Any good Comebacks?

[gramsinbraces]

I'm 47 and getting braced, I'm proud of it , know it's going to hurt but will be worth it in a couple of years. Wondering if anyone has any good comebacks to people when they make there comments about my age and having braces. I just want to be ready with a good one . Thanks.

[ladylee]

I to wondered about that. Still haven't thought of anything. I am 47 and had my braces put on November 22, 2006, the day before Thanksgiving. I have been browsing this site for the past couple of months and finally decided to register. I think that it was a great idea to take pictures before starting and only wish I had thought of it. And, yes, they did hurt at first and for several times since then. The worst was the TPA which proceeded to move and embed itself in my palate. Anyway, if you do come up with some good comebacks, let me know.

[MsViola]

I am 36 and I have told several people that I plan on being alive and doing something in the next two years so why not let that be improving myself.

When I am being tacky, I tell them they are just jealous that I am able to afford to do something about my problem. (Only said that once, before I got them)

[Betty Bat]

I'm 54 and have had braces for over a year now. In all of that time, I've had only one unsolicited comment about my braces - it wasn't a mean one, it was just someone trying to be funny. I had one semi-rude comment from a friend (he said "it's about time").

So, don't be surprised it you DON"T get comments about your braces and your age. I didn't!

And, just in general, I think the best response to any type of rude and/or intrusive comment is still the blank stare and quizzical half-smile, with your head turned at a slight angle. If it's good enough for Miss Manners, it's good enough for me!

[gramsinbraces]

Hello, thanks for all the post! Nice to talk to someone around my age about braces,,I'm finding out I'm not alone. I also notice while shopping that I'm noticing more and more adults with braces. I even asked a lady that was working in Customer Service at a Walmart about her braces, she was more than willing to tell me about hers. Anyway I hope we can all stick together while we are making our changes for the better. Love the "Blank Stare" idea,,like to say "Whose to Old???" LOL

Have any of you had problems with the "LIgs", like are there any colors I should stay away from? I here they might stain or certain colors can make your teeth look more yellow?

[Lisa65]

I'm 41 and I get the p*ss taken out of me at work a little. My new nickname is Jaws but it's meant in fun so I just join in along with it. I've only had one semi-negative comment, when somebody said "why are you wasting all that money on your teeth when you could get run over by a bus or something and be dead in a year's time"

To which I replied "I want to look good at my funeral"

[ladylee]

I have to admit, there haven't been many comments. Those I've had were pretty supportive. However, one thing I found is that some people were afraid to say anything at all. I think they were more conscious of the braces than I am. My dentist told me I look like I'm in my 20's. Right!

[gramsinbraces]

Thanks everyone..loved hearing from you all, I've decided to have fun with this..that's what I did in 2003 when I joined Weight Watchers, to just have fun with it and it worked,,still down 50 lbs., so that's what I'm going to do with this too!!! Any of you brave the color "lig's"?? Any colors to stay away from that could stain?

[Betty Bat]

Howdy again,
There has been a lot of discussion about lig colors and staining. I can't comment too much on this because I don't have colored ligs - and I haven't had any real problems with lig staining. But, here's a link to a thread with one of the lig color (or colour, if you prefer!) discussions:
viewtopic.php?t=7057

[tcomeau]

This has only happened to me once, and I was really surprised when it did. I think I came back with "You must be kidding me. Did you not get to pull enough wings off of flies when you were a kid?"

I do get people who are surprised and curious. One kid (a classmate of my daughter's) was really shocked, because he didn't think braces would work on adults. I confessed that I was amazed they would work in adults, too, and we compared notes on which foods get caught in the wires.

tc>

[tommyfive]

i'm going to be traveling back to my company's home office after i've had my braces put on.

I know one woman at the office who opted to have her perfectly healthy, but 'snaggled,' adult canine extracted and an implant put in rather than to have her teeth straightened because she thinks braces make people look stupid. it's a personal choice as much as it is to get braces, but that work cost her as much as (dare i say more than) braces would have, and it was MUCH more painful than any account i've heard of orthodontic treatment; she was out for three days after the extraction, and again after the post was put in, and was miserable with pain for several days at work after each episode.

several of the folks in the office urged her to have no healthy teeth removed; that it would be better to keep them all, and even to wear braces for a year or two than it would be to spend the rest of her life dealing with an implant. she's only 23.

i've heard her talk about other adults wearing braces before and she ain't nice about it.

i want to do the right thing and bite my tongue (but not too hard with the braces on!), but i can't predict what will happen.

she's not shy about things like this, she's not one to hold back. what i expect her to say is 'you look stupid!' To that, i anticipate my response to be: 'perhaps, but it's better to look stupid than to be stupid; these come off in a year - how will you improve yourself in that time?' a la winston churchill... (Bessie Braddock: "Sir, you are drunk." Churchill: "And you, Madame, are ugly. But in the morning, I shall be sober.")

but being mean like that would be bad karma.

in reality i'll prolly just say 'it's too bad you feel that way,' and let her figure it out. it's just not my problem.

it ain't worth any more effort than that.

tommy

[tommyfive]

and it puts you at the same level as the person you don't like ...

the thing is that i don't dislike this person. to me even that would be bad karma.

but i do have a problem with how she treats others. it's a small office, and as a co-worker i worry (not too much) that it will come down on me (it has before). it's not as if she were my boss though...

she's a blast to hang out with, and very funny in and out of the office, but once something sets her off, she makes enemies fast.

if she gives me a hard time i'll gently put her in her place and then maybe i'll vent here.

be kind to people and you will sleep well.



t

[vlivings]

With a big grin, I tell people my braces are my GRILLZ and I am a trendsetter.

I had powerchains and loved getting colors. I liked the lavender ones the best, and did not have a problem with staining. emBRACE your braces and have fun.