Longest Lasting Orthodontic Treatment

I was wandering through a few Clinical cases online when I found this particular article about the longest-running Orthodontic treatments. I wonder how the patients managed to wear the gear for such a long duration and know what, few people just didn’t want to remove it because they were in love with braces. Strange though, check out for yourself:

• A boy wore his braces and face bow for 6 years and 5 months, then a retainer for a couple years. Then, he had braces put back on because a couple gaps returned (and because he missed having his braces) and has moved a couple more times now. He has had his braces back on now for 3 years, 3 months, for a total of nine years, 8 months, and counting. And he doesn’t think they’re coming off anytime soon “…not if I can help it anyway,” he says.

• A girl (14 at the start of treatment) had her braces on for 8 years and four months, including 3 1/2 years in headgear. She got them on a week before high school and got them off at Christmas when she was in graduate school.

• A girl (8 at the start of treatment) had had braces for 8 years now, including a high-pull headgear for two and a half years when she was 10.

• A boy (13 at the start of treatment) had his face bow wired on for almost two years.

• One male patient (15 at the start of treatment) is wearing his braces for 12 years and counting.

• One female patient (15 at the start of treatment) has had her braces for 7 years now, including 4 1/2 years of headgear (wired for 2 years). She’s also had a number of different removable appliances and elastics. She also has had two surgeries.

• A female patient (12 at the start of treatment) wore braces for 3 1/2 years, including 2 1/2 in headgear. She had retainers for 1 year, then unannounced to her returned to braces with headgear for 1 1/2 years, elastics for 1 year, and just braces for yet another 1 1/2. She thought she was done after 1 st treatment. She was in eighth grade at the start of treatment and will be a senior in college if treatment isn’t extended again.

• One male patient’s first treatment started at the age of 11, with upper and lower removable for three years. The second started at the age of 18 with upper removable for four years, the third with upper fixed braces, elastics, and expander and removable lower at the age of 36 for two years, and afterward a retainer for half a year.

• One female patient got fixed braces and lower headgear at the age of 10. She wore them for 2 years. Because she wore the headgear for only 8 hours a day instead of 20, she got the headgear wired on at age 14 for 4 years. Gaps returned 2 years later, and braces were put back on at 21. At 22, she had to wear a face mask 24/7 for 2 years. At age 25, she was finally done… and refused to have more done.

• One male patient had had braces for 8 years and started at 6. At 7, he had headgear wired in and continues to have it wired in at 14. 3 more years are left in the treatment.

• One male patient had his first retainer when he was six and then when he turned 10, he had to have full bands with elastics and headgear 24/7. He wore it only occasionally; unfortunately, it had to be wired in. He had both for eight years. At age 19. he got upper and lower retainers. At age 22, the upper and lower full bands went back, but this time, he got a nice face mask wired in. He is now 25 years old and has had Orthodontic treatment for 19 years. He has been told he will probably have them for more years to come… He says, “I guess I have enjoyed it, though. Maybe I’ll hit 25 years of wearing braces!”.

• One male patient (11 at the start of treatment) wore braces (2 treatments) for 7 1/2 years, including 5 in headgear. He had three operations, including upper jaw shortening & lower jaw lengthening. Gaps are appearing again, and he is going for 3rd treatment.

• Another male patient tells his story: “I started having my checkups at 9. They told me I needed braces. So when I was 10, I went to the orthodontist, who gave me braces. I asked him is there were any more parts to my braces and how long do I have to wear them. He told me I would have headgear to wear 16 hours a day. The year will depend on how I treat myself. Rubber bands in the last year of treatment were needed. I still have them at age 13. Because I fool around with my headgear and do not follow precise instructions, they wired it in with my braces. The ortho says I must wear headgear for approximately 7 years and braces for 9 years!”

• One female patient is turning 13 this month. She got her braces at age 11. She has to wear braces for 5 years and headgear for 2 years. After she finishes braces for 5 years and headgear for 2 years, she has to wear full bands until she is 27. The headgear will be wired in when she becomes 16 and until the treatment is over. She is so depressed about it. The reason is that her mouth is small, she has a nasty bite, very unaligned teeth, and she has teeth coming out of everywhere.

• One male patient had his face mask wired in for 8 years; at 23, he still has 3 more years to go.

If I had a chance, I would personally refer a few of them to be included in the Guinness Book of World Records, what say?