Male Adult getting braces - impact on single life??

[bcatron]

I am a 22 yr old female with braces and I honestly havent let them make me feel self concious! I opted for the clear brackets/elastics and white wire which definitely has helped me feel as though my braces arent THAT noticeable.

[pewpew]

Hey guys, I did read your comments, and appreciate your feedback. Extracted two teeth's yesterday, and getting braced on Tuesday.
It will be hmm interesting I guess, I wonder how it be like. But Ill think ill survive, kinda look like a crack addict if I smile wide now, with the two teeth's missing on the sides.

Soon ill be a fellow brace face. :)

[rtergeggde]

i use to be confident before i had these pieces of metal glued on to my teeth.
i talk, look and feel like an idiot with braces, lots of missed opportunities.

Get over it, man. Braces are cool as F. They're a status symbol. Thats the way you should look at it anyway. I don't want mine off anytime soon. Rock your braces!

cmon man, are you serious...

[Dee17]

I am a single woman in her mid-50s who will be getting braces at the end of October. My husband passed away about 6.5 years ago and I have only recently finally gotten to the point where I feel like I would like to start dating again. Now this! I have never had a lot of self-confidence. Not because my teeth looked bad or anything like that. Just because that's not who I am. So, I have been very worried about the impact that wearing braces on my teeth will have on my ability to date. I guess the conclusion I've come to since first learning that I "need" braces is that I am sufficiently embarrassed about the way my teeth look right now (I have a very large [3.5 mm] gap between my two front teeth, that having braces can not possibly be more embarrassing. I suppose that they WILL act as a filter. They will certainly keep the completely superficial people away. So, I try to keep it all in perspective and tell myself that I'll be grateful for those kind of small things. Also, it really is just a temporary measure. When your treatment is all finished, you'll be so happy with the way you look. I don't think I've come across a single posting on this forum by anyone who regretted getting their braces. So, soldier on and keep the faith!

[trisportgirl]

I concur with the opinion that it's more about how you act with braces than it is about how they look. Being self-conscious about it naturally makes you less desirable I think...because confidence is sexy!

I was really worried about it 6 months ago when my boyfriend and I broke up, but I have to say it hasn't really affected my dating life. In addition to braces, I also had a ridiculous acne breakout which I have been fighting for 6 months with little improvement. The combination of braces and acne is NOT making me feel good about my looks!

That being said, I'm kinda seeing a guy now...and I've still had interest from other guys too, so I don't think it's really had an impact. Who knows though, once I get my brand new shiny smile debraced in 14 days perhaps they'll be lined up around the block...LOL!

[Robot Teeth]

i use to be confident before i had these pieces of metal glued on to my teeth.
i talk, look and feel like an idiot with braces, lots of missed opportunities.

Get over it, man. Braces are cool as F. They're a status symbol. Thats the way you should look at it anyway. I don't want mine off anytime soon. Rock your braces!

cmon man, are you serious...

Um, YEAH! I'm almost 2 years in at this point, and I've received zero criticism, nor has it affected my confidence in any way. I still like my braces! My teeth are almost entirely straight, and they look great with the brackets, colored ligs, and wire.

I'm doing my best not to sound offensive or condescending, but really - If you literally let braces stop you from talking to someone that you're interested in, thats kinda wimpy. There are much more relevant hindrances in life than having braces. And I'll echo what others have said, in that if someone actually cares about your braces, and would reject you because of them, then they are not worth your time and emotion.

[Ellabelle]

Amen, RT!

[amyhenna]

Braces are hawt! At least that's what I'm telling myself anyway :-)

[Kipepeo]

Um, YEAH! I'm almost 2 years in at this point, and I've received zero criticism, nor has it affected my confidence in any way. I still like my braces! My teeth are almost entirely straight, and they look great with the brackets, colored ligs, and wire.

I'm doing my best not to sound offensive or condescending, but really - If you literally let braces stop you from talking to someone that you're interested in, thats kinda wimpy. There are much more relevant hindrances in life than having braces. And I'll echo what others have said, in that if someone actually cares about your braces, and would reject you because of them, then they are not worth your time and emotion.

[thread jack] I am so sorry to thread jack, but Robot Teeth...seriously? You jump on the board, make a quick comment and no updates for yourself? I've been asking about you (see your pm's), and wondering where you are. Do tell. [/thread jack]

[cbreeze]

I totally agree that it's what you make it. I am a 26 year old single female and my teeth weren't too bad when I got braces (2 crooked teeth and an overbite). I actually had a lot of compliments on my smile BEFORE braces, but obviously I wanted the healthiest/best smile I could get. So naturally, getting ceramic braces really affected my confidence at first. I'm only 5 weeks in, and the first couple of weeks were pretty rough. I sort of accepted that I may not have the best dating life this next year, but on the bright side, my teeth are going to be fantastic WHEN I meet the perfect guy.

So yes, your dating life may be affected, but honestly -- I think it's how you present yourself. I found that when I stopped feeling the need to "introduce" my braces to everyone I met, I felt a lot more confident and people tend to not notice as much.

[Robot Teeth]

Um, YEAH! I'm almost 2 years in at this point, and I've received zero criticism, nor has it affected my confidence in any way. I still like my braces! My teeth are almost entirely straight, and they look great with the brackets, colored ligs, and wire.

I'm doing my best not to sound offensive or condescending, but really - If you literally let braces stop you from talking to someone that you're interested in, thats kinda wimpy. There are much more relevant hindrances in life than having braces. And I'll echo what others have said, in that if someone actually cares about your braces, and would reject you because of them, then they are not worth your time and emotion.

[thread jack] I am so sorry to thread jack, but Robot Teeth...seriously? You jump on the board, make a quick comment and no updates for yourself? I've been asking about you (see your pm's), and wondering where you are. Do tell. [/thread jack]

Hey there! Sorry to have disappeared! Its just that once you get over the initial issues in the whole orthodontic process, things become less concerning and the novelty wears off to some degree. Haven't really had anys questions or anything interesting to contribute lately!

[Sassyyy]

I just turned 23, i'm a girl and I'm super worried about this exact same thing! I guess it's just a vanity thing but I don't know if I could bare dealing with a new relationship in the middle of my braces treatment. All in all I mean if the person really likes you they won't care about your braces but still I feel like it's a little weird, haha, I'm probably overreacting.

[Dee17]

Yeah, I think you're over-reacting but it's totally normal. I'm quite a bit older than you (54) and believe it or not, this was something I was VERY worried about. My husband died about 6 years ago and back in the summer I was just starting to think about dating again and then whammo- all this stuff happened with my teeth. But I started a new relationship about a week before I was going to get my braces put on. I was very worried about telling him that this was going to be happening but when I did, he was totally cool about it. I honestly wouldn't worry about it if I were you. Like most people on this forum say, any guy who wouldn't be interested in you just because you're wearing braces is probably not someone you'd want to have as a permanent fixture in your life anyway. Good luck!