Braces? Invisalign? Nothing just a whitener?

Ok, here we go, Im 16 and i have yellow spaced out teeth, bottom teeth are fine, just a big space between front teeth, it doesnt look very good. I probly should have gotten braces when I was younger but im really not a dentist fan so i didnt. Im thinking its too late for braces now (16) so id rather not get them. So wat im thinking is if i would get a teeth whitener like "celebrity sexy smile" to whiten my teeth would it really look that bad? invisalign sounds good but as ive been reading that requires alot of trips to dentist (i dont like the dentist), and its really expensive. So im not really sure what to do, help? opinions?

Braces? Invisalign? Nothing just a whitener?
Well you're right: Braces and Invisalign do require multiple trips to see your orthodontist/dentist. But remember these are NOT your regular dental visits. An orthodontist's office visit is usually much shorter (think 15-20 minutes) and usually there are no needles involved. They're mostly checking to make sure everything is moving along as it should and to tweak things a bit if they're not.





16 is definitely NOT too late for braces. Many times people have to wait until they're done growing before braces can be placed AND many adults are getting braces (even grandparents).





Invisalign is more expensive than the regular braces and in general they are more limited in treatment, but you save yourself the tin grin.





The space between your front teeth may be more complicated than you think. Often times the space is there because you have a thick band of tissue that's pushing apart your front teeth. You may need to have that cut out in order to close the space.





Whitening is a great and relative to braces a cheap option. Maybe start with this and see if that's enough for you. But don't go overboard -- the chiclet look is definitely overrated :)
Reply:To start off, I'm 20 I'll be 21 in December- you are not too old for braces trust me *giggles* - granted I look 15-16 years old, lol. I also had a gap between my two front teeth [the bottom row was fine]. My teeth had a yellowish tint to them after years of eating curry [its a West Indian - Trini thing]. I hated that gap!!!! PPL told me it was sexy [but hey its my teeth, lol] so I got braces...I thought about the Invisalign for awhile then I saw the price - almost $9,000 dollars for something you may or may not forget to put it, laziness. So I got the plastic pearl white braces with metal ones in the back. I noticed really quickly the changes [plus the pain] my gap was closed I jumped for joy - but I have to get a small oral surgery to cut the tissue that was between my teeth, the reason why it was a gap in the first place- $750. I also noticed that my teeth has gotten whiter - the lack of curry and other colored foods and candy that I liked.








I say go for it ... its not needed really, but neither is lipgloss lol. We dont need it we just want it for the results =]





OH YEAH YOUR FACIAL BONE STRUCTURE WILL CHANGE A BIT BECAUSE OF YOUR TEETH MOVING AROUND AND YOU MIGHT LOSE A COUPLE POUNDS [the fear of hard foods knocking off your expensive braces]
Reply:You should talk to your dentist and get a game plan. Tell him what you don't like about your teeth. He can then refer you to an orthodontist. Before you do that though, you should probably make sure you don't have any cavities or any problems that need taking care of. If you decide on braces, you should probably wait to whiten them until after treatment.





I'm doing Invisalign now. I know you're not a big fan of the dentist but who is? With Invisalign, it's nice because they'll give you your aligners, 3 or 4 sets of them and you wear each for 2 weeks. Then, you go back to the ortho so he can check to make sure everything is ok and you get your next set of aligners. There's no pain or anything involved with the trip to the ortho. It's just for him to check things. So, you're only seeing the ortho every 6-8 weeks.





Invisalign is usually more expensive but quicker. And braces might be your only choice if you have a big gap in those teeth. Plus, you're still young. Plenty of 16 year olds have braces. Get it done. You'll be thankful when you're 20 and have beautiful straight teeth.
Reply:Commercial tooth whiteners use hydrogen peroxide and are expensive and inconvenient. A cheap and natural tooth whitening home remedy uses few strawberries but certain precautions have to be taken. I found the information at http://www.aches.in/toothwhitening.html