looked liek without braces.. thats why i cant wait to gt them off soon (3 months baby, 3 months YAY!!!!!)
Reply 12
kind of a digression, but Leah from home and away had braces for a bit! This was her IRL, not the character and she must be late twenties, early thirties! I don't think it'll be weird. At the end of the day, if having straighter teeth will make you happier/more confident, then don't worry about being 19 and having braces. Plus I doubt people will really notice, or if they do, so what?!
Reply 13
My mum got braces when she was 43. Her two front teeth had pointed inwards towards each other since she was a teenager because of a crappy dentist she had, and it wasn't until she was 43 she decided to get them fixed. She did look a bit weird, but she's not the shy kind of person, and actually showed them off to people, lol. So yes, it is possible when you're 19.
Reply 14
I'm 19 and have braces, have done for like 4 years or something gay!

Should be coming off soon, but yeh definately you can get them at your age!

Graham
There are invisible braces here in the US
invisialign. I don't know if thats available to you.
I have braces, got them last month (though I am 16).
I'm 19 in August and i've had braces since end of Yr6!! (How old are you then? 10/11?!?!), they're coming off soon (it's going to be SO strange!) but in the long run it's def been worth it, whilst at Uni i met plenty of people who stopped their treatment for whatever reason and to be blunt their teeth don't like that nice!!

My cousin had some braces put in the other year (he's 24) and they cost a couple of hundred pounds - i think that was on private - either way he's a lot happier and glad he spent the money!

-x-