For newbies and potential newbies

[ellen]

Now that I'm an old pro and about to be debraced (!), I'd like to share some advice:

1) no one cares that you have braces but you (and your brace buddies!). The best defense is a good offense. I showed off my braces immediately to everyone I knew to avoid those awkward stares.

2) lots of people will become self-conscious themselves when they see your braces and will be jealous that you had the guts to go through with it.

3) once you have braces you will notice all the people who should get braces.

4) once you have braces you will notice all the people who have braces and you will immediately bond with them.

5) after a few appointments you won't notice all the teenagers in the dental chairs and won't care that you are the only adult patient. In fact, you'll be proud.

6) the time will fly by. Think of how fast the last two years went.

7). JUST DO IT ALREADY! Your teeth won't get any better on their own. In fact, they may get worse, like mine did. When I first thought about getting braces I could have gotten invisaligns; by the time I actually went through with it my teeth moved so much I needed metal braces. Remember, the sooner you get your braces on, the sooner you will get your braces off.

Good luck!!

Lisa

[Chicagogal]

yup yup yup!

I keep thinking, gosh I started thinking about braces at 24 and got them at 27. I could be done already!! There will always be reasons to not do it (money, a special event coming up etc.), but there are usually ways around most of those and it's almost always worth it to start as soon as possible.

I often think I should smile more with my braces on so people really notice when they're off. ha!

[mommy]

thanks, Lisa! Great advice! I will definitely use your first advice when I will get my braces on

[impatientpatient]

Thanks so much for the encouragement!
I got my braces on 7 days ago and I have been feeling really fed up since, and very self conscious....and kicking myself for not doing this last year or before. Been lurking on this site for a couple of days now and everyone's positive attitude posts have really cheered me up

[ladyksilver]

Great advice Lisa! While I'm not going to be self-conscious about having braces on, I have noticed people who could benefit from braces. I've also thought about why I didn't get them sooner. Anyway, May 3rd will be her before I know it and my journey will begin!

Kendra

[Waiting4braces]

Awesome post, especially your point about how time flies. It's scary how quickly the last two years have gone by... I'm sure the time with braces will fly too!

Point 2 was interesting- is that something you notice often?

I so can't wait to get mine on- I hope the next six weeks and five days fly by too!!

[katiemcb09]

I love this! Such good advice. I wish I had done this years ago. The only positive is that at least I have pretty good self esteem at 23, kind of over worrying about little things. So I guess I had a higher point to fall from, haha. But really - I just need to forget about it, because people may notice, but they aren't judging, they're more curious. And who cares?

[Snowglobe32]

Point 2 was interesting- is that something you notice often?

You didn't ask me this question but I noticed this today when talking with someone who works in my building. She kept her hand over her mouth the entire time she talked to me and even when her mouth was closed because she was listening to me. I felt a bit uncomfortable. She could benefit from braces (her teeth protrude/flare out and she has huge gap) but what bothered me was how I felt seeing her hide her teeth, it was sad. I didn't like feeling as if I was making her feel self-conscious.