Self Conscious

[braceface2005]

I'm a 27 year old woman with braces and still tend to feel self conscious. I wonder from time to time what do men really think of a woman with braces.

Does anyone else feel the same way?


**Braced since September 2005. Metal braces on both upper and lowers.

[hippyhippo]

I'm 27 as well, and I definitely can understand the anxiety. Well, maybe not fully understand b/c I'm not being braced for another few weeks.

I've asked my boyfriend multiple times if he was okay me getting braces, and he always gives me an odd looks and says "why on earth would I mind?" He tends to be a "brutally" honest guy (i.e. never ask "does this make me look fat" if you don't want to hear an honest answer), so I'm confident that he could care less. His only caveat? "Don't leave scars"

Besides, so many people have had braces when they were younger, I hardly think they are going to look down on people who are wearing them now. Heck, I'm not even sure if most people will notice that we're wearing braces (I didn't realize a girl I worked with had bottom braces.... and she even wore brightly coloured ligs!).

[BreeZyCheeZy]

I guess im one of the youngins on the board. Im 22 and just got braced. I think i was more self conscious without my braces, i never wanted to smile cuz my teeth were so crooked in the front. everyone who has seen me with braces is saying 'that's cool, i wanna get them too!'

i kept clarifying with my boyfriend that it was ok if i got braces, and he kept saying 'i dont even mind your teeth right now so why would i mind you with braces.'..another brutally honest guy...

so other than being a pain in the you know what..im quite happy that i have them now... and i tend to show everybody that wants to seee.

[Drama Queen]

I am 25 and have been braced for 5 days now and feel self conscious. I am single at the moment and am worried that blokes will be put off by my braces. It wouldn't bother me if a bloke i liked had braces, cos i could see past that, but some blokes can be funny about things like that.

My mates say that if a bloke is going to just not bother with you because of the braces then he isn't worth knowing. At the end of the day i am improving myself for myself and braces is a big step to take, and they will come off one day, so at the end of the day it is there loss if they don't get to know me just because I have braces, which are a temporary thing.

Gotta stay strong and positive and I am sure that I will meet mr right instead of mr right now!

Lau xx

[saycheese]

For what it's worth, I once dated someone (for 9 months) who had braces. It didn't matter one bit to me that she had braces.

If someone regrets you simply because of your braces, he or she is doing you a favor.

You would also be surprised how many people don't even notice them. Well, at least this has been my experience.

[Dramagyrl]

It was a big deal for me to get the braces because I work in a really public job. I wondered if my contacts would look down at me or percieve me as amature or juvenile because I am only 23 (but compete in an older market and try to prevent my age from being a factor).
Fortunately, many have not even noticed I have braces or they have a personal interest. People either had them as a child, got them for their kids, or always wished they had. If people say anything, that's what they say. And ultimately, I think as adults they realize that it's for the better and we're past that awkward child state, so there's no reason they should be still treating it the way some kids do.

[jennandtonic]

I feel pretty self conscious some of the time too. I worry that people will mistake me for younger than I am because of them.

But now that I have braces I realize I was far more self-conscious before I had the braces because my smile was so crooked that I thought I looked like a backwater hick!

One thing I'm trying to learn is that it doesn't matter what other people think, because most of the time they don't even notice the things that you think are glaringly obvious! I had several people tell me 'Oh, I didn't realize you had braces!' after a few weeks of seeing me with them.

[Drewjb007]

Let me tell you what I think about women in braces. I am a fifteen year old boy who has always thought that women in braces looked great! I have always liked women who have multi-colored ligs, ( they are so cute). Now don't think I am some kind of old fart who has a fetish about women in braces. Let me repeat... I am fifteen years old. I am just a typical teenager. If you asked me which I liked better, women with braces, or women without, I would tell you it all depends on if the woman has a nice smile. Some people think that if your teeth look bad you don't have a nice smile, I disagree. I think any person, good teeth or not, that is proud of what they have, has a nice smile. So when you are around people be proud of your smile, don't be self concious, you are doing something for yourself that most people would never dream of doing, and besides, when this is all over you are going to have a great smile ! So don't feel bad that you have braces, feel good that you have them and you will get a huge reward in the end! It is, as most people call it, a journey! It is a wild ride with many twists and turns. Some parts are good, and some aren't. But in the end, when you have a nice beautiful smile, you are going to be so glad that you took the plunge! It is my wish that everything goes smoothly with your "journey"!

Good Luck and God Bless,
Drewjb007

[Ariesinatl]

I'm 35 with braces. I think women with braces look great! In fact I think anyone with braces looks great because it represents someone that's willing to go through pain and change to better themselves. Not that straight teeth makes someone better than anyone else, it's more of a personal empowerment thing, and thats attractive in anyone.

I almost inevitably find that people with crooked teeth, always mention they should or want braces. And I haven't had one person comment negatively on my braces yet.

[Yeatsmom]

I am 58, and decided to get my teeth straightened after the man I was dating took a photo to show his grown daughters...and my teeth had just shifted so much and looked so awful. When I told him...actually, it was already clear to us that we would be together totally and soon, so I asked his opinion....the only thing he said was, "Well, I'll just have to kiss you gently." He has been completely supportive, and even when I want to have the things yanked off, he encourages me to stay the course. He also said he simply never notices them anymore. By the way, all that happened between last September and November. We got engaged on Thanksgiving, and married Jan. 14. I admit that, when they bother me a bit, I say, "Simon, you should never have taken that picture. This is all your fault!" And he laughs and agrees....all in jest on both sides.

Hope that helps you. Weird for a 58-year-old woman to get engaged and married in braces. Sort of looking like I'll be the stepmother of the bride for one of my three stepdaughters in braces, as well. Oh, well. Looking forward to my 6oth birthday with cover girl teeth.

Good luck with it...and just take a 'self-esteem' break if it begins to get you down.

Yeatsmom

[Paws917]

I am 46 years old and have had braces for three weeks now. I'm still self-conscious, but not as much as I was at first. The reactions I've gotten are either people giving me a high five and saying, "Go, girl!" or people ignoring the fact that I've got them. My teeth are not crooked, but very gappy. I had the biggest gap bonded many years ago and one corner of it chipped a while back. I didn't know what to do. Replace it? See if there was something better now? After all my investigation, braces seemed to be the best answer. One of the orthos I consulted with told me that whatever dental problems you have when you're young only get worse as you get older. I could already see that happening with the gaps. As I tell my friends, I don't want to be the only one in the home who can't get a date on bingo night!

My husband had braces 10 years ago (shortly after we were married) and he's completely supportive of me. If it weren't for his encouragement in fact, I probably wouldn't have made the decision to pull the trigger and get them.

Now, every time I feel self-conscious around someone, I imagine myself saying to that person, "Come back and see me in a year. See how self-conscious I am THEN!" Heck, when these things come off and my teeth are straight and beautiful, I'll never close my mouth!

Erin

[serendipity]

I'm 21 - I think we can all safely say that the self-conscious thing is an issue at the beginning or even for some of us the whole way through our treatment. I will say this though for me anyway, I am so much less self-conscious of my braces now than I was at the start. Once you start seeing improvements that kinda pales in significance.

I've never read a comment on this board saying that a member regrets getting braces or thought that the self-conscious issue wasn't worth the end result.

~ Try to focus on the big picture ~

~Serendipity

[SHORTIN1]

I'm 49 and have had my brces since May 3rd. I felt a little awkward a first but now (other than those times my upper lip gets stuck on a hook) I'm very comfortable with being braced. But I'm not single so I can understand that it might be an issue when you're still meeting people.

And to those people who rudely comment on the cost, I answer that my braces are my most expensive jewelry.

[reba678]

I've thought the same thing, I just turned 28 and will be getting braces in a couple of weeks and I'm a little apprehensive, but well, there's not much I can do about it and like the other posters said, if a guy has a problem with it, well then, no sense in him being around to see that even more gorgeous smile after you have the braces off

[jcdamon3]

I am 47 and single. I have been contemplating internet dating for awhile now at the prodding (and I do mean prodding) of a friend (girl) of mine. She thinks I shouldn't wait until I have the braces off. I want to wait.

I am not self conscious about them in general. I just can't imagine being on a 2nd or 3rd date and ordering food and having to deal with wondering while I am fininshing my meal if I have some big piece of something or other hanging off one of my brackets. I mean dating is stressful enough and you are trying to impress the guy, right? Unless you decided half way through the date you don't like him.

So I am considering not waiting. I mean after all if the guy is not understanding he's not worth the time anyway.

But really, in general I am not that self conscious - just about the eating thing which I need to get over.

Well - I only have about six months to go anyway. ..... I hope.