Metal Mouth Message Board

Uhhh, I hate my braces. I liked my teeth more before I got them put on. I had an extra tooth which was pointy (still not sure if it were a baby tooth or a perm one) right in front beside my right big incisor with the the tooth thats suppose to be beside the right incisor (big front tooth) behind it instead. So when I got my braces on, I got that pointy tooth pulled, leaving a huge gap right in the front of my mouth. I was sure that he would start moving the back tooth forward immediatly, but he is still trying to make more room for it. On top of that, the two front teeth are layering on each other in which with the gap makes it look way worse.

I feel so hideous when I smile that I stopped smiling all together. When guys come up and talk to me they are cool untill I smile (I try so hard to keep my mouth closed, but its hard, I'm sure you all know that), then they get this look of disappointment and find a friendly way to stop talking to me. Its like they think "wow this pretty girl has some jacked up teeth, what a waste!"

Alot of people have told me that a nice smile makes or breaks you when it comes to appearing attractive to the opposite sex or anyone for that matter. My ortho assistant even said that a 10 can go down to a 6 if they have bad teeth. I am seeing someone now, but he admitted that when he first met me (we met at a party at this bar), he didnt see my teeth because I either didnt smile or it was too dark...he didnt notice the teeth untill our date, and he said he didnt like them but wasnt a big deal. However he would have given hitting on me a second thought had he seen my teeth. How rude right? Well...given my experience, most guys do think like that.

Yeah I know we area all trying to get our teeth straight, but what do you do when its taking forever and you look so hideous? Especially being single.

What does everyone think?

Relish in your braces! It will all be worth it in the end. You have to sacrifice a little now for the payoff in the future. I have even come to 'enjoy' the pain I feel when a tooth hurts! After all, it means that it is moving and it has to in order to make my teeth nice and straight. And....any guy that stops talking to you because of your braces or because of your teeth are crooked right now is a jerk and believe me, you are better off without that type of guy. I am a guy so I knoweth of what I speaketh! Hang in there dear, you are a prize now and will be even more so very soon!!

I agree completely with footpounds. Anyone who would not want to be with you because of something as minor as your teeth isn't worth your time.

I can totally sympathize with you. I'm a 42-year-old single female, and expect to have my braces on for 2 years (I'm only 3 months in now). I'll admit I was extremely self conscious with my metal braces, which is why I paid a little extra money and got clear upper braces. Yes, you can still see them in person, but at least they don't show up in pictures. I look worse smiling with my mouth closed than I do open!

Just think positively that you're doing something to better yourself, and when you're all done, you probably won't be able to stop smiling. Plus... you probably don't look as bad as you think you do.

Keep your chin up, girl!! We're all here for you.

-Cathy

Chapincita18 wrote:
What does everyone think?

Simple.

Think like you're thinking for a mere two years or the rest of your life.

Like a long drive or long flight.

Imagine never getting there.

I know how you feel- I do not like my braces at all. While they look ok on my teeth- they are positioned reallly high up and I have such a small mouth that it is hard to get my upper lip over them when talking or smiling, so I look like a total dork all the time. I am also single and I can't imagine a guy looking past my mouth to get to know me. At 29- I do not want to be single for the next year and a half.

That being said- I am still glad I went forward with this- I mainly got braces not because my bite is messed up ( I didn't even know that when I had my consult), but because I was so embarrassed of my teeth. Even though I am more embarrassed now, I know a day will come when I get these things off and it will be worth it.

So hang in there, its not like we have to wear braces for the rest of our lives!

Aww I totally understand you and had a couple experiences like you when I first got my braces on 2 years ago.

The first incident is when I was done working out at my college gym and walking out when this really good looking guy starting talking to me. I tried so hard not to show my teeth. At that time I only had brackets on and had just recently had extractions! Like you said, he found a nice way to back out! loll

Around that same time I told the guy I was kind of seeing that I was getting braces and he said he didn't like girls with braces. I did stop seeing him but because of other reasons.

I was also very self conscious for awhile but once you get used to the braces and start seeing improvement things get better. Trust me, the time goes by so fast. Plus you need someone who is going to accept you for who you are.

This is why I love this message board: its a place where I can at least relate to other people with the same problems.

I got over the initial embarrassment after a few days and I still walk tall and socialize without holding back my braces, but I've kinda come to accept that there's not going to be whole lot of female interaction going on for the duration of this treatment.

As an outgoing 24 yr old my favorite weekend activity used to be hitting up the bars and clubs in town but I've already come to dread them and even feel a little relieved when my friends opt out for a movie or a bonfire instead. I'm sure it's easier as a guy since guy's usually do the approaching, but it still sucks on this end (already). Haha I actually ditched the haircut for a shaved head a in an attempt to avoid attention and when a girl does start up a casual conversation I'll flash the braces a few times right away just to say "hey I have braces" - guess I'd rather not get that kind of intention at all than disappoint someone.

I guess I kinda try to look at this whole thing as an investment in my happiness, it sucks now but I'm sure I'll be happier (and more successful) in the long run. Maybe there should be a dating website for braced people - they can call it "Sparks"

my orthodontist extracted 2 of my upper bicuspids, while my canine was in the back behind the right bicuspid. while the gaps where the bicuspids were extracted have close, he didn't tie my canine to the braces until almost 9 months into the treatment.

basically my front teeth have had a huge gap on the right side that was very noticable. a black space where the canine should be made me not want to smile but i couldnt help it!

since i have braces i figure when i do smile people notice that i have them on so atleast its being fixed. it doesnt matter anymore. also the tooth is finally coming to the front after 3 months of being tied

I don't personally mind the braces, it's the staining that annoys me.

I have ceramics on the top and metal on the bottom

Bottom teeth always look white, top teeth generally always look yellow cos of the ceramics, stained ligs and excess glue.

I wish I just went with metal on both top and bottom, cos the discolouring in my eyes looks so much worse than the braces :/

afpilot313 wrote: Maybe there should be a dating website for braced people - they can call it "Sparks"

Oh, this is absolutely beyond classic.

I have actually seen this on a dating site once - something out in the Phillippines where they listed "braces" as one of the physical features along with eye color, hair color, height, weight, glasses, etc. (which is exactly how I consider it, just another physical feature). Maybe this exists on other sites also. I'm almost surprised it hasn't shown up on any USA dating site that I know about but I guess that shows how unimportant it is. People just don't care whether you have braces or not.. 99.44% of people will click "don't care", some will say "no", some will say "yes".

Oh, and those of yourselves who take yourself out of the dating scene because of braces ... please go out and circulate. Sorry but I just cannot imagine this. You are doing yourself and nobody no favors by staying holed up because of your braces. We need to go out and represent and show them we're out there. For me braces have accelerated my dating life but that's just me.

Now, as for me, I'm going to go off and make sparks with my girlfriend. We would never have even met if we didn't both have braces. She may have Damon brackets but we still get along.

the way i see it i was embarrassed of my teeth before i had braces, so i figured i might as well get them, if im gona be embarrassed either way at least with them im working towards the goal of the smile ive always wanted..
cant wait to get mine off someday, haven't smiled in a picture sense childhood, its almost still unreal to think that a few years from now i will be!