Metal Mouth Message Board

Did any of you get braces or invisalign for primarily cosmetic – not functional – reasons? How did you ask your dentist about it without feeling embarrassed? Why did you decide to get them, and how long did you end up wearing them? Did you experience any unexpected facial changes? (People with severe overbites and underbites often experience significant changes in the appearance of their jaw and chin after correcting those issues, but I’m curious about the facial changes experienced by people who didn’t have any major functional issues to correct in the first place).

My teeth are mostly straight. I have some tiny functional issues I could fix, but it's definitely not bad enough that it's a necessity. If I ever decided to get braces in the future, a big factor in my decision would probably be cosmetics. Besides cost, one of my biggest hesitations with this is that I don't want to look vain or nitpicky. I've also seen multiple people whose teeth take on an overly perfect appearance after getting braces (almost completely leveled, flat, perfectly straight and a little unnatural looking) and that worries me too.

Anyone willing to share their experiences with this? If you got braces for primarily cosmetic reasons, how do you think your experience differed from those who need them for medical purposes?

I didn't 'need' my braces but have always had my own demons about my less than perfect teeth. I approached my regular dentist for her advice and she couldn't have been more helpful in suggesting an orthodontist and encouraging me to investigate options. Correcting issues with my teeth now means I'll be less susceptible to the issues my parents are facing now in their 60s so I see it as a preventative measure as well as for my own vanity.

Most people's reactions on finding out I have braces are that I didn't need them and they'd never noticed issues with my teeth but everyone has accepted that it's my choice and very little discussion has gone on from there, apart from those that are interested in doing it themselves, they have loads of questions!

I'd say go for a consultation and make an informed choice on what's right for you. Don't let other people's opinions bother you.

I really don't think it's all that uncommon. My dentist told me I didn't need braces, and I wasn't embarrassed to tell the orthodontist that I wanted braces purely for cosmetic reasons. He explained that it would also fix my bite so that was an added bonus. I've seen people who have had better teeth than I originally had get braces too just to fix a couple of small details that they didn't like.

I work as a dental assistant so I see teeth every day.....which was one of the reasons why I decided to get braces. Plus I have moderate crowding of my lower teeth and a crossbite. I guess I should have had braces when I was younger but my parents couldn't afford them. So I decided to do them now! Big decision but I am glad I decided to go with it.

I think a lot of people get braces for purely cosmetic reasons, even if their teeth are not that bad to begin with.
For me, the way my teeth looked was the main factor in getting braces, even though I do have an overbite that will need to be corrected.
If you want straight teeth, I would go for it. The orthodontist surely will not judge you - I would think that most of their clients go in for purely cosmetic concerns.

nobody is going to judge you, orthos are making money from this. there are all kind of surgeries that are done for only cosmetic reasons. it is a great issue to feel comfortable in your body and sometimes the discomfort from your appearance can be worst from the discomfort from the functional issues. i have lip incompetence, and it bothered me much some years ago but i got used to it. but i never got used with the look of my teeth. i just didn't want to spend another day with that smile and i am glad for my decision.

Heck yes! I'm a slave to vanity! At 45, I could have spent the $6K on a new set of perky breasts. Instead, I chose a new smile.

All jokes aside, dental professionals are in the teeth fixing business so I'm sure they are used to prospective patients feeling uneased about the whole braces being a cosmetic thing. I don't think they will judge you any differently. My only advice is that if you do decide on being fitted one day, do your research thoroughly. Better result means you'll likely have to spend more.

My teeth are still in treatment but I can definitely say that the pros of braces definitely outweighs the cons. Of course, your facial will slightly change because your teeth are now in their correct position. Moving teeth deals a lot with also moving jaw bone. So there'll be small changes, though not too drastic...unless you undergo jaw surgeries to correct functional issues.

I can't speak for others but my treatment has been pretty smooth and relatively easy thus far. I can't wait for this to be over as I'm pretty excited to smile without waving my hand over my mouth.

I'll be honest, I went Invisalign over braces for purely cosmetic reasons. However, that's not why I started treatment - I had some pretty bad lower crowding that was getting worse over the years and was becoming very difficult to keep clean. I realized that I was pretty much at the point that if I didn't do something about it soon I'd start to have perio problems in the future.

I hoped to be an Invisalign candidate for a number of reasons (more discreet, easier to deal with, less pain, etc) but figured I probably wasn't (as I'd been told in the past I wasn't) and was going to resign myself to ceramic if I had to. Thankfully, I found out that I was a candidate and jumped in.

However, either way it as pretty obvious I needed treatment - current dentist referred me to my ortho.

I don't see any reason to not ask your dentist for a referral if there's something you want fixed, even if it's cosmetic.