I’m going to tell you something I’ve never been fully comfortable saying out loud: I spent most of my life genuinely hating my face. One thing I really hated was my teeth. Not just a little self-conscious – properly, deeply, every-single-day embarrassed by them. I’d avoid cameras, smile with my mouth closed in every photo, and feel a creeping anxiety whenever I had to talk to someone I didn’t know well.
In late 2015, I finally did something about it. I booked a consultation with an orthodontist to start what would become a three-year journey of braces, tooth removals, retainers, bridges, and eventually – finally – a smile I actually don’t mind.
This is the full story. Every appointment, every setback, every embarrassing moment, and the result. I documented all of it in real time across 42 blog posts on another website, and I’m bringing the whole thing together here as one complete diary. If you’re thinking about adult braces, or you’re in the middle of the process wondering if it’s worth it, I hope this helps.
The whole process ran from my first consultation in October 2015 to the final bridge fitting in November 2018. Three years. I’ve also added a 2026 update at the end with how everything has held up since.
I should mention that when I started this journey I struggled to find much from other adults who’d been through the same thing, especially anyone having teeth removed and false teeth added as part of the process. That’s partly why I documented every single appointment. I hope it’s useful.
The Consultation – October 2015
I’d been thinking about sorting my teeth out for years, but it took a long time to actually make the call. My dentist had noticed my baby teeth were becoming wobbly – I still had baby canines that had never been replaced by adult teeth – and that finally pushed me to find out properly what my options were.
The consultation cost £100 – it’s one of those investments in your long-term health that feels enormous upfront but pays off over years. I knew that if I was going to go through something as big as braces, I needed to understand exactly what I was letting myself in for.
What was wrong with my teeth?
Here’s the full picture, because it was quite a lot:
- Three teeth missing entirely – they simply never grew. Somehow we never noticed until a dentist pointed it out
- Small gaps between my bottom teeth, likely caused by the missing teeth making the rest spread out more than usual
- My adult canines were sitting next to my two front teeth instead of being the third tooth back on each side, where they should be
- One of those canines was twisted 180 degrees and looked like a fang
- No lateral incisors at the top at all
- Three baby teeth still in place at the top – much smaller than my adult teeth, and one was becoming wobbly
- Two of those baby teeth were canines, meaning I had four canines in my top jaw at once
- A peg tooth overlapping one of my top front teeth – a genetic anomaly, apparently common in people with missing teeth
- My teeth leaned slightly inward, something the orthodontist could see but I’d never noticed
I sound like a total mess, don’t I? And I know people used to say “your teeth aren’t that bad.” But they weren’t the ones living with them every day. My fang would catch on my bottom lip when my lips were dry. I could see the sides of my bottom teeth wearing away where I had gaps. I thought about my teeth every morning when I looked in the mirror. I’ve written before about building confidence in your body and this is a huge part of why that felt so hard for me for so long.
I’d been called a witch and a vampire by unkind people, even as an adult. I knew I should have let those comments wash over me, but when you feel the same way about your own teeth that those comments suggest, they land differently.
The options
Three possibilities. Leave the baby teeth and replace them with false ones – my teeth would still look the same, wrong positions, wrong sizes. Straighten what I had without moving everything – better, but canines still in the wrong place, peg tooth still small and looking out of place. Or sort the whole lot with train track braces.
The full treatment would involve:
- Removing the two baby canines at the top
- Fitting braces on top and bottom
- Moving my adult canines back into their correct third position and rotating the twisted one to face forward
- Closing the gaps between my bottom teeth
- Correcting the angle of my teeth to improve my bite
- Moving the peg tooth into the lateral incisor space, then building it up with a veneer
- Adding a false tooth to the gap on the other side
After the braces – estimated 18-24 months – I’d need a retainer for around 6-9 months before the false teeth could be added. She thought she might be able to attach temporary false teeth to the retainer so I wouldn’t have obvious gaps the whole time. I went home to think about it.
Deciding to Go Ahead – December 2015
Eight weeks to fully commit. In that time I booked a separate NHS dentist appointment to understand the false teeth options and costs before agreeing to anything.
That appointment was a bit of a shambles – a booking mix-up meant she hadn’t been sent my orthodontist’s notes and I had to explain everything from scratch. But I did get useful information. Veneers and bridges could last ten years or more if well looked after – much better than the five-year figure I’d seen online. A veneer over my peg tooth would cost around £350 and a bridge with a false tooth approximately £500, at NHS prices. Better than I’d expected.
The cost
The braces quote was £2,800 for both top and bottom, or £1,800 for just the top set – private orthodontist prices. I’d initially planned to just do the top, but then I thought: what if I get to the end of two years and wish I’d done the bottom too? That would be very typical of me. Another two years of braces. I decided to go for both. They’d let me spread the cost over the whole treatment period, which helped enormously – managing large expenses over time rather than all at once makes a huge difference.
I was worried I’d lose the confidence I’d gradually built up since having children. I’d grown so much in myself and the thought of shattering that by doing this was genuinely scary. But it was the only way to get the teeth I wanted. I booked in.
Moulds and Booking Appointment – January 2016
Around 15 minutes. Blue mould material pressed to my bottom teeth then my top, held firm until it set. I also had to bite down on a hard gel-like substance – that’s called the bite, so the orthodontist can see how the teeth meet together.
The blue material left residue all around the corners of my mouth, which I only discovered when I got outside. Check your face before you leave!
I’d read lots of people online saying the moulds made them gag. It was fine. Uneventful. In the grand scheme of everything that followed, one of the least bothersome parts.
The orthodontist confirmed she was hopeful the braces would take around 18 months. She also flagged something practical that hadn’t occurred to me: if I’d been doing this again, I would have found an orthodontist and dentist working in the same practice. Mine were in separate towns and had to communicate by letter. It made the whole process more disjointed than it needed to be. If you need false teeth as well as braces, try to find somewhere that does the whole lot.
The plan:
- Baby teeth out: 7th March 2016
- Top brace fitted: 10th March 2016
- Bottom brace: around six months later
Three days between extractions and brace fitting felt tight, but the orthodontist and dentist both confirmed baby teeth have such short roots it was fine. I didn’t want a longer gap between appointments anyway – Reuben’s first birthday was just before this, and I really didn’t want to be hosting family and friends with obvious gaps and no brace to explain them!
Pre-Brace Nerves – March 2016
Two weeks before, it suddenly hit me. Really hit me.
I was going ahead. In eleven days two baby teeth would come out. Two weeks after that, a brace. I had a dream about it for the first time – I dreamt the teeth came out and instantly my other teeth moved into perfect position. If only!
Going to the dentist used to terrify me after a bad experience as a youngster. But having had two children, needles in the gum had stopped frightening me. Nothing can be that painful after childbirth, right? I kept telling myself that.
Baby Teeth Removed – 7th March 2016
I sat in the waiting room staring out at the sunshine, sweaty-palmed and tapping my feet, genuinely considering making a run for it. Ben had reassuringly patted my leg in the car. I’d barely spoken on the way.
We confirmed which teeth three times before she started. Two injections per tooth – the back one on the second side hurt more and I made a little “agh” sound. The anaesthetic dripped onto my tongue and tasted foul. When I went to rinse my top lip was already so numb I just dribbled it straight back out. I made a joke about it. They’re used to it.
First tooth out in one pull. Second took a couple of pulls with some crunching sounds – I couldn’t tell if I was hearing or feeling it. Then it was over.
She put cotton wool in each gap and I pressed my lips together, though I had no idea if my mouth was actually closed – I couldn’t feel anything. In the car I kept trying to talk to Ben and dribbling all down myself. Very attractive. The anaesthetic took three hours to wear off.
I asked to keep the teeth. Those baby canines had been in my mouth since I was one year old. I find that fascinating.
The gaps weren’t as noticeable when talking as I’d feared. I’d been imagining scarf-over-mouth school runs, avoiding eye contact with everyone. It was actually fine. I felt excited rather than anxious. This was real. It was finally happening.
Top Brace Fitted – 10th March 2016
I wasn’t nervous going in. The extractions had been the thing I dreaded most and they were fine, so this felt manageable.
The worst part of the whole fitting was having my teeth cleaned beforehand – a power jet spray squirting everywhere while a suction thing removed all my saliva. Not very glamorous. In comparison, the actual brace going on was nothing.
Brackets bonded to each tooth one by one, set with a small light, wire threaded through and cut to length. Around 30 minutes total. Done.
I looked in the mirror. Metal mouth. My lip couldn’t work out how to close over the brackets and my mouth wanted to stay open. It felt like forcing it shut.
Ben spent the entire rest of the day making braces jokes. “What does a dentist do on a rollercoaster? He braces himself.” He’d clearly been saving these up for months. He kept trying to look at the gaps too and then turning away – he hates blood, so I kept showing him up close just to watch him recoil…!
Biting blocks were also fitted at this appointment – small raised pieces on my back teeth to stop me biting down fully, which prevents the brace getting knocked. This meant I couldn’t bite my teeth together properly for the entire duration.
First 48 hours
Day one: vegetable pie and yoghurt. Soft, easy. I thought eating was going to be fine. Day two: I tried a slice of cucumber. OWEEE. The back teeth hurt the moment they touched. That shock sensation you get when you unexpectedly bite down on something hard – exactly that. I had to give up eating a sliver of cucumber. That was the moment I understood what the next few months of eating were going to be like.
The first evening I was starving all day. My first instinct when I got home was to eat. We had burgers and sweet potato fries – I ate the bean burger on its own with a knife and fork because I couldn’t manage the bun.
What surprised me was how confident I felt. I’d expected to want to hide, to go beetroot red talking to people, to want to avoid everyone. I went to the shops. I stayed for a meeting at Bella’s playschool and chatted to staff and other mums. I felt completely fine. In fact I noticed I was smiling with my teeth more than before, partly because keeping my mouth closed over the brackets was uncomfortable, but also because I knew I was on the way to better teeth and the brace showed that. I think I’d have been far more embarrassed about this as a teenager. Doing it in my thirties felt different somehow.
Days 3, One Week, 18 Days – March 2016
By day three, eating was soup, smoothies, yoghurt and very soft omelettes (I was still a vegetarian then, but went vegan at the end of 2017). I couldn’t say fifty properly. We did a car boot sale around this time and reduced everything to 50p at the end of the day – with two gaps and a brace the F sound just wouldn’t come out. I must have said fifty a hundred times to try and get it right, bu couldn’t!
I had a sore on the inside of my right cheek from the brackets rubbing which healed after about three days. Dental wax helps with this – I was a bit lazy about reapplying mine because I kept accidentally swallowing it.
By 18 days things were easier. I was eating on both sides of my mouth. Ben said it seemed like I’d always had the brace. It’s funny how quickly you adapt to something that initially feels enormous.
Getting lazy with cleaning leads to calculus build-up – I discovered this when my braces came off and the hygienist found significant deposits in my lower front teeth. Good oral hygiene throughout made a real difference once I realised how easily they collect deposits. Don’t skip the cleaning. They need extra cleaning and attention!
One Month In – April 2016
Over a month and completely adjusted. Ben said it seemed like I’d always had it.
Eating was still mainly soft foods. I went to a party with finger food and avoided eating anything at all, rather than deal with quiche mushing all over the brace!
My front teeth were becoming noticeably more upright – the bite was already changing. I could see how much my teeth had been leaning inward before.
No photos of me showing the brace looked great, but then I always hated photos of myself, so nothing new.
First Tightening – April/May 2016
I’d been so convinced my teeth would be in agony afterwards that I had a takeaway pizza the night before as a “final meal before tightening.” Completely unnecessary as it turned out. The tightening took all of ten minutes. The actual wire change took maybe two minutes.
“Is that it?” I genuinely asked.
The wire was changed for a slightly thicker one. My peg tooth had definitely moved – I could see it. My twisted canine had started to rotate. My orthodontist thought it should be the right way round by my next appointment. Exciting.
Three Month Update – June 2016
Really noticeable changes by three months. My mum noticed. Ben pretty much shrugged when I asked him – classic Ben.
The big change was my bite. My top teeth had moved so far forward from my bottom teeth that I could barely bring them together. I nearly choked on spaghetti trying to bite it – not happening. I could see now how much my teeth had been leaning inward before.
My twisted canine was starting to untwist. It had been virtually sideways and was now noticeably more upright. My front teeth had gone slightly on a slant – alarming – but my orthodontist reassured me she’d correct it.
Second Tightening – 4 Months
Wire changed for a much thicker one – I could feel the pull almost instantly. Elastics added to start moving my canines back into position. I was told there was just one more wire size after this one.
Bottom brace booked. Exciting and terrifying in equal measure.
5.5 Months – Third Tightening
Wire changed to the thickest and final one. From here the elastics would do the main work, pulling my adult canines back to the correct third position.
And then I learned that curry stains elastics. I had a vegetable passanda and my clear elastics turned bright neon yellow. Instantly visible. To curry or not to curry became a recurring monthly dilemma for the next year!
Bottom Brace Fitted – Autumn 2016 (6 Months)
At six months the bottom brace went on – and biting blocks with it. Blue tac-like material on the back teeth stopping them from meeting, so the canines couldn’t get stuck on each other while moving. The effect: I now couldn’t bite any of my teeth together whatsoever.
I’d been managing reasonably well with just the top brace. Not any more. That same day I tried to eat a cheese omelette for lunch and it was a genuine challenge – attempting to chew using just one back tooth each side with these weird blue blocks in the way. I was essentially a full brace face and my mouth felt completely taken over.
The positive: teeth should move even faster without the obstruction.
6th Tightening and Temporary False Tooth Impression – Late 2016/Early 2017
By my sixth tightening there were elastics everywhere – on the top, on the bottom, and the dreaded top-to-bottom elastics beginning to correct my overbite, which had crept up to 5.5mm when it should be around 2mm.
The top-to-bottom elastics were the worst part of the entire experience. Little hooks on the brackets, small elastic bands running diagonally from top to bottom, changed every day, removed to eat and clean. The constant pressure gave me a mild headache whenever I wore them which instantly disappeared when I took them out. Because I had to remove them five to seven times a day, I kept forgetting to put them back in. Continuous force is what works, not strong force, so part-time wear doesn’t do much. I’ll admit I was not always as disciplined as I should have been.
Exciting news though: the gap for my lateral incisor was nearly the right size. An impression for a temporary false tooth would be taken at my next appointment.
8th Tightening – March 2017 (One Year Anniversary)
My brace year anniversary was 10th March 2017. A whole year. I couldn’t believe how quickly it had gone.
This was the appointment where the bottom gap finally moved – elastics on just the front two teeth rather than across six at once, and the gap almost halved within 24 hours. My front bottom teeth were sore for three days – the most pain of the whole process – but seeing it working made it completely bearable.
The big addition this appointment was top-to-bottom elastics. The headache-inducing ones I mentioned. I now had to remove and replace them five to seven times a day, and constantly forgot to put them back in. If you get these, set reminders on your phone.
9th and 10th Appointments – Temporary False Tooth Fitted – Spring 2017
Impression finally taken for the temporary false tooth. We had to choose the shade. I jokingly said “yellow?” and my orthodontist replied they actually look quite white. She was being very complimentary.
Two weeks later I went back to have it fitted. And it was terrible.
It was too white. An absolute Tic Tac. It also didn’t fill the gap properly because my front teeth had moved together in those two weeks and the gap had changed size. I could wobble it with my tongue and couldn’t stop playing with it.
Still better than a 6mm gap. I wore it while a slightly yellower replacement was made. Back two weeks later for a five-minute swap. Much better. It matched. I could start to imagine the final result.
11th to 13th Appointments – Summer to Late 2017
The bottom teeth closed their gaps methodically – close the front two, then the next two, then the next two, working outward. Each time a new gap formed on either side of the closed teeth. It was a slow-motion domino effect with what felt like no end in sight.
At 18 months my overbite was still 5.5mm and I admitted I hadn’t been wearing the top-to-bottom elastics consistently enough. I knew I needed to do better. My dream of being brace-free by Christmas 2017 quietly disappeared.
By 20 months my orthodontist guessed another six months with the brace. Six months of retainer after that. Then false teeth. By my most optimistic calculation, I’d be done by Christmas 2018. Three years total.
I was sick of the brace by this point if I’m honest. My mouth felt taken over constantly. Kissing was practically impossible and after nearly two years of this I was starting to find that quite annoying. I had to keep reminding myself to look at old photos of my teeth to remember how far I’d come.
14th Tightening – 22 Months – January 2018
More positive after a run of disheartening appointments.
The overbite had improved from almost 6mm down to 4mm. The top-to-bottom elastics were finally working. And my top teeth were essentially ready – no more gaps to close, the spaces for the false tooth and veneer were the right width.
But a new problem: the elastics had been pulling my teeth slightly to the left. My centre line was now noticeably off-centre. I was told to wear just one top-to-bottom elastic on the right side only to try to pull it back. We’d solved one problem and created another.
This is worth flagging for anyone going through this: keep a close eye on your centre line throughout treatment, especially if you’re having a lot of movement. It’s much easier to address during the brace than after. I mention this more in the 2026 update.
15th Tightening – 23 Months – February 2018
Just four and a half weeks since the last appointment, and things had moved for the worse.
My peg tooth had shifted from the middle of its gap all the way over to one side next to my front tooth. It needed moving back before a veneer could sit on it properly.
My previously-twisted canine had also started twisting again – probably because I’d been wearing only one top-to-bottom elastic to correct the centre line. I went back down a lighter wire to correct it. Again.
At this appointment the orthodontist also filed down some of the bottom teeth where they were worn unevenly on the sides – the tops of the teeth were meeting but the rest wasn’t. Like nails down a blackboard. I hate filing. I can’t even file my own nails. Having your teeth filed is worse. But worth it.
16th and 17th Tightening – 24 Months – Spring 2018
Two years. It had flown by and also felt like it had been going on forever. At 24 months the top was nearly ready – just a 0.5mm gap to close. At the next appointment that gap had finally closed, the canine had twisted back into position, and the mould for the retainer was booked.
Then at 24 months the retainer appointment got rebooked. The gap had budged back by 0.5mm. One more elastic. Come on.
Final Tightening – 25 Months – Early 2018
Third time lucky for the removal appointment. I was told this was almost certainly my last tightening. Twenty tightening appointments in total. Over 30 dental and orthodontic appointments combined.
I’d become part of the furniture at my orthodontist. The receptionist no longer asked my name.
Top Brace Removed – May 2018 (26 Months)
I knew the top brace was ready to come off this time. The previous two removal appointments had been rebooked – this time I could tell.
What I hadn’t prepared myself for was the emotional reality of what came next.
Because I had two lateral incisors missing – one where the peg tooth was, one where there was simply no tooth at all – having the top brace off meant two visible gaps right next to my front teeth. The retainer was fitted immediately with a false tooth and composite covering both gaps, but I’d had to give my retainer back that day for the false tooth to be added, meaning 24 hours before I could collect it with the temporary teeth in place.
The glue removal when a brace comes off is genuinely unpleasant – a small whirring tool that sands it off each tooth. It took a while and the scratching sensation makes you cringe. My teeth felt clean and lighter immediately. But I didn’t get the emotional release I’d expected.
I looked in the mirror and put it straight down. I shuffled out as fast as I could, not wanting to speak to anyone. Driving home the tears started. I composed myself, but as soon as I saw Ben they flooded out again.
The orthodontist was probably used to clients being ecstatic on their brace-off day. I was embarrassed and devastated. Without the brace, there was just me. Two gaps. Front and centre.
I felt like a pirate!
The front teeth looked enormous and very yellow – probably because I hadn’t seen them unobstructed for over two years. The gaps on either side made them stand out even more. At least with the brace on you could see I was having treatment. The retainer is clear – it would just look like I had missing teeth for no reason.
I had to do both school runs that day with visible gaps. I tried to get in and out as quickly as possible. A mum spoke to me anyway – I texted her afterwards to apologise for being awkward and explain I’d just had something done to my teeth. The next day I collected my retainer with the temporary false teeth. I felt a little better.
Peg Tooth Extracted – July 2018 (28 Months)
Two months after the top brace came off, I had the peg tooth extracted. The original plan had been to veneer it to look like a lateral incisor. But when the top brace came off it was wobbly – really wobbly, like it might fall out.
This prompted me to explore implants. During the implant consultation the dentist did an x-ray and discovered why it was wobbly: internal resorption. My body had been absorbing the minerals from inside the tooth. It had to come out.
The same consultation also involved a CT scan to check whether implants were suitable on both sides. The results were disappointing. On one side, the roots of the surrounding teeth bent towards each other leaving a gap of only 3.7-3.8mm – just barely enough for a 3.5mm implant root, with a real risk of damaging adjacent teeth. So I could have an implant on one side only. Faced with one implant and one bridge anyway, two bridges at significantly lower cost made more sense. Another plan change. More frustration.
The extraction day was a disaster in terms of timing. The appointment was moved last-minute from morning to 2pm – right before the school run. The composite the dentist added to my retainer to cover the gap fell down the plug hole when I cleaned it. I ended up at school and nursery with cotton wool stuffed in the gap and blood filling my retainer. My entire left side of my face was numb up to my eye. Bella’s classroom teaching assistant came straight over to talk to me – I mumbled something and got out as fast as I could. At nursery all the staff seemed to be lined up when I walked in. I must have had visibly red teeth.
Never have a visible tooth extracted right before a school run.
Bottom Brace Removed – July 2018 (28 Months)
One week after the peg tooth extraction, a full hour in the orthodontist’s chair: bottom brace removed, glue cleaned off, tops of the lower teeth filed down (they were very uneven from years of wear), permanent bonded retainer fitted to the back of my six lower front teeth.
I also had a scale and polish at the dentist the same day. Highly recommended to anyone having braces removed – the calculus build-up behind my lower front teeth was significant despite two years of obsessive cleaning.
I discovered I had black triangles between my lower front teeth – small gaps at the gum line where the sides of the teeth had worn slightly. The large gaps had closed but the tooth surfaces weren’t perfectly flush.
I was told I could later had cosmetic bonding to fill these if they bothered me, or the gums might grow to fill them anyway.
Three Retainers at Once – Summer 2018
After the braces came off I was wearing three types of retainer in rotation: the clear Essix on top with temporary false teeth, the metal Hawley on top at night, and the clear Essix on the bottom. Plus the permanent bonded retainer behind my lower front teeth.
Since so many people ask about retainers, here is my completely honest experience of all three.
The Essix retainer (clear plastic):
It collects saliva all day. The bad breath this creates is genuinely awful despite brushing after every meal – at points I was brushing four times a day and using mouthwash and it still wasn’t enough. It makes you spit when you talk. A lisp at first. Mine split after two months and costs £100 to replace. You can’t eat or drink anything other than water with it in. Can’t lick a spoon while cooking. Can’t snack without going through the whole routine of removing, brushing, replacing. The morning is the worst – a whole night of accumulated bacteria. Removing it and the smell that follows is an experience I can’t adequately describe, but it makes me gag just thinking about it and that smell!
For me it was made significantly worse by having missing teeth. Every time I removed it to eat, the gaps were visible. I stopped eating out entirely. I turned down meals with friends for months. I only ate in front of Ben and the kids. It felt lonelier than the brace had.
The Hawley retainer (metal):
Enormous in my mouth. A plastic plate covering the roof of the mouth that doesn’t fit the curve of it properly, so it sits constantly on your tongue and makes talking practically impossible. The false teeth on it were selected from stock sizes rather than custom-made and mine looked like broken jagged shards. Dreadful. I also noticed after just two nights of sleeping in it that it seemed to be moving my front teeth. I went straight back to the Essix despite everything.
The bonded retainer:
The best decision of the whole process. A strip of wire bonded to the back of my lower front teeth that stays there permanently. You don’t remove it, you can’t lose it, and it just quietly holds the teeth in place. More on this in the 2026 update.
The NHS Denture Disappointment – August 2018
While waiting for permanent bridges my NHS dentist made me a temporary partial denture to cover both gaps so I could finally eat in public again. I’d been counting down to this for weeks.
When he passed me the mirror I was immediately deflated. Both teeth were tiny. One was around 2mm shorter than my front teeth. The other stuck out rather than sitting flush. They looked identical to the baby teeth that had been removed at the very start of this journey – the teeth I’d specifically had removed because I wanted proper adult-sized teeth. I showed Ben when I got home. His face said everything.
I couldn’t even eat properly with it in – my bottom teeth hit the plastic plate on the roof of my mouth. The quality was poor and I was honestly staggered that anyone could consider this an acceptable result. It confirmed I needed a private cosmetic dentist for the bridges.
Maybe it was a blessing I got this. It looked so bad when fitted. Who knows what the end result could have been with the bridges if I’d stuck with the NHS dentists.
Luckily, it made me switch to a private dentist for the cosmetic dentistry work.
Going Private and Choosing the Bridges – September 2018
Options for the two missing lateral incisors: traditional 3-point bridge on each side, Maryland bridge, composite bonding, or implant on one side.
The Maryland bridge was ruled out because my teeth are quite thin and the metal plate might show through and make them look grey.
Composite bonding at £650 per side would stain and need replacing every 2-3 years.
Implant on one side only didn’t give me the symmetrical result I wanted, and I’d still need a bridge on the other anyway.
Traditional 3-point bridges on both sides. The dentist would file my two front teeth and both canines down into peg teeth, then fit a bridge over each side – a false tooth in the middle with hollow crowns fitting over the prepared peg teeth. Six false teeth across the front of my mouth.
Cost: £3,135 including a 5% discount and free teeth whitening thrown in as a goodwill gesture for the communication failures earlier in the process. Worth noting: the £100 consultation fee was taken off the final bill too, so always ask whether that’s possible.
These should last 7-10 years, potentially 20 from a good private dentist. They don’t stain. Creating six front teeth at once gives the best cosmetic outcome. I booked in.
Teeth Whitening – October 2018
PolaNight – a professional at-home system with custom-made trays fitted to my exact teeth, organised through the cosmetic dentist. Custom trays first, then gel picked up a few days later, worn overnight for two weeks.
My teeth were sensitive on day two but after that the sensitivity went away completely. After one week not much visible difference, so I was given extra syringes for a second week. Happy with the results by the end – several shades lighter.
Key rule: avoid anything that stains, especially coffee. Two weeks. Worth it.
I’d wasted so much money over the years on shop-bought whitening products that simply didn’t work. PolaNight actually worked.
Bridge Preparation, Temporary Bridges and Fitting – October to November 2018 (And Final Results!)
The most intense phase of the whole three years, more so than the adult braces!
Appointment 1: Colour match and tooth preparation
Four teeth – two front teeth and both canines – filed down into peg teeth. No fewer than ten injections to numb the entire upper half of my mouth, including one in the strip of skin connecting the upper lip to the gum in the middle. Once numb, the dentist worked for almost two hours filing.
A temporary bridge was fitted immediately. Better than I’d expected – a bit too white but wearable, and I could eat properly for the first time in months. I started to feel like I had my mouth back.
Once the anaesthetic wore off my lips swelled and bruised up to my nose. My upper gum ulcerated for several days.
Appointment 2: Check-up and feedback on the temporary bridge. I was asked what I liked and didn’t like about the shape and proportions – this went into the brief for the permanent ones. Really useful to be consulted.
Appointment 3: More preparation needed – the first temporary bridge hacked off, more anaesthetic, more filing. My mouth had only just healed. I went through the whole swelling and ulceration again.
Appointments 4 and 5: Emergency repairs. A temporary tooth cracked, another was partially detached. Adhesive to hold things until the real fitting.
Appointment 6: The permanent bridge fitting. Slightly disappointed at first – proportions looked slightly off. But my new private dentist was a perfectionist and spent time filing and reshaping until I was happy. A couple of small gaps between the ends of the bridges and the next teeth along, which frustrated me after two and a half years of closing every gap.
Appointments 7 and 8: Front teeth filed down slightly (they felt too long), gaps at the sides filled with cosmetic bonding, shown how to clean the bridges with interdental brushes and super floss.
One final orthodontist appointment confirmed retainers were still fitting correctly.
Where I was FINALLY signed off entirely…
Done.
Phew!
What a journey!
Was It Worth It? – November 2018
Yes. Absolutely, completely, without hesitation yes.
I used to hate my face. Not in a passing way – in a daily, grinding, this-affects-everything way. I had almost no photos with my children because I avoided cameras so completely. I was used to snatching Ben’s phone and deleting photos of myself before he could see them. It just upset me so much to see my own face.
I want to treasure memories while my children are young. I want photos of us together. If anything awful ever happened, they’d currently have barely any images of us together to remember me by. That thought, more than anything else, kept me going through the hardest parts of this process.
I had a lifestyle photographer at my own wedding specifically because I was too anxious to pose smiling with my teeth showing. I always looked awkward and nervous in photos because I was forcing my mouth closed when naturally I’d have been beaming.
I should mention that while I had my braces I also had a rhinoplasty. My nose was the other thing about my face that genuinely embarrassed me – the two things together, my teeth and my nose, made me feel self-conscious in a way that affected everything. Having both sorted, I won’t pretend I suddenly love my face or think I’m beautiful – I don’t. But I no longer feel embarrassed by it. I can be in a photo. I can talk to someone without that constant background anxiety. That shift is enormous, and it started with deciding to do something about my teeth.
Now I just feel normal. I never felt like I had a normal face before and now I do. That’s everything. The knock-on effect on my day to day confidence has been bigger than I even anticipated, and there’s a real relationship between how you feel about your appearance and your overall mental health and mood that’s easy to underestimate until something changes.
My case was genuinely unusual, mainly due to the baby teeth. Most people with dental concerns would go through something much less involved – if you just want to straighten slightly crooked teeth you could be done with Invisalign in six months. But if your teeth affect your confidence and happiness every single day the way mine did, it’s worth going through. Get a consultation, understand the full cost and timeline, and make an informed decision. The consultation fee is often taken off your final bill, and many practices will let you spread the cost.
2026 Update – Eight Years On
It’s been over eight years since that first consultation and I wanted to add a proper update.
My teeth are still in great shape. I’ve since moved to Newquay in Cornwall and registered with a new private dentist – there’s a shortage of NHS dentists here and I couldn’t get signed up with anyone when we first arrived, NHS or private, as they were all full. The dentist we finally managed to sign up with is the most expensive in Newquay, which I’m choosing to take as a sign they’re worth it, and they check my bridges at every appointment and say everything looks good.
The only thing that has needed redoing in eight years is one area of cosmetic bonding, a couple of years ago, which cost around £200-£300. Otherwise the bridges have lasted well.
I’m careful with what I eat – I won’t bite anything hard directly with the bridge teeth, not even apples, even though I’ve been told I could. I’d rather be cautious and make them last as long as possible. It’s worth knowing which foods support healthy teeth and being careful after any dental work. I know they will need replacing eventually, so if you’re going through something similar I’d genuinely recommend building a dedicated savings fund for unexpected dental costs from the start. One day they’ll need replacing and it will be expensive.
I’d strongly recommend requesting a bonded retainer if you’re having braces – it’s made a real difference to how stable my teeth have stayed. My teeth barely move because of it and I rarely need to wear the plastic retainers. They don’t feel tight when I do, which tells me everything is holding in place.
Two honest reflections now I have some distance. The teeth look quite rounded compared to my natural teeth. If I have them redone in future I’m going to ask about something flatter and possibly a slightly different shade of white.
And the centre line. Looking back, I remember it coming up at 22 months when the top-to-bottom elastics had been pulling slightly to the left. We tried to correct it, but at some point I was told to accept it or risk prolonging treatment indefinitely. I was so exhausted by the process at that point that I accepted it. I notice it more now. If you’re having missing teeth removed and a lot of movement involved in your treatment, keep a close eye on centring throughout. It’s far easier to address during the brace than after. I’m disappointed the orthodontist didn’t clock this and keep an eye on it.
Key Costs Summary
All costs from 2015-2018. Prices will have changed and can vary significantly by location and provider:
- Orthodontist consultation: £100 (private – often deducted from final bill)
- Train track braces top and bottom: £2,800 (private orthodontist, spread over treatment)
- Baby tooth extractions and NHS dentist appointments: NHS Band charges
- NHS partial denture: approximately £260 (NHS Band 3 – poor quality, not recommended)
- Essix retainer replacement: £100
- Teeth whitening PolaNight with custom trays: included in bridge package
- Traditional bridges both sides, 6 false teeth, cosmetic bonding: £3,135 (private cosmetic dentist with 5% discount)
- 2026 cosmetic bonding repair: approximately £200-£300 (private)
Approximate total: around £6,500+ over three years, plus ongoing maintenance.
Always get a full quote before committing and confirm exactly what is and isn’t included.
Full Timeline
- October 2015: First orthodontist consultation (£100)
- December 2015: NHS dentist consultation for false teeth options; decision to go ahead
- January 2016: Moulds taken, brace date confirmed; extra dentist appointment to check extraction timing
- March 2016: Two baby canines extracted (asked to keep them)
- March 2016: Top train track brace fitted; biting blocks added
- Autumn 2016 (6 months): Bottom train track brace fitted; biting blocks added; couldn’t bite any teeth together
- 2016-2018: 20 tightening appointments every 6-8 weeks; elastics added at multiple stages; curry incident; top-to-bottom elastics for overbite; centre line issue at 22 months; temporary Tic Tac tooth fitted then replaced; teeth filing at 23 months; peg tooth shifted and corrected again; canine twisted and untwisted again
- May 2018 (26 months): Top brace removed; tears driving home; 24 hours with visible gaps; clear Essix retainer fitted with false tooth; Hawley retainer given for night use alongside Essix but abandoned after two nights as it seemed to be moving front teeth
- July 2018 (28 months): Peg tooth extracted – internal resorption discovered post-brace; implants investigated and ruled out on one side; school run disaster with cotton wool and blood; bottom brace removed one week later; teeth filed down; permanent bonded retainer fitted to lower front teeth; scale and polish; NHS denture collected (poor quality)
- August/September 2018: Private cosmetic dentist consultation; traditional bridges on both sides decided
- October 2018: Teeth whitening with PolaNight (two weeks)
- October-November 2018: Bridge preparation, temporary bridges fitted and repaired, permanent bridges fitted, adjustments, cosmetic bonding; signed off by orthodontist
- November 2018: Complete
- 2026 Update: Bridges still in good shape; one area of cosmetic bonding redone a couple of years ago (£200-300) at new private dentist in Newquay; in 2026 the dentist confirms everything is looking good with the bridges
All experiences and opinions are my own. This is a personal diary of my treatment and is not intended as dental advice. Always consult a qualified orthodontist and dentist for advice specific to your situation.
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