I got braces at 30. Not the discreet invisible aligner kind - full metal train track braces, top and bottom, for what turned out to be 28 months. I had a complicated situation: three missing teeth, a peg tooth, baby teeth still in place, canines in the wrong positions. The kind of dental history that means you don't qualify for six month smile or anything quick.

I documented every stage of the journey on my blog, and this post brings it all together - the month by month progress, the before and after photos, the honest realities of what it's actually like to wear braces as an adult for over two years

If you want the full diary, you can read my adult braces journey from start to finish on Healthy Vix.

Before braces: what my teeth looked like

My teeth had a long list of problems. Three adult teeth that simply never developed - they were never there to begin with, no adult teeth ever formed in the gum. A peg tooth - a tiny genetic anomaly overlapping where a lateral incisor should be. Baby canines still in place at 30, sitting in completely the wrong position. One adult canine twisted 180 degrees so it looked like a fang. Gaps between my bottom teeth. Teeth leaning inward rather than sitting upright.

I hated my teeth. I smiled with my mouth closed in every photo and was paranoid in conversations with strangers. The decision to get braces wasn't really about vanity - it was about not thinking about my teeth every single day and not being embarrassed by them any longer.

The total cost was £2,800 for both upper and lower braces. The orthodontist estimated 18-24 months. It took 28.

My X-ray from October 2015 checking whether I had any adult teeth in the gums for the baby teeth that were missing.  Important to check before we started the braces as if they suddenly grew out of the gums one day, they’d mess up my teeth!  No adult teeth hiding in the gums. 

Month 1: Brace fitted - March 2016

Two baby canine teeth were removed three days before the top brace was fitted on 10th March 2016. Those three days with two obvious gaps and no brace were exactly as awkward as I'd imagined - scarf over mouth at the school run, avoiding eye contact, generally hiding.

The first week was harder than expected for eating. The pressure on the teeth made biting down genuinely painful - even a slice of cucumber caused real pain. I survived on smoothies, soup and yoghurt for the first fortnight.

What surprised me was the confidence. I'd been dreading people staring or asking, but nobody really batted an eyelid. The brace actually made me smile more - people could see I was having something done, which felt better than the alternative.

The bottom brace wasn’t fitted until six months later.

Top brace just fitted - March 2016 - it begins!

Month 3: First signs of progress

By three months the gaps where my baby teeth had been were already closing as the adult canines moved into position. The orthodontist was pleased with progress. The pain from each tightening had settled into a predictable pattern - sore for a couple of days after each appointment, then nothing until the next one.

By this point I'd completely forgotten the brace was there most of the time. Eating had returned to something like normal, though I was still avoiding biting into anything with my front teeth.

Three months in and you can see the progress already - the canine tooth is twisting and moving into the right place

Month 8-10: Elastics added

Around month 8, elastics were added - small rubber bands stretching from hooks on the top brace to the bottom, designed to improve my bite and close gaps. This was one of the more annoying phases. The elastics need replacing multiple times a day, they snap at inopportune moments, and they made opening my mouth feel restricted.

The progress in the photos was becoming more visible by this point. The canines were moving. The twisted tooth was starting to face the right direction.

Here are the elastics on the braces, super annoying!

Elastics on braces, less noticeable when smiling and because I've had a false tooth added to the brace - so much better!

Month 12-18: The slow middle stretch

Months 12-18 were the hardest psychologically. Progress was happening but slowly, the end still felt distant, and I was tired of tightening appointments and food restrictions. The before/after comparison photos at this stage were the most motivating thing - looking back at month 1 and seeing how far things had moved made the ongoing discomfort feel worthwhile.

16 months progress timeline photos of my adult brace

Month 22-24: Nearly there

By 22 months my top brace was close to coming off. The canines were in position. The peg tooth had moved. I was attending more frequent appointments as the orthodontist worked to close the final gaps and refine the positioning.

At month 24 I hit the two year anniversary. Both Ben and I were desperate for it to be over by this point. The end was genuinely in sight for the top brace, though the bottom still needed more time.

Two years with adult train track braces, before and after progress photos 

 

22 months progress timeline photos of my adult brace

Months 26-28: Braces removed

The top brace came off at 26 months. The bottom followed shortly after a 28 months. My teeth weren't perfect - I'd been warned they wouldn't be, and the false teeth still needed to be fitted - but the transformation was significant. The teeth that had been missing, twisted, overlapping and in the wrong positions were now aligned, straight and in place.

 

Braces removed, but permanent false teeth not completed just yet, so false teeth added to the Essix retainer to hide the gaps for now.  Photo of Essix retainer with false teeth before and after.

Months 30-31: The final result 

And finally, the bottom brace came off, teeth were whitened and the bridges were fitted!

The adult braces journey took longer than estimated, cost more than expected, and was more complicated than I'd hoped. But I'd do it again without hesitation.

Adult braces before, during and after smiling photo - what a journey!

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Before you go…

If you're considering adult braces, how much do adult braces cost and how to finance them is worth reading before you commit. 

And for my honest verdict on whether it was all worth it, was getting adult braces worth it? covers that in full.

The retainer stage after braces is its own journey - if you're heading into that phase, Hawley retainer vs Essix retainer: my honest experience covers everything I wish I'd known about both types. 

And the 12 reasons I hate the clear plastic Essix retainer is worth a read if you're dreading that stage.