Our oldest had the upper type, she was 13. I know they do these things earlier now. This was 14 years ago. It wasn't fun, but it did help a lot. Hers was fixed, not removable. There is discomfort, and she found it hard to talk at first, but got used to it. She was old enough to turn it herself. She still had to have braces, but no teeth had to be pulled. She's had a gorgeous smile since she was 16 :)