Metal Mouth Message Board

JumptheDitch

I think our differences are summarized in your statement:

"Please find something positive or supportive to say, or don't say anything at all."

Have you forwarded that requirement on to Lynn so she can include it in the Board Guidelines so all will be held to the same standard?

You know, it's funny about the whole metal/ceramic thing.

I did the ceramic braces back when I was 17-18 or so and that was when they were just starting to come out. Now, 20 some years later, here I am having to do this again, (another story in of itself!) and I decided to do the metal ones. The treatment time difference was not much, I just figured that if I am going to have to be almost 40 and have braces, well, heck.....just be it! I think that for some people, ceramics work & look great. You really can't see them if you are standing in line and the person is a couple of bodies up. I had never gone the route of all metal and figured I'd go with it!

I was at a restaurant on Sunday night and our server had braces. she was about 20 something I suppose, so not quite my age. (I'm old)
Her's were all metal, too. I was hesitant to say anything because of what we discussed in this thread, she smiled and I could tell that she noticed mine and wanted to say something, but didn't because she was in what I would call a professional situation. So I said something...I asked how long she was going to be sporting her smile. we chatted a moment about it and my wife piped up with this post board. She jotted down the info and probably will end up reading this post.....

So I think I am going to go ahead and make mention when it seems appropriate, and if I offend someone, I will apologize and shut up about it. I don't want to embarrass anyone afterall. Usually the adults won't be embarrassed....I say this now, but wait until someone points mine out in front of a bunch of people and I turn multiple shades of red! It'll happen!!

Hey, Paw....no offense, but can we just drop it and move on? I really don't mean this in a rude way, I just don't want to see this thread locked due to a disagreement of feelings. It is really a very good thread.....

Kiwi (and others who read my post about the school)-

A little clarification may help things.

1. "Abuse" is an American term for "tease" or "give me grief", in the context I used it. The kids like to ask me how much I spent on my shoes and things because they know I don't spend a lot and they think it is funny. Right now, given that I am trying to build a relationship with them, I'm not worried about it.

2. Many US schools are not very good, and this one is no different. The population is very "streetwise" and not used to structure. Furthermore, I teach what in the US is called "special education", which is for students with emotional disturbances or other disabilities. I won't even begin to explain the challenges of trying to get 15-year-old street smart boys with anger management problems to respect you. I go for anything I can get, and it takes time.

3. Some US schools are great, but some aren't, and some kids are "falling through the cracks." This is what I was facing on day one with 20 kids in "pre-algebra" for 9th graders:
To do any math at all, even basic addition, about 4 or 5 needed to
use their fingers, if they were not given a calculator.
At best, 75% can do basic multiplication, but fewer than 50% could
do any division
No one could convert the fraction 1/2 into a decimal
No one could add 1/2 plus 1/3
(If you want to get really depressed - in World History, no one had heard of Hitler, no one knew the Vice President's name, and they could not recognize the word "democracy" as a form of government)

You get the idea. If I can get any teaching across, whether it is related to current events or the price of my shoes, I'll do it, because the academic world for them is very different than for us.

As to the comment about letting the students ask me about braces, yes, I would do so, both to give us something to "join" about and to try to take the conversation toward topics more relevant to them. I would have no problem if another adult asked me a question, either, I'm just not into talking about them for no particular reason.

Not all US public schools are like this...some are superb. But in some areas, the money and commitment are not there.

For me it dont bother me if people ask me about my braces, i work in a restaurant so my braces are on show 8-10 hours aday to the general public.

On numerous times ive had customers ask me about my braces even kids,Had a table the other day (family with the there son) there son asked me about my braces because he was due to get them himself in afew months and he wanted to know how it all happend and if they hurt, had a lady a few months back just had her braces taken off she was telling me about retainers for when mine come off.

If someone ask me about my braces then i will gladly talk to them about my treatment, what i dont like is customers who stare at my mouth when i talk to them instead of looking at me.

Wow, Jay....Being in the environment that you are you must get a great deal of comments! It's probably easier to talk with people about it since you are on display all of the time.

When the braces first went on i was alittle shy showing them let alone talk about them.
Took me a good month to feel comfatable showing them that was only because my manager told me to smile more and just show them lol.

Took 2 months to feel comfatable talking about them, if customers said you have braces id just yes and walk off and serve someone else.

But now i could talk all day about them to customers or for as long as my manager tells me to get back to work lol.

I have had many people ask me about my braces. I have ceramics (top and bottom), many times people ask me, "What's that in your mouth?" without even realizing I have braces.

After reazling that I have braces, some have become embarassed after asking, but I just dismiss it. I gladly take it as a complement that someone would ask me what's in my mouth without even realizing its braces.

Also, as far as "your mouth being on display" I'm a nurse so I spend alot of time really up close and pesonal with my patients, some days I feel like my braces are all you can see and other days I don't mind them at all. I guess we just have good brace day/bad brace days. Ya know, like good hair days, etc...

Back to our original post, I don't think I have ever struck up a conversation with another braced adult. I have several friends that have braces and I feel very comfortable asking them about their treatment and checking out their progress.

ocean richard wonderful sweetheart flower sesame terrific

This is a really good thread!
For reasons that I don't yet understand,
I have the inadvertent "same shirt" emotional response to other adults in braces.
For some reason, I don't get this with children in braces.
And so, the comments are helpful to try to sort this out.
BTW, I also appreciate the comments from those with differing opinions.
It helps me spot similar attitudes in "real life".

I must be confused or it is too early in the morning....what does the message above sedona's mean?

That post looks like a string of curse words that've been changed by the word filter. Odd! Not sure why they would post something like that.