“I chose not to have braces as a child” (Part 3)
28 September 2024
3 min read
My Regret Over Braces Decision
+ Part 2: Why it was the wrong decision
+ Part 3: Early vs late orthodontic treatment
A 50-year-old reflects on their decision to reject braces as a teenager in the 1980s. We’ve heard how they continued to feel self-conscious and uncomfortable into adulthood. And that teeth straightening treatment in the mid-2000s did not produce perfect results… leading to further regret. In part 3, they share their hopes over composite bonding.
TEETH STRAIGHTENING AND COMPOSITE BONDING
After my Invisalign treatment around 2005, I did not achieve my “perfect smile”.
Some of my teeth remained misshapen.
My understanding is this is because they had been hidden beneath protruding teeth for so many years.
In the mid-2000s, I believe it was not as common as it is today to finish off teeth straightening with composite bonding where necessary.
Nowadays, it’s normal to complement Invisalign treatment with composite bonding – where tooth-coloured resin is applied to improve the appearance of teeth.
This is used to deal with remaining post-Invisalign imperfections such as misshapen teeth.
Invisalign and composite bonding
If composite bonding had been as readily available after my Invisalign treatment, I think I would have ended up with my ideal smile… albeit it would have required more work.
In fact, I think I will get composite bonding at some point so I can enjoy my perfect smile.
In summary, for all of the reasons mentioned in this series…
I deeply regret not having orthodontic treatment at the age of 13 or 14 when the option was first put to me by my dentist.
EARLY ORTHODONTIC INTERVENTION
In an ideal world, orthodontic treatment is performed when the patient is a child or teenager.
Bones are still developing and it’s easier to correct misalignments and avoid more invasive treatments later on.
In my case, I could also have avoided developing misshapen teeth if the alignment had been corrected earlier.
ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT FOR ADULTS
The good news is that, as an adult, it’s never too late to straighten your teeth with fixed braces or Invisalign.
White & Co. offers exceptional Invisalign, lingual and fixed braces treatment as well as composite bonding and whitening to help you achieve new smile confidence.
IMPORTANT: The writer was treated as a child at a dental practice outside London in the 1980s. They have never been a patient of White & Co.
Read more about Invisalign at White & Co. London. Read more about Fixed & Lingual Braces at White & Co. London.
