Braces removed after 28 months and my teeth aren't perfect

Posted on 2:15pm Monday 16th Jul 2018

Welcome to my latest braces at 30 blog post. I will share why my teeth are not perfect even though I have now had my braces removed! I had adult braces for 28 months and they are finally off, but my teeth are still not ready. I'll also share what to expect at your brace removal appointment, based on my own experience. Read on to see what's happened.

I’ve had no end of dentist and orthodontic appointments recently.

After having my peg tooth removed last Monday, I then had both an orthodontist and dentist appointment last Wednesday!

I’ve only just got round to sharing my update of what happened at those appointments. It’s been a busy working week and I was away camping at the weekend. Time is flying by!

I even have another orthodontic appointment booked for later today too!

Having train track braces and needing cosmetic dentistry for false teeth has meant numerous appointments! Particularly as I come to the end of the braces part. If you're thinking about getting braces then be prepared for a lot of appointments.

No more braces after 28 months (but lots more dental work to come)

I am finally BRACE FREE after a whopping 28 months!

Seeing as I was originally told 18-24 months and we assumed the 24 months was being over cautious, it surprisingly went well over this timescale by another four months!

What a journey it's been and there is still up to 9 months left until I'm finished!!

It will be worth it though!

Braces off photos!

Here I am with the top clear Essix retainer on.

It has one false tooth in the retainer to one side of my front top teeth and composite for the other missing tooth on the other side!

From a distance you can't really notice it at all. However, close up it looks blooming awful.

This is of course only temporary, until I get my real false teeth! The next stage of my perfect teeth journey!

Essix retainer with false tooth and composite tooth

NO MORE BRACES AFTER 28 MONTHS (BUT ITS NOT OVER YET) - orthodontics at 30

And below is without my retainer on!

AAAAAAGH!

PIRATE!!

I cannot wait to get my false teeth!

You can also see my bottom teeth with brace off after 28 months. You can see the black triangles I need to have filled with composite bonding which I explain below.

Getting there!

I have some temporary solutions coming up for the two missing teeth, then I'll get my permanent false teeth in 6-9 months and I can't wait! It really can't come soon enough.

NO MORE BRACES AFTER 28 MONTHS (BUT ITS NOT OVER YET) - orthodontics at 30

As you can see, this is why my teeth still aren't perfect after having braces removed.

I still have my cosmetic dentistry journey to go.

At the start I still had baby teeth that never fell out. I had two teeth removed and I never had any lateral incisors at all. In fact, my canine was next to my front tooth!

You can read my whole brace journey below where I'll share my journey from start to finish.

It's been quite a mission!

Essix retainer with false teeth

Here's the Essix retainer I'm currently wearing. It has one false tooth and one made from composite. These hide the gaps for now whilst I'm wearing it. It's a temporary solution and I have to take this out to eat, so I'm avoiding eating in public places for now.

Next week I am getting a Hawley retainer with false teeth attached. I'm hoping it will look better and be more comfortable. It's the traditional style metal retainer. I'm going to give it a go to see which I am happier with.

Braces at 30 - Bottom brace off, permanent bonded retainer on and two missi

Removing braces - what happened at my orthodontist appointment

I spent one hour in my orthodontist's chair whilst we looked at my teeth, removed the bottom braces, cleaned the glue off the bottom and a pesky bit that had been left on the top for a couple of months.

The glue removal is pretty horrid!

It’s removed with some whizzing mini power tool type thing that must sand it off really quickly.

It seemed to take ages to get every last bit and I hate that feeling of something scratching on my teeth like that!

I also had a permanent bonded retainer added to my bottom teeth. This is a strip of wire attached to the back of the front six teeth which will remain in place indefinitely. It’s meant to be permanent, but of course something might pull it off one day.

My brace never came off so I’m hoping this will stay in place too. It means I don’t have to wear a retainer in the day time on the bottom teeth whilst the teeth set in their new positions. I just need to wear a clear Essix retainer at night to ensure the bottom back teeth stay in place. I wear that every night at first, for around three months, then part time at night forever more to maintain the new position of the teeth.

Yep, after braces it's never really over! A retainer needs to be worn part time at night to keep the teeth in their new positions and prevent movement!

After adding the permanent bonded retainer, we took moulds for both my upper and lower teeth. As well as a mould of how I bite together. This is for the clear Essix retainer which will go on the bottom and a new Hawley retainer that will go on the top.

I will have tried all three available retainers then, so I’ll have to do a comparison of them on the blog! I'll have tried the bonded retainer, Essix retainer and Hawley retainer!

Why am I getting a Hawley retainer for the top teeth?

As I’ve had a second tooth out at the top and now have both lateral incisors missing, I need a new retainer with two false teeth inserted.

The dentist just popped some temporary filling into my existing Essix retainer, but I really hate this plastic retainer so fancy trying the metal one. I’ll only have to wear that one in the evenings as I will be getting my denture soon. If the denture works then I can wear it in the daytime and it will look just like my normal teeth. I'll wear the denture until my teeth and gums are ready for someting more permanent like bridges or implants.

At first, I’ll just have to wear the upper metal retainer in the day times for one week. Then at night times only.

What happened at my dentist appointment

Later the same day I went to see my dentist.

He checked my gum where I’d had the peg tooth extracted two days before and it all seems to be healing well. The temporary filling he’d put in my retainer had fallen down the plug hole, so he redid this and etched the sides of the retainer so hopefully it’s a stronger bond. It was just a temporary solution until I get my metal retainer with false teeth and also my denture.

I had a scale and polish on my bottom front teeth as they were disgusting where the brace had been taken off that morning! A clean at the dentist is highly recommended when having braces removed as it's quite impossible to really clean your teeth properly whilst they are on.

Lots of calculus had built up in my front bottom teeth near the gums and also where I have gaps. Yes I still have gaps!

I have some black triangles at the bottom of my front teeth which are so annoying!

I was hoping to close all gaps with braces and have none. Whilst the large gaps have closed and the teeth have come together, the sides of my teeth are worn away and not straight, so it creates these black triangular holes. I usually get a build-up of tartar down there quite easily because of the gaps. I really don’t want the teeth to wear away any more. I’m going to ask if I can have cosmetic bonding on these teeth to cover these gaps and prevent the teeth from wearing away anymore and prevent the tartar build up which only worsens the problem.

I'll also be having more regular hygienist appointments - twice a year instead of once. I really want to keep on top of my tooth game after all this! I want them to look their best always.

Before having the scale and polish I couldn’t even see the triangle gaps, but afterwards, as there must have been such a build-up of calculus, there they were! I was really disappointed to still have gaps after braces. Doh.

My teeth felt super clean afterwards which was great, so that was good.

We then took moulds of both rows of teeth in order to make a denture for my top teeth which will give me two temporary false teeth for now that I can eat with and wear in the day. I’ll be able to wear the denture all day long and just sleep in the retainer at night. I really hope this works out better for me and I can actually eat with the denture in and eat in public again!

Then in 6-9 months’ time my gum will have healed from the latest tooth extraction and I can arrange my permanent false teeth.

At that point I plan on having my teeth whitened, fill the black triangles with cosmetic bonding and having two bridges with permanent false teeth (well they may last 7-10 years, or hopefully 20 as some people claim!). I may either have a Maryland style bridge or the traditional bridge, but we’ll see nearer the time which is recommended. Another option is dental implants, but they are really expensive.

Bye-bye brace!

Though it’s certainly not over and I don’t yet feel a big relief having my braces reoved, as I have two missing teeth at the front top and look like a pirate, I am glad the brace is off!

My mouth already feels lighter and cleaner, so much cleaner!

No longer are bits of food getting stuck all over my teeth when I eat!

I am glad to be rid of the brace and pleased I’m on the home run to great looking teeth and a smile I am no longer embarrassed of.

Tonight I will be picking up both of my new retainers from the orthodontist, Essix for the bottom and Hawley for the top. In one week my denture should be ready to collect from the dentist!

I am most excited about the denture as it means I can eat with two false teeth in place. At the moment I have to eat with two missing teeth and so I’m only eating in front of hubby and kids, or no one!

What a journey this has been!

More updates soon. So excited for the final result and perfect teeth in a few months!

See my final results here: The final result of my braces at 30 and false teeth