I'm looking into getting braces at 25.
Has anyone else been down this route? I got quoted $95 for a 30 minute consultation. I don't have a lot of money due to being on disability. I'm not sure if I should take up private health insurance or just pay in instalments.
If you have any experience I'd appreciate your input.
Crooked teeth could be your trademark look anyway, like Steve Buschemi.
Winning, as I've already got the dark bug eye look…
Admittedly didn't have braces as an adult, got mine when I was 16yo. While I wasn't keen and was scared of the bullying etc, it was one of the best decisions made on my behalf ever. I'd say go for it. Get a full quote, calculate to pay back in instalments and it'll be one of the best investments in your health ever. I wouldn't personally buy private health cover just for the orthodontic work, but that's just me. Plenty of options out there to collect quotes from and go from there. - Good luck.
I didn't go the braces route, I went with Invisalign at 25 (now 26). I'm on my last week of my initial treatment and my teeth have never looked better so much so that I have unknowingly started smiling with my teeth. Definitely do not regret my decision. Insurance I've found is typically expensive since they have a life time limit on orthodontics ($2100) for me and $700 a year with a long waiting period (12 months). Unless you are using it for something else, its likely not worth the money but that is a decision for you to make. Happy to share my experience more, send me a PM if you want Good luck.
Do you have the permanent wire on your teeth?
i have the wire top and bot , its not really noticeable , i had braces first in my teens and had a lot of movement so then had invisalign in my mid 20's and had the permanent wire now for about 7 years, no issues except the odd food scrap refusing to come out without a gentle brushing.
i suffer from overcrowding , and have been advised that without the wire i will suffer from movement of my teeth in the future.
I have a wire behind my bottom teeth since having braces out at 17. It can be handy for scratching my tongue on when it is itchy. But equally sometimes I injure my tongue without noticing and I get a terribly painful spot for a few days that affects me eating :-/ Must be really annoying having one on the top too - no safe space for your tongue!!
I'm on my last tray of the second treatment. I was told at the start that I might have to get a wire behind my lower set of teeth but I was prepared for that as it can't be seen anyway. Like the Settero, I also had overcrowding on top and the bottom. I thought the benefits far outweighed the downside.
Edit: first treatment was 33 trays changed every 2 weeks but at tray 16, I got a gap which wasn't expected. They redid the scan, and I had got a new set of 30 changing every 2 weeks. Since I was making good progress, at tray 15 or something, I was told I can swap every week. And now, I'm on tray 30 of set 2.
Got mine late 20s. Most of my front teeth were really crooked so I couldn't get Invisalign and had to go for the traditional braces, which are way more effective and get the job done much quicker. Ask if you can get a monthly payment plan. It should be better than taking out a private insurance, as they may have a 1 year waiting period or get you to claim extras you may not need to make it cost effective. I got put on a ~2.5 yr plan with $500 upfront and $120 monthly payments but depending on your case and dentist it might be anything between $2.5k to $8k.
The metal wire, spacers and brackets were pretty painful in the beginning but after 6 months you become used to it. The only annoying things were the monthly 10 minute appointments, and if your dentist is popular its hard to keep a schedule unless you block out sessions months in advance, and even then you might have to wait a while if the dentist is running late. To me it was worth it as it greatly increased self confidence and allows you to be normal without worrying about crooked teeth while talking. Yeah, some people who haven't seen me in a while were surprised that I got braces so late but honestly most just don't really care.
Literally changes your face.
If your teeth are bad, it's definitely worth it.
As my dentist explained, Invisalign can only do so much (that's why they make these videos to show you before and after results), meanwhile getting metal braces allow much more flexibility. Usually they would recommend either one depending on how your teeth looks. I went with metal braces and damn, that shits painful.
Private Health Insurance doesn't cover that much of it either.
Definitely recommend going in to see a dentist. If you go in for a clean, I'm sure you can bring it up as a conversation with the dentist and not get charged a consultation fee.
If you go in for a clean, I'm sure you can bring it up as a conversation with the dentist and not get charged a consultation fee.
Consultation would probably need to be with an orthodontist
Yes, done invisalign. Around 8k, paying $300/month (and 30% deposit up front). Health insurance with extras covers around $900 max so not worth it if you don't currently have insurance.
Probably would've been cheaper for traditional wire braces
Meant to take 14 months, ended up being 2.5 years but at no extra cost; traditional would've likely have been quicker too
You will likely need attachments on your teeth with invisalign (bumps that are glued to your teeth for the retainer to grip onto) which end up being slightly visible anyway
$95 will probably cover the OPG full face xray which you could get a copy of and use to get free quotes from other orthodontists too
Wish they told me up front I would have a wire behind my top and bottom front teeth and a night retainer for life
I got braces in my early 30s. I didn't think I was too phased by my teeth, but they were pretty badly crooked and my dentist recommended braces to avoid complications later on.
They were too bad for Invisalign. I got clear traditional braces and had them on for 2.5yrs. I claimed $2400 on insurance (which was the max I could claim and I had to accrue that amount at $400 a year over six years of cover) and paid the rest in installments. I almost certainly overpaid on the total amount and probably could've found somewhere cheaper, but I wanted somewhere close to work so I didn't need to take any time off, the ortho also came recommended.
I had to have a tooth removed before getting them on and when they first go on, they suck. It does hurt. You do quickly get used to it though and I perversely miss the feeling of the adjustments a little bit now they're off. I have got permanent wires on the back of my teeth, top and bottom but don't notice they're there.
Regarding the cost, it's not cheap. I was out of pocket about $6100 after insurance, but having said that, I luckily enough to be in a position I could afford that and I would do it again. My smile has completely changed and I feel a lot more confident now.
Really comes down to your motivations and why you want/need them.
Edit: Spelling
Got braces in my late 20s, typically 14 months is enough if you want major improvement and not perfect-perfect. Definitely recommend getting private health and timing your treatment so you can claim 3 years worth based on your allowance reset date, orthodontist should be able do a fee structure for you. Cost me 3K out of pocket and definitely worth it.
Example if EOFY is your reset date for the health fund:
Start treatment June 2021, Year 1 claim
July 2022, Year 2 claim
July 2023, Year 3 claim
Also definitely go for a convenient location, lots of visits for check-ups and the wires do break and it can set back your progress very quickly if not rectified quickly.
Depending on the type of treatment you go for it can also help you with your breathing, facial features & head/neck posture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvqndYJRniI
Private Health cover pays out between $1k to $2k once per lifetime depending on your type of cover, so it helps to pay some of the cost
Former co-worker was meant to have his invisaligns in for about a year, but it ended up taking 3.5 years and was a much more expensive process than what he was originally quoted. He is happy with the results and I believe he has the wire.
I paid $5k ish for 1 year, paid less because i paid all upfront, went with metal over Invisalign, cheaper and was told it would be quicker, was well worth it.
You get use to them fairly quickly.
I had braces when I was a young kid. They gave me a permanent bottom metal wire and nothing else
My dentist had noticed a can't had developed and although my teeth looked okay, I wanted it fixed. I decide not to f with it and goto a reputable orthodontist.
Braces were 7.8k, Invisalign 8k. I also required bands. You need to be careful about root resorption and although I feel like Invisalign is doing a lot of the work, don't risk it.
I did sums on health insurance and the premiums didn't make much sense. Most I could claw back after a 12 month waiting period was 3k, however you need to pay a very high premium so it wasn't worth it.
Invisalign through a dentist cost 5k but after having to do this twice, my advice is to go-to someone that is reputable.
Final note, expect to wear a retainer forever because you're teeth will move which is the current MO.
My wife got invisalign when she was 30. It improved her confidence significantly. I think the"program" took 15 months and finished about 3 years ago. She has the wire behind her top and bottom teeth, there are some foods she can't eat because of that, buying into an apple for example.
Always get the wire. We know a few other people who got invisalign in their mid-20's but didn't get the wire. Now they're early 30's and their teeth are becoming crooked, that's a lot of money wasted.
Speaking of the money… Find the two health insurers that cover this type of dental for the highest lifetime limit and have the shortest waiting period. Do the 12-month wait with the first one, then start your invisalign journey until you hit the lifetime cover limit with insurer 1, then move to insurer 2 and finish off.
Of course this strategy only works if the savings actually calculate out. For us it did, we had private health for tax reasons, therefore we came out ahead. In your 20's with no tax requirement to have private health, the premium cost might be more than the Invisalign cost. This is some maths you'll need to do yourself.
I have never met anybody that regretted getting braces. It's not all about straight teeth either. it can help with sleep, speech and a myriad of other issues you may not even know about
Highly recommend getting invisilign over train tracks. I got mine when I was 42. Finished 2 years later, happy with the results. I would have paid maybe $8,000, but coz i found an invisilign groupon, i paid only $5,000.
where did you get yours done at?
Dental plan??
EDIT: Each person is different but it worked wonders for a friend and help boost her confidence.
Got braces @ 25 for 2 years. Traditional, metal braces. Bill was 7.5k, got around 4k back from my health fund. I have back of teeth, permanent retainers.
Getting braces is fine as an adult.
Could you please share location and health fund details
I'm with HCF on diamonds extra cover. But you have to accumulate the full braces benefit over minimum 3 years, but don't quote me on that.
I got my traditional braces at NU angle orthodontics in top Ryde shopping centre.
But I highly suggest, if you can, after braces, get the permanent retainers behind the teeth.
I went to nu angle orthodontics in top Ryde shopping centre.
I have recently been looking at getting Invisalign. I made the mistake of asking my dentist for a referral, this ended up costing $50 (I didn't know this until I was at the counter paying). Then the orthodontist I was referred to charges $150 just for a consult, so I didn't go ahead with them. Instead I looked online and found a few places that do free obligation-free quotes for Invisalign. I ended up getting quotes from two different places and was surprised at the different advice - one treatment plan said approx. 8 months, the other said 12 - 15 months with a higher cost to match. Needless to say I am going with the shorter timeframe and cheaper price. The difference in time frames made me think the 2nd place were purposefully telling me it would take longer just to get more $$. I didn't bother with private health as the rebate matches the increased price for extras, plus there's a 12 month waiting period.
I got Invisalign in my late 20s. It was expensive (about $9000 Aus, but I got it done in London), but worth every dollar. I was very self-conscious about my teeth, and it only took 10 months to get them fixed. I would absolutely do it again.
I've just started regular dentist visits at 30. I've got some less than straight teeth and was recommended invisalign. It can cost $3,000–$7,000 and from what I understand still require a metal wire behind my teeth. I've opted to leave it alone for the time being.