Ever felt crooked teeth held you back in life (pre-braces)?

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#76 Post by **ghostmyimag3** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:21 pm

Well my father was a mechanic and my mother was a manager of a fast food resturant. That has little to do as to why i didn't have braces as a kid. Educational background has nothing to do with anything. You can be a complete idiot now and have degrees out the ying yang and no common sense? I see it everyday people with masters degree's and they dont know if they are coming or going. However my brother and I are far more educated than our parents yes, but we live in a far different time. I don't blame my parents, like i said they did take me to an orthodontist but breaking the roof of my mouth was not an option they wanted to explore. Frankly im thankful for that. I can't believe this topic is still going

#77 Post by **Epyx** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:57 am

I felt my teeth held me back a great deal, mostly because I let it. I didn't like having a large gap in my front teeth and I was never terribly fond of it in other people either. So I stopped smiling broadly in photos and I was terribly self-conscious in public. I got quite depressed in my late teens and my teeth contributed to that. Looking back, it was definitely a self-confidence issue. I can't make the connection to class (Australia is a somewhat classless society in any case).

The interesting thing is that once I got braces I worried a lot less. I started smiling a lot more because I felt like the braces showed I was on my way to a nicer smile. I think they also de-emphasised my front teeth too.

About 9 months in, I really started to become confident again and I noticed people flocking to me. Literally! There is so much to be said for the attractiveness of self-confidence. So really, it was never my teeth that held me back, it was my lack of confidence in myself that did it.

Having said that, I think it was inevitable that I would some day have to get braces. The experience taught me a lot about being a good custodian of myself.

#78 Post by **lionfish** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 8:17 pm

Fair comment.

#79 Post by **ck9486** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:32 am

I actually feel a little more confident having braces because I know my teeth are progressing day by day. Plus they help to disguise a bit how crooked your teeth may be. I never used to smile (even when I wanted to) and just had lots of anxiety about speaking out of embarassment about the teeth.

I'm now fine with having to put up 2 or so years with the discomfort and hassle of braces knowing that I'll have nice alignment for the rest of my life. I only wish I had gotten them done sooner. At the very least, having nice straight teeth is a good self-confidence boost and one less thing to be self-conscious about.

Sat Aug 25, 2007 9:53 am

I guess the lesson we can all take from this thread is that opinions are very dangerous things which should not be expressed, because someone somewhere in the world may not agree.

#81 Post by **Lisa65** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 10:42 am

That's one way of looking at it Kirsten

I prefer to take the view that each and every one of us has our own opinions on things, and if somebody, somewhere, disagrees (which they are sure to), why let their opinion stop you from having yours?

It would be a pretty boring world if we all thought the same

#82 Post by **jennicakes** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 1:42 pm

i agree....everyone is not the same....i think people need to stand by their opinions....and not allow others to intimidate them into changing their minds. Who cares if people react negatively to your opinion. Your opinion isn't harming anyone else. Plus, even though i disagreed with many people on this topic, I also learned something from those who disagreed with me. I stand by my view, but it definately gave me something to think about.

#83 Post by **lionfish** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:08 pm

I don't think anyone should intimidate another person into agreeing with them. That's the stuff that wars are made of. However, if by applying logic and reasoning, you can make another person understand your point of view, then that is quite acceptable. But it still doesn't mean that they have to agree with you.

#84 Post by **Nancy51** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 5:58 pm

I wonder if the posters that believe that imperfect teeth can hold one back socially, professionally and so forth are noticing a reality in its formative stage? Such a social standard would develop over time and at a rate differing from place to place, I suspect.

I also wonder if those that believe this reality already dominates the "it doesn't hold anyone back" view are younger than those of us that instinctively reacted to Jackie's view as hard to believe? When I was young, braces for kids were not that common, especially for merely crooked teeth. Now, braces for kids seem to me rather commonplace--and braces for adults, that's definitely a new phenomenon.

Are we in the midst of a changing value?

On the other hand, how much of a difference in viewpoints do we have, really? How much difference is there, logically, between the statements, "Crooked teeth can hold a person back [from successfully beating out an equally qualified competitor for a promotion, e.g.]" and "Straight teeth can be a advantage [to being the frontrunner in the race]"? I mean a difference other than the strong emotional reactions I was surprised to read on both "sides".

Responding to people in part because of their pleasing or displeasing appearances is nothing new, socially. Of course, other factors also come into play, such as personality. I'm glad that Jackie is exploring the downside of this reality, and I hope that the strong reactions to her posts won't discourage her from considering other factors that can hold us back/be an advantage to us.

Oh, and here is my anecdotal evidence: Once, because of tea stains, I decided to whiten my teeth a bit and used the fixings that my dentist gave me. I noticed that even strangers responded more positively when I smiled, rather like seeing someone in a really pretty and flattering dress. Some even mentioned, "Oh, what a pretty smile." I didn't get more than the odd passing comment--no one offered a job or marriage or whatever on the spot. I was surprised by it; I assumed that only I would notice, because I did it simply out of personal interest. But then, I'm not the most observant person in the world!

#85 Post by **valster** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 11:19 am

metalmom wrote:
.. That being said, my crooked teeth do cause me some moments of angst in my professional life. I'm in sales and I'm always wondering if clients are thinking if you're so successful why the jacked up grill?

Yes, I've felt that too. I was a broadcasting major and I ended up in radio! I did do some television but have always been very self-conscious about my smile, though I have a good self-esteem. Perhaps my career would have been different if I had had perfect teeth from the beginning.

I think it's an important point that "dental perfection" is relatively recent. Cher and David Bowie and Tom Cruise had crooked teeth and had them straightened or veneered not too terribly long ago. They all looked fine before (though all of them actually had what I would call "attractively crooked" teeth - not like mine) and the fact that their teeth weren't completely perfect didn't hold them back... nor has Jewel's imperfect smile. Or David Letterman's.

I did live in the UK for a while and I think I smiled more. More people in my age group have crowded or crooked teeth, so I was less self-conscious.

There is a social class element related to one's smile, but I think missing or visibly-decayed teeth are a much more obvious signifier than crookedness.

In the absence of other indicators, people may place others hierarchically based on something like this. But a well-dressed person using standard grammar - or the adverse depending on culture - will generally be placed by class (if you place people by class) on the basis of things other than crooked or straight teeth.

#86 Post by **idolfan4** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 6:13 am

Of course. I had a lower self esteem and I got teased in school for having crooked teeth. I didn't have as many friends and didn't get as much respect from people before I had braces. Now I get a lot of positive comments on my teeth. I'm so happy I chose to get braces.

#87 Post by **ABraces2007** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:35 am

My somehow crowded teeth never affected my private/social life, however my teeth were my only weak point in all my appearance and i was too conciense about it. I was beginning to do a modeling career when i was 16, but my confidence was too low when it came to open smile on camera/public.
So now i have that perfect smile i always wanted (still in braces though), but i don`t want to be a model any more!!!!

#88 Post by **Sistermadly** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:12 pm

ABSOLUTELY I've felt this way. Because I don't smile, people think I'm moody or negative, or depressed. On top of that, because I was so ashamed of my teeth, I would never make eye contact when talking to people for fear that they'd focus on my teeth.

I'm hoping that having more normal looking teeth will make me more confident, and make people feel that I'm less "intimidating".

#89 Post by **jackie100** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 6:32 am

Ok, I was bored and reading book reviews on Amazon, and I came across this excerpt about social class from Paul Fussell who is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

He mentioned being overweight as a sign of lower class, he didn't mention teeth exactly in the excerpt, he might have in the book though, unfortunately I don't have it.

It was very interesting though.

He said lower class people generally drive Chevys, or Plymouths with bumper stickers lol

Lower class people drink beer with their meals while higher class people have ocean hour.

If he mentioned overweight as a sign of low class I'm sure he would have agreed that bad teeth would be a sign of lower class too. Not ALWAYS of course, but just in general.

#90 Post by **lionfish** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:30 pm

Ok, I was bored and reading book reviews on Amazon, and I came across this excerpt about social class from Paul Fussell who is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

He mentioned being overweight as a sign of lower class, he didn't mention teeth exactly in the excerpt, he might have in the book though, unfortunately I don't have it.

It was very interesting though.

He said lower class people generally drive Chevys, or Plymouths with bumper stickers lol

Lower class people drink beer with their meals while higher class people have ocean hour.

If he mentioned overweight as a sign of low class I'm sure he would have agreed that bad teeth would be a sign of lower class too. Not ALWAYS of course, but just in general.

What a crock. Mr Fussell needs to get out more.

If you're bored, I can recommend sudoko and cryptic crosswords as excellent distractions which are also good for maintaining an agile brain.

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Ever felt crooked teeth held you back in life (pre-braces)?

Oh, that`s a good question!!!