"It's never too late to have ortho," says Brenda Stenftenagel, DDS, MSD.

"Dr. Brenda" is right -- more and more adults are being fitted for braces these days.

In fact, her office has had patients as young as 2 and as old as 84.

According to the American Association of Orthodontists, a 37-percent growth in adult patients occurred between 1994 and 2004. And the numbers are rising.

"It's very rare that I hear a patient say it's a negative (to get braces)," Stenftenagel said. "It's such a positive thing in their life."

Adults brace for beautiful smile

Rey Urra's initial concern when he walked into the orthodontist office of Dr. Brenda Stenftenagel was that he'd be the only adult in a sea of children to be fitted for braces.

How times have changed.

According to the American Association of Orthodontists, growth in adult patients increased 37 percent from 1994 to 2004. Sixty-three percent of adult patients are female -- down from 70 percent taken from a 1989 survey.

Regardless of their sex, more adults are seeking "a nice smile."

Urra, 32, a healthcare administrator and commander in the Indiana National Guard, planned to get braces at 18 until he discovered his mother's insurance no longer covered him. Urra's front teeth were pushed in, tight and overlapping.

"It was like having an extra tooth on the bottom," Urra said.

Urra then hoped to get braces in his mid-20s but held off because he was being deployed to Iraq. Finally, in 2006 at the age of 30, Urra was fitted for braces. They'll be removed later this summer.

"There's no more stigma," Urra said. "I've received compliments from people more than anything else."

Urra looked at old photographs of himself and noticed he always "half-smiled" to hide crooked teeth.

"Now I'll be doing a full smile," he said.

He's not the only one. Stenftenagel, who has "Braces for all Ages" offices in Portage and Hebron, says more insurance coverage is going to adults for orthodontics. Others are getting "savvy" with their flex plans. More importantly, adults are coming to realize that without treatment, bad bite situations can cause damage to their teeth.

"Straight smiles go a long way," Stenftenagel said. "It doesn't hurt to have a nice smile."

Stenftenagel recently treated an 84-year-old woman -- her oldest patient to date. The patient had lived her entire life to that point with a large gap between her teeth.

"Everybody thought it was so cool she was getting braces," Stenftenagel said.

"It became a positive thing in her life. She wanted to look better."

Joan Czarny of Hebron turns 66 this summer. She had braces for more than two years until they were removed in February. Czarny not only had some teeth missing, but her existing teeth had become more crooked as they shifted with age.

"I knew I needed braces, I'm happy I got them," Czarny said.

"It amazes me how many older people are having their teeth done," Czarny said.

"When you can smile and not be embarrassed it's really nice."

Committing to braces is a long road, Czarny admits, but she would "do it all over again."

"I think I feel better about myself," she said.

Depending on the difficulty of the case, the length of time a patient will have braces is about 12 to 18 months. Some adults may have them for 18 to 24, or even 36 months.

"The stats say 24 months is about average," Stenftenagel said. "I'd say that the biggest falsehood adults have is that it would take them longer for their teeth to move (into the right position)."

Dr. Ivan Atcha of Dyer Family Dentistry said his office is seeing a lot of adults choosing braces. Any fears his patients may have over the ever-growing adult procedure could be alleviated once they see their very own dentist is "one of their own."

Atcha, 38, is getting braces himself.

"I'll have no problem showing off my metal mouth," he said.

Types of braces:

Regular metal braces are still widely used and especially common with adults.

The Damon braces utilize a technology known as "self-ligation" that allows the wire to slide back and forth within the bracket. No elastic or steel ties are used with Damon brackets, resulting in less friction and results in greater comfort for the patient.

Invisalign braces is a series of clear overlay templates called aligners that have been generated by computer simulation to gradually move the teeth. This system is available to adult patients with certain orthodontic bite problems.

SOURCE: www.bracesforallages.com