Metal Mouth Message Board

for my first time in braces, i had them on for 3 years, and i have not ONE photo of me showing my teeth...no one would ever tell from photos that i ever wore braces...and my closed mouth smile was not cute...it looked like something was trying to force its way out of my lips...

I never smile. I don't care though, I look like more of a hard ass.

I smile because it looks better than if I don't - that just looks like I'm pouting!

I had a photo taken for a programme (I'm performing in Beauty and the Beast the musical) and they photo-shoped out my braces so it looks great.

I have always tried to avoid having my photo taken whenever possible - being self-conscious about more than just my teeth - but when it is necessary to have a photo taken (usually because it would cause too much fuss to decline) I try to smile with my mouth closed. (and stomach sucked in, chin tilted down, etc. - see, it's too much work to be in a photo!).

I'm a smirker! I've never really smiled in photos only smirked! But in about 2.5 years I will be more than happy to smile!

Just thought that I would post the picture of me and my cousin of 1 year 7months taken today and yes I'm actually showing off my tin grin!

SDFD TSchott
Code 4

I just had braces put on yesterday, before I had braces I trained my mouth in a way I could smile and you wuldnt really notice how bad my teeth were, now that I have braces it highlights how bad my teeth are and are very noticable, at the moment I definately will not be smiling for photos, but as time goes by and my teeth straighten out I'm thinking I probably will smile.

I find I have a bigger smile now. I think its trying to move my lips past my brackets.

Mike

I have a lovely smile before braces and with braces. I smile in all my photos. When I talk to people they don't even see my braces. I have to say to them... I have in braces.

Yes, I always have done. Although this is because I can't smile with my lips together (lip incompetence) and my neutral face looks terrible (also down to the lip incompetence). Therefore I've always been a big smiler! I can't wait till I've had my surgery and I can manage a proper closed mouth smile.

I think that since I've gotten braces, I have more confidence and feel better about my smile (even though it's only been a month and a half), so I smile alot - even in pictures. I had school photos yesterday, and there will be a big smile with braces.
I can't wait to get them off though to smile all the time without the my lips getting caught on the hooks though!!

I smiled a lot before I got braces (tops on 09-26-06, bottoms in 4-5 mths?), but now I find that I smile even more... LOL Probably a combo of getting my lips off the brackets (I feel like I'm wearing a mouth piece for sports or something ) and proudly showing off my colors!

When I had braces, I smiled bigger than I ever did before them. I was proud of the way they made my teeth.

I had two friends who had braces and one always smiled with her mouth closed, but her mouth always looked really tightly pursed and strained, while the other would smile this big grin. Just from these two, I think I'll just relax and smile naturally.

I smile in my pics if its for something special.. most of the time I try to fight getting my pic taken at all. I always think people are staring at my gap. I don't know why. I know most people probably ignore it, but I can't help but feel self conscious. I can't wait to get my braces put on. A week and a half more and I'll probably start smiling more than ever.