More Australians are getting braces as adults, often for the second time
THEY’RE usually seen on awkward teenagers, but an increasing number of adults are getting braces. But why?
LEILA McKinnon, the host of A Current Affair, made national headlines earlier this year when viewers commented on a lisp she acquired after getting braces, at age 43.
“I’m like the world’s oldest adolescent, it’s ridiculous,” she told 2Day FM’s Rove and Sam. “I was hoping no one would notice but I was kidding myself.”
McKinnon isn’t alone. An increasing number of Australian adults are getting braces or orthodontic work, according the Australian Society of Orthodontists.
“Patients over the age of 20 make up about 30 per cent of our orthodontic patients,” spokesman Dr Mithran Goonewardene told news.com.au.
With most celebrities now walking the red carpet sporting pearly whites — and others endorsing at-home whitening kits on Instagram — we too now want a perfect set of teeth.
“Your smile and your eyes are the two most important physical things when you meet someone, so it’s understandable that people put a lot of emphasis on it,” Dr Goonewardene said.
Tracey Morgan, 43, from WA, never had braces as a kid, but took the plunge in January. She paid $8000 for white ceramic braces, which are less noticeable than the traditional wire set.
“I always hated my smile and the way my teeth looked. Whenever I had a photo taken I’d always have my mouth closed. They were quite crowded and moving in all different directions.
“So when my teenage daughter had a really good result with her teeth after braces and I thought ‘I can do that’. It’s only a year out of my life and time goes by so quickly. It’s been four months already’ and they look great,” she said.
“Quite a few of my friends I know have braces and they say they’ve seen lots of adults with them. I flew to Sydney with a friend recently and the lady at the desk had them on. When I took my daughter to get her driver’s licence recently, the lady behind the counter was wearing braces.”
While many adults are getting braces for the first time, others are seeking further orthodontic work because their teeth - while perfect as a teen - have since moved.
Lisa Cox, 35, from Sydney, had braces at age 13, but paid $3100 for Invisalign straighteners when her teeth started to move recently.
“I wasn’t keen to get the full face of braces again. With Invisalign, I speak with a bit of a lisp, but I take them off when I have meetings or when I do a presentation,” she said.
“It’s less painful, but far more expensive, but at least they’re removable. They’re plastic trays - one on top and one on the bottom - and you go through about 30 trays over a one-year period. You change them every two weeks and each time they’re a little tighter.”
Jack McLennan, from Sydney, had braces in high school, but last year some of his teeth started to become uneven. The 27-year-old went back to his old orthodontist last June and had top and bottom braces put on, for $5000.
His top braces were removed just before Christmas and he’ll get the bottoms taken off next week.
“For the first few weeks I was definitely the butt of a few jokes, but surprisingly, as my teeth have improved, everyone is suddenly bombarding me with questions. They’re so curious,” Mr McLennan said.
As a teenager he was slack with wearing his retainer at night, but now has a wire inserted behind his top four teeth to keep them straight.
“I’m getting the bottoms off next week and I’ll get the wire there too. I’ve only had the bottoms on for four months now and no one has really noticed.
“I started dating a girl around the start of June and three weeks into the relationship I told her I was getting braces. We’re still together, so that’s good,” he said.
Mr McLennan says the biggest difference between getting braces as an adult, compared to his teenage years, is how braces react to alcohol.
“Alcohol dehydrates your mouth and it’s made worse with the braces. I’d often wake up on Sunday with a few ulcers in my mouth. The orthodontist said that was quite common.
“It’s six to 12 months of social pain, hopefully for straight teeth for the rest of my life,” he said.