How long do you have to wear braces?

from 10 to about 28 months, depending on how severe your crowding problem is.

In addition to what @trailsillustrated said, it depends on whether you have under/overbite. I had my braces for 18 months, but I know people who had braces for four years.

Depends how old you are and what you are trying to correct. My friend is 29 and she’s had hers on for 3 years whereas I had a retainer when I was 11 for less than 12 months.

I have an overbite and 35

It depends on the severity of your overbite. Your orthodontist should give you a time frame when discussing the plan.

I agree with @Seaofclouds you need to talk to your dentist. But you’re probably looking at a couple of years :)

It depends on the person. My bottom teeth were overcrowded and I managed to get them all straightened out in 7 months. I had braces on my top teeth too but they weren’t too bad. It takes longer to straighten top teeth rather than bottom teeth in my experience.

Usually around 24 months.

Me, three years. Then I got them again as an adult cause my teeth started shifting. I had them for 6 months, I think.

@Dutchess_III Did you have a retainer after the 1st round?

Usually it’s about 2 years. That’s at least from what I’ve heard.

I’ve had braces now for 13 months and I was told that I would have them for 2 years. I can’t wait for them to come off. I’m getting tired of fishing everything I eat out of my braces. I had splint therapy for a year before the braces went on (TMJ issues).

@tranquilsea I know exactly how you feel! Believe it or not, when they DO come off you won’t quite recognize yourself, and part of you will want them back on! But that won’t last long….

@Dutchess_III I’m going to have a party and drink all the red wine I can hopefully I’ll stop before I get sick.

I had to postpone my braces for 5 months for my sister’s wedding as I was the matron of honour. Well, I didn’t have to but I didn’t think she would appreciate a metal head in all her wedding pictures. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t because I would have been 5 months closer to the end.

My mom actually did her own orthodontics on my mouth when I was 9. My front teeth came in very gapped out. We couldn’t afford braces so she bought the brace elastics off of our dentist and had me wrap them around my front teeth at night. Within 6 months they had come together nicely. My current orthodontist shuddered when he heard that lol.

@tranquilsea YAY FOR MOM!! That is AWESOME. Doctors hate it when we use simple common sense to solve problems….

@Dutchess_III Maybe some doctors shudder at home remedies because they don’t always work. She did up going to a professional.

@Dutchess_III she was pretty ingenuous when it came to things like that.

@Pied_Pfeffer Well, the problem was obviously more than just rubber bands could cure. They did take care of the smaller issues, though. I once went to a Dr. to get some little red dots taken off. I learned they were little blood tumors. All she did was zap them with a super hot thing that looked for all the world like a wood burning kit. I mentioned that I could do the same thing at home with a wood burning kit, and she just laughed. Well, it works. It works on a lot of things, actually…and it was cheap cheap.

@Dutchess_III You have a point, and if it worked, than I am happy for you. There are plenty of people who go to a doctor at the first sign of a cold or flu, which often can be resolved with time, rest, fluids and off-the-shelf or home remedies to help with the symptoms.

Sometimes we need the assistance of a doctor to learn how to resolve a health issue. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of searching the web.

:) Thank you!