My Regret Over Braces Decision

+ Part 1: Making the decision

A 50-year-old reflects on their decision to turn down orthodontic treatment as a 13-year-old in the 1980s. In part 1, we found out that social discomfort, concerns about being teased or even bullied and the stance of the dentist were among factors considered. In part 2, they share their regret at the decision.

REGRET OVER THE DECISION NOT TO GET BRACES

I remember the dentist was very neutral about whether or not I should have braces… and that I could take or leave it – it didn’t really matter.

Then I told my Mum I definitely didn’t want treatment.

She said that was fine and the decision was made.

How my confidence was affected by crooked teeth

My feelings, looking back on this, are that I made the wrong decision.

And I say this knowing full well I would have experienced some level of teasing at my school.

But, even bearing that in mind, I feel the positives would have far, far outweighed the negatives.

I went into adolescence and adulthood feeling uncomfortable with my smile.

It affected my confidence.

Understanding the benefits of orthodontic treatment

With hindsight, I wish my dentist had fully expressed the benefits of treatment to me.

I feel that should have been her job.

There are many positive benefits to treatment and I don’t think she communicated that to me.

Long-term effects of delaying orthodontic treatment

Years later, in my early 30s, I actually had Invisalign treatment at a dental practice in Surrey.

The Invisalign treatment really improved my smile.

However, I did not achieve my “perfect smile”.

I must make it clear that I am a patient and not an expert.

The actual curves of my arches were made perfect but some of my teeth remained misshapen.

My understanding is this is because they had been hidden beneath protruding teeth for so many years.

INVISALIGN AND COMPOSITE BONDING

Although I’ve since found out composite bonding treatment could fix these issues…

This is another reason why I regret not having orthodontic treatment at the age of 13 when the option was first put to me by my dentist

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.