Metal Mouth Message Board

I need tips on how to smile properly!! I honestly have not smiled showing teeth for as long as I can remember, if ever.... And I just can't get it right!!!?

I feel like I'm trying too hard or over thinking it or something! Also i feel like my lips go higher than they would without the brackets there.. So maybe thats it, but my own husband says that my current "go to" smile looks creepy :/ lol... I need help!!!

Your best braces smile is going to feel different from your eventual beautiful teeth smile, so it may not be worth worrying about it too much right now. If it really seems worthwhile to you, though, you should do what models and actors do and practice in front of a mirror, or take selfies/videos so you can see how you look to the rest of the world.

Haha, well that's exactly what I've been doing.... My "best" practiced smile was the one my husband said looked creepy LOL..... I REALLY hope my debraced smile is lovely cos its just not happening for me at the mo

I'm sure it's not as bad as he said Although it can be a bit frustrating when our significant others don't appreciate our braces issues (a whole other post!), one thing they are good at is sniffing out a fake smile. They love the real us! Anyway, I am sure you will both enjoy getting to know your new, beautiful smile.

My BF is not the most compassionate man and doesn't understand or want to be involved in my braces journey. Don't get me wrong, he's got his good qualities and that's why I'm still with him. Hahaha Anyways, it's hard to smile a nice smile when your teeth are constantly changing. I say just keep smiling as what comes naturally to you...don't force it because anyone can know a fake smile a mile away. I had a nice smile before braces, I just didn't smile much because I was self conscious. Now I can't wait to take photos and really smile showing my teeth in braces and all.

I lice smiling for pictures. I hope braces won't be a setback.

As I mentioned in another post, smiling widely is the best disguise for braces. People really don't realize you have braces! They don't even care! But they do notice a reluctant smile, that draws attention to your mouth I suppose, and they wonder what you are hiding in there or if you have all of your front teeth missing or something. I agree with Freyja and her insights. It draws their morbid curiosity. I think a better term over "creepy" would be "transitioning" in terms of your smile. The psychological impact of braces is huge, at least in my own experience and in reading the stories of others here on the forum. I met Kipepeo through this forum and of course she was extremely supportive since she was just finishing her treatment two and a half years ago, so I was fortunate in that regard (and many others, of course )

A picture taken on Saturday night (where I consciously remembered to actually smile showing my teeth as I never have in 50 years and forgot in the first one taken!) made me look like a complete weirdo! Hopefully i'll get used to it...lol

T xx

Just go for a completely natural wide smile and honestly no one will care about your braces. I think we all, consciously or unconsciously sometimes try to hide our braces and it doesn't work so just forget about it and smile away!

I've got to agree with the group here: I big smile is the best you can do. If you try to cover them up, people will notice something weird and look more closely. The best disguise really is to hide in plain sight! The added bonus of this, is the people that take notice may also take notice of the progress you are making.

the thing for me is that I've never, ever done a wide smile! Certainly not showing any toothage...it's going to take some getting used to!

T xx

I've had my braces on for 5 days and haven't got used to smiling yet. My normal wide smile feels weird because my lips either stick below or above the brackets in an unnatural position. I'm seeing a lot of friends tomorrow, most of which don't know yet I've gone ahead and had braces fitted so I'm nervous as to what their reaction will be!

I'm going to try and remember to not hide them though as I've always noticed other people doing that and wondered 'why are you hiding your teeth, I don't care', haha.

Definitely smile like you're not wearing braces. I tried to smile and hide them and in photos I look slightly crazy.

I know how you feel! I felt the same at first but now I actually find I'm smiling bigger than I used to and I'm far more confident with my smile in braces than I ever was before them. Just don't overthink it or try to hide your braces, be confident and proud that you're doing something fantastic for yourself and your smile will show that

I've had my braces on for almost exactly a year and I still haven't figured it out. I'm just hoping I'll figure out it once I get them taken off!