should i get braces?

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AbujaMan

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this might be an odd question but ive always needed braces and never had the time to get them. now im heading off to med school next year and want to get them. im a bit concerned that being a med student with braces it might be difficult to be taken seriously.. hopefully though i would get them off by my clinical years anyways.

anyone have any comments/suggestions?

thanks!
 
Bacchus said:
Preemptive warning, do not turn this into medical advice. Offer your stories and opinions but refrain from medical advice.
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Shoot I was gonna give him some serious medical advice and warn him against the dangers of straight teeth🙄
 
Braces made by Invisalign seem to be popular amongst adults:

IMG_2215.JPG


my buddy's mom had these and I thought it was a great purchase because she was older and had the same concerns as the OP about being taken seriously in her profession while wearing braces.
 
I think I understand where you're coming from. 2 years ago, I had to decide whether to get braces while I was doing post-bacc. Was worried about how seriously I'd be taken by profs I needed LORs from, how seriously I'd be taken during interviews, etc...

Long story short, a good amount of people you'll meet/have met have gone through something similar. After the first month, when you're getting used to having metal in your mouth (dont get ceramic, they suck *personal opinion, not medical advice), you'll forget they're even there.

Besides, you'll spend so much of your clinical years trying out your dazzling perfect new smile you'll probably ace everything.
 
You could do invisalign or the clear brackets. They're not going to be invisible, but it will make them a lot less obvious.

My wife and I each wore clear brackets for over a year (at different times) and people we'd interact with on a near daily basis wouldn't realize we had braces for sometimes months.
 
Invisalign works really well. I had braces all through junior high but never wore a retainer so my teeth moved. In college I wore invisalign for about 6 months and that fixed my shifted teeth, now I only wear them at night time.

Invisalign is very comfortable and works really fast, they just are a pain to take out/put in when you are out eating with friends. I have accidently wrapped mine in a napkin and thrown away more times than I can count!!!
 
Not everyone is a good candidate for invisalign though. Last time I went to the dentist though, I saw these braces that go on the back or your teeth instead of the front (i think they are called lingual), so maybe you can ask your orthodontist if that's an option
Also, if you're worried about having braces during your clinical years it is possible that you might still have them at that point. I know many people whose orthodontists underestimated the time for the braces (i got stuck with them for 3 years exactly, instead of 1.5-2)
 
inivisalign is a great idea....if you can afford it. it's mostly not covered by insurance
 
Invisalign usually can't be used if your way out of alignment. It's better for correcting smaller issues. Also, in regards to the braces on the back of the teeth, I've had permanent retainers on the back of my upper and lower teeth since 10th grade, but these merely hold the teeth in place. You might be referring to something different, but what I have probably wouldn't be able to correct mis-alignment.

If I were you I'd see an orthodontist and learn about your options. Like others have said, it's probably better to get it corrected sooner rather than later.
 
Ah, that is most definitely different from what I have (my permanent retainers are basically a thick wire glued to the back of my teeth.

Those lingual braces look REALLY uncomfortable, and how do you keep them clean? I have problems getting food stuffs stuck in my permanent retainers (just a wire)... I can't imagine having these things glued to the inside of my teeth.
 
I honestly don't think it would be an issue- I nanny for a surgeon and he got braces and practiced with them for over a year- his teeth look great now though... I had braces as a kid and never finish the last phase (the cosmetic one) because they hurt so bad... I regret that and am praying I am able to get braces at some point of my career.
 
do it, 100%. if price is not an issue, the couple of years spent in awkward braces will seem like nbd once your teeth are beautiful. and if you get invisalign, that issue is moot anyway. i love my teeth post-braces.😀
 
I spent most of my postbacc with invisalign... no one ever noticed and it made a huge difference!
 
I never have had them, but a girl in my classes has them and they are not noticeable at all.

chad5871 said:
Ah, that is most definitely different from what I have (my permanent retainers are basically a thick wire glued to the back of my teeth.

Those lingual braces look REALLY uncomfortable, and how do you keep them clean? I have problems getting food stuffs stuck in my permanent retainers (just a wire)... I can't imagine having these things glued to the inside of my teeth.
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chad5871 said:
Ah, that is most definitely different from what I have (my permanent retainers are basically a thick wire glued to the back of my teeth.

Those lingual braces look REALLY uncomfortable, and how do you keep them clean? I have problems getting food stuffs stuck in my permanent retainers (just a wire)... I can't imagine having these things glued to the inside of my teeth.
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I don't think the lingual braces are permanent like your retainer is. They are just like regular braces, temporary while the teeth are moved, just hidden so that you still look professional.

I too have a permanent retainer that is just a thick wire.
 
If you can afford it - I would get the braces put on now and get it over with earlier (more time with straight teeth!). I have a friend who had braces put on for the first time at age 27 and they were off in only 13 months! He had on the whitish ceramic kind and they seemed to work really well. Although if you get ceramic braces, stay away from mustard and curry and red wine -- unless you like the look yellowish looking teeth. 🙂
 
It's so funny this topic came up because today I saw a new pediatric resident in the clinic who has braces, and she looked perfectly fine. I don't think it's going to be an issue at all. 👍
 
i did invisalign because i had a lot of spaces in between my teeth. wore em for about a year, and they are not noticeable until you tell someone youre wearing them. dunked them in a glass of polydent or listerine every night, and wore em all day.

i see people with the lingual braces, but you can still see them when the person talks.

the only thing with invisalign, is that the top of the liners pushed my gums back a little, which made my teeth really sensitive around the gum line.
 
Also came into this thread with the idea to recommend invisalign. My mom's best friend had great results, just make sure you can fight the urge to take them out when your teeth are sore.
 
I say go for it. I'll be starting an orthodontic residency in July, and I have never had braces, and plan on getting them to correct minor discrepancies, but mostly so I can relate to future patients. Although I may be biased, I don't think there is any stigma associated with adults with braces.
 
I know a med student (3rd year) who has braces. He put it off for awhile but finally decided to get them at the beginning of 3rd year. On his rotation at a Children's hospital, he was able to relate to the kids well who had braces themselves....he got harrassed (I say this in a non-serious way) by a few of the other med students & residents because of the fact that he related to the kids well now, but it was all in good fun.

I would think it'd be better to have them now rather than when you are an intern/resident and have even more patient interaction and need to look even more professional as a doctor. Also I guess as an intern you don't feel much like a true physician at first, so not having braces then (in my opinion) would be better since you wouldn't feel as professional with them. If that makes sense?
 
If you go with conventional braces (cheaper than invisalign and can correct more issues), can you have the orthodontist cut them off early if the clinical years are fast approaching?

I wouldn't want someone who holds my whole future in his or her hands (the attendings who grade me) to look at me differently.
 
I'm actually having the same dilemma now... I had braces in junior high & HATED them, didn't wear the retainer for long enough, and now I have big spaces on the sides of my mouth. My teeth are perfectly straight & you can only see the spaces if I smile really big, but it still kinda bothers me. I think I'll get them again when I start med school this fall cause I don't have insurance right now, but when I went for a consultation, they said I could prob get invisalign at first, then maybe switch to conventional if necessary (invisalign is mostly cosmetic & apparently doesn't move the teeth in the very back so well). But anyway, I agree w/previous posters about getting invisalign if that's an option cause even though people may say they don't notice the conventional braces, it can make u really uncomfortable.
 
muggle911 said:
I don't think the lingual braces are permanent like your retainer is. They are just like regular braces, temporary while the teeth are moved, just hidden so that you still look professional.

I too have a permanent retainer that is just a thick wire.
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I had one of those permanent retainers too. But, apparently I was one of the 10%, whose permanent retainer somehow gets bent and then starts shifting teeth in crazy directions. After a couple weeks, I started to notice my lower teeth were shifting upward on the right side. My orthodontist didn't do anything for two more months and then he started to get worried and took it out. I had to get braces again for another 3 months and my teeth never got as straight as they were the first time I got them off. My orthodontist wanted to put another permanent retainer in, which I thought was ridiculous. I opted for regular retainers after, but the thought that my teeth can never again fit perfectly in place still haunts me. Just my experience, not medical advice.
 
AbujaMan said:
this might be an odd question but ive always needed braces and never had the time to get them. now im heading off to med school next year and want to get them. im a bit concerned that being a med student with braces it might be difficult to be taken seriously.. hopefully though i would get them off by my clinical years anyways.

anyone have any comments/suggestions?

thanks!
Click to expand...

I've had braces for a while now. The thought never even crossed my mind that someone might view them negatively, especially a LOR writer - "He is a good student, but... he wears BRACES." It's ridiculous. Just wear the braces and don't get paranoid about this. What I can tell you is that having crooked teeth will attract unwanted attention. My teeth were pretty crooked and the public image was the main reason I got braces. It is easy be judged if you have crooked teeth, but braces are commonplace. Don't worry about it. In fact, if you start now, you will likely be done before your clinicals start.
 
i had braces in college... the second time in my life... despite having permanent retainers, my teeth moved anyway...so everyone out there with permanent retainers beware...they can weaken over time... so if you think your teeth are moving...you might get it checked out sooner or later... Anyway, I'm with everyone else... go for it! It's not a big deal... I think its becoming more common these days anyways, for adults (anyone over the age of 16) to have braces... so I'd say just get them... I never had any problems in college...No one ever said anything mean to me or teased me!
 
link2swim06 said:
If you have enough money I would try lingual braces
Lingual%20Paz.jpg
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ouch. your tongue is going to run into those brackets all day.
putting on rubberbands would be annoying. flossing between the brackets would be even more difficult.

suck it up and wear them for a few years.
 
I also heard that the cost can be double to triple.
 
halekulani said:
ouch. your tongue is going to run into those brackets all day.
putting on rubberbands would be annoying. flossing between the brackets would be even more difficult.

suck it up and wear them for a few years.
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Seriously...those look so uncomfortable.
 
Invisalign doesn't always work though. I recently had to have braces (they couldn't do Invisalign) put back on (granted it was a "tune up" so I only had them on for like 2 months) -- but I think it was worth it. Do it now, before your clinical years. Get it over with. A few years of braces (just get the clear brackets) is worth it - better than a lifetime of crooked teeth right? I say go for it!
 
pathophys17 said:
Seriously...those look so uncomfortable.
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Have you ever worn conventional braces?

Braces are torture. I would go invisalign or not at all.

Unless you are such a snaggletooth that people in England would go Whoaa.
 
Dirt said:
Have you ever worn conventional braces?

Braces are torture. I would go invisalign or not at all.

Unless you are such a snaggletooth that people in England would go Whoaa.
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Yes I did, but I was referring to the lingual ones which look like your tongue would be hitting the brackets all day, and it'd be worse than conventional ones. If I were the OP I'd go for clear regular ones rather than those...

Also invisalign costs more, and I think braces usually aren't covered for adults to begin with so invisalign may not be an option.
 
do it now...better to look like your 15 when your a medical student than a resident.
 
I'm seriously considering getting metal braces this summer before entering med school so they might come off before I start the clerkships. I'll be a little self-conscious for sure but my teeth are so bad they're starting to affect my enunciation. I guess what I'm most concerned about is how painful it's going to be and how that might interfere with the busy demands of med school. Anybody in the class of 2015 in the same boat?
 
byurazorhog said:
I'm seriously considering getting metal braces this summer before entering med school so they might come off before I start the clerkships. I'll be a little self-conscious for sure but my teeth are so bad they're starting to affect my enunciation. I guess what I'm most concerned about is how painful it's going to be and how that might interfere with the busy demands of med school. Anybody in the class of 2015 in the same boat?
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I had metal braces put on during my freshman year of college, you get used to them fairly quickly. They always hurt a bit after each tightening appointment, but the pain is nothing unmanageable and it usually went away after a couple of days.
 
byurazorhog said:
I'm seriously considering getting metal braces this summer before entering med school so they might come off before I start the clerkships. I'll be a little self-conscious for sure but my teeth are so bad they're starting to affect my enunciation. I guess what I'm most concerned about is how painful it's going to be and how that might interfere with the busy demands of med school. Anybody in the class of 2015 in the same boat?
Click to expand...


You'll be fine. Aside from what getright said about the tightening appointments, another thing you have to worry about is making sure you don't have food stuck in your teeth.

I'm biased though. I really like my smile and I still wear my retainer regularly after ten years. It doesn't make sense to go through all that trouble of fixing your teeth, only to have to re-do the process over again cause your teeth shifted.
 
I wear Invisalign and most people don't notice. They really are amazing. Also, people say they are only for minor adjustments but they are actually very good for even more difficult cases. A lot of older dentists/orthodontists still think they aren't as good and spread some misinformation but they have shifted my teeth quite a bit. Just ask different specialists to learn about the pros and cons but I really like them and they haven't affected things much.
 
I don't think I'm a good candidate for Invisalign but I'll make sure to discuss options with my yet-to-be-determined orthodontist. Also do people typically shop around before settling on a dentist to do their braces? Do dentists offer free assessments?
 
when i see an adult with braces, i don't think they look immature or young or whatever. i think: oh they're getting their teeth straightened. cool. 😎
nbd.

just use whatever gets the job done. it'll be over soon enough.

i have had what seems like every orthodontic piece of metal/procedure under the sun done. braces make your teeth somewhat sore... you won't be chomping on baby carrots after a straightening appointment. it's definitely manageable though.
 
One of my interviewers this season had braces. Mid 30s attending physician.
 
AbujaMan said:
this might be an odd question but ive always needed braces and never had the time to get them. now im heading off to med school next year and want to get them. im a bit concerned that being a med student with braces it might be difficult to be taken seriously.. hopefully though i would get them off by my clinical years anyways.

anyone have any comments/suggestions?

thanks!
Click to expand...

NO WAY, just wait until you retire!😉

Just kidding, the younger the better, and seeing as how our pre-med powers don't include time travel, just do it now.
 
I had lingual braces for 3.5 years in college. They didn't particularly bother my tongue. I had a slight lisp when they were put on that went away within a week.
They cost about $2K total more than conventional braces.

My teeth have now moved though since I didn't wear my retainer
 
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