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stokie66 wrote:i went for my consultation not so long ago and i hated it in the waiting room where there were about 3 or 4 adults with there little kids next to them i could see them looking as if to say whats that man doing here surely he carnt be getting braces at his age, felt really awkward oh well got go through it again when i actually get them on, any1 else feel embarrased the same way
Don't you worry about it; you've got just as much right to be there as they have ! For all they know (if they think about it at all, which they probably don't) you could be waiting for your son or daughter anyway.
And now I’m going to confess. I have a bit of a guilty conscience about this, because the thing is: I rarely go in the waiting room myself. When I turn up at my ortho's I usually have up to 3 kids with me (also all undergoing treatment), and we’re very often either ushered straight into a treatment room or asked to hang around reception for a few moments until a treatment room is free. That way no-one in the waiting room knows we’re there so they can’t see we’ve queue-jumped. Very naughty I know, but I’ve never asked for such preferential treatment, honest !
If we do go in the waiting room, though, it can be quite a social occasion because we’re quite likely to see someone we know, since the ortho treats nearly all the local schoolkids. I sometimes wonder if I might feel embarrassed if I didn’t have an “alibiâ€
jjs34748 wrote:Americans and their teeth, while yes their is pressure to have that butiful perfect smile, most of us do not put ourselves through this for that reason,
Me me me!!!
Pure vanity here!
I have absolutely no reason to have braces other than that I want to look pretty for my wedding!
Many many many people I know get braces for just appearance.
There is definitely a HUGE pressure in North America (not just the states, I'm in Canada) to have perfect teeth. I don't know that it's different in other countries, but my friends from Europe definitely seem to think that there is less pressure over there to have "chicklet teeth"
As a European living in the U.S., I can say in my experience, there is a LOT more pressure here to have perfect teeth. My teeth were the norm back home but when I came to America, people used to stare at me in slack-jawed amazement at the horror of my crooked teeth (ok, not quite but you get my drift.). When I consulted an orthodontist as a kid, I was told my teeth were nicely unique! Ha! And orthodontic treatment was free then where I lived! If I lived in the U.S., I would have had my smile fixed well before now, bite issues or no bite issues.
As I see it, there is no shame whatsoever l in wanting to have straight teeth for purely aesthetic reasons.
As for the waiting room, in my 11 months of treatment, I have only once encountered a child in my orthodontist's surgery, but my doctor is well known for treating adults. I guess I am just lucky!
I think it really depends on the "culture" in the country, honestly. When I went to private schools, EVERYBODY I knew had braces, whether or not they needed them. In high school I was literally the only person who didn't have them, and probably the only person who really needed them! But being at a private school, these were mostly wealthy kids. When I lived in poorer neighborhoods and went off to college, I met a lot more people with not-perfect teeth. Personally, I think some crookedness is cute/sexy, but I would say the 'cute/sexy' point is a lot lower here than in other places. I was always very conscious of my gaps. I thought that crooked was okay, but gaps were icky. I think that's one of those beauty standard things here... In any case, I don't think there's anything wrong with getting them for looks, and adults shouldn't be ashamed to be in the waiting room. It's a little strange at first, but you're paying for treatment too, right?
jjs34748- I didn't really mean that it's all about aesthetics, rather, you're more likely to see Americans with a straight white set of teeth than elsewhere, and that's generally what people would like to have their teeth look like. Certainly I can't generalise the whole population by tv programmes, but I never see anyone on American shows that don't have the same looking teeth- that is, veneer-like and white. For example, Simon Cowell has changed his teeth for Hollywood, but back home, he usually gets teased for his unnatural smile.
Like I mentioned, it's really stereotypes, like those of British teeth being bad, but I do think there is some truth to the fact that what is perceived as the optimum smile in America is much different to Europe, or elsewhere. It's not meant to be offensive, it's just different societal perceptions.
No offense taken here, everyone has their own reasons to do the things they do. I don't fault anybody for doing this at all, heck, I'm on my second shot in adulthood.
! For all they know (if they think about it at all, which they probably don't) you could be waiting for your son or daughter anyway.
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