More to a face than teeth?

[seriousthinker]

Hi,

I have my first consult tomorrow, yay, eek!! It has got me thinking (serious thinker, thinking, what??? Lol).

Perhaps this is the wrong place to ask but I feel that because my imperfection has haunted me most of my life, it is far more obvious to me. My teeth are crooked, no doubt about it, but do I feel people looking at them more than they actually are? I ask this because right now I'm worrying that rather than the beacon I feel I have in my mouth at the mo drawing attention, braces are going make that 10x worse

Do people really notice/care if they see braced teeth or am I blowing it out of all peoportion by dreading it. I just feel like once they're off I can be normal, better than normal even.

Sorry if it doesn't make sense.

ST

[VA5]

I'll be honest.. how old are you? If you are young, nobody is going to pay attention to your braces. If you are older (as in, are you an adult), then yes people will probably pay attention to your braces. They won't "stare" at them probably but I know for me, I do notice when adults are in braces and I don't think they are particularly attractive on adults.

However, it's the end result you should be shooting for. Nevermind that people will be thinking, wow and adult in braces. I feel much less self-conscious w/the braces in, now that my teeth are not so protrusive anymore, than i did before the braces, when i always felt so self-conscious w/my protrusive mouth. I hated it so much. So, I personally feel so much better with the braces on, compared to before w/o them, b/c they have actually done their job so far. Hope this makes sense.

[seriousthinker]

Thank you for your reply! I'm 25 years old so in the middle really. When I see other adults in braces (although not many here to be honest) I don't adore the look but it doesn't bother me either. I must be so vain as I'm just thinking of me and how I will look . I don't want people the think yuck.

I do feel that once I get to the stage where I still have braces on but my teeth appear straight I'll feel better looks wise. It's just the start that I have to try to develop a thick skin and get myself over.

[BraceFace2o1o]

Hi seriousthinker,

Sorry I can't really offer advice as I am pretty much at the same stage as you (not yet in braces, at the consultation stage)... but I just wanted to say good luck at your consultation tomorrow! it's finally arrived

I think what you are feeling is normal though. I am the same. I have gone through all sorts, one time I was thinking I can't wait and who cares what other people think, then I'm thinking oh my God! and start worrying what others will think/say... but I wont let it put me off!

I see it as at least once they are gone I will have straight teeth and as long as I wear my retainers I shouldn't ever have to go through this again!

[fosterp]

People generally think others notice them more than they really do.

In short, you might think something will draw attention but unless your sporting a clown costume people aren't going to notice.

[sadpanda]

I think people notice them a lot, but I think it's because I would notice braces right away because I have them.

Sometimes, I don't mind if people notice, but it is easier meeting someone who never saw you with naked teeth, because then they think the braces are just a natural part of you.

However, I went to a wedding this weekend and this woman at my table kept asking me questions that were definitely geared toward a teenager and it had to be because of my braces which are pretty noticeable because they're metal and have dark blue, blue, and light blue ligs. I also refused wine and only drank Coke. It was kind of funny. I couldn't decide whether I liked being treated younger because I'm nearly 30 or if I really wanted her to know I was an adult.

[SilverGirl]

I know exactly what you mean! I wondered, too, if it was going to be worth having noticeable braces for a year to fix something that a lot of people never noticed about my teeth.

I've had my braces for almost 6 weeks, and I can say that YES!!! It is worth it! I've had a crooked, overlapping front tooth for the past 20 years, and it has already straightened out. I can't tell you how thrilled I am - even though a lot of people never noticed the tooth, *I* knew it was there and it made me feel like my smile was a little bit goofy. So even though I'll still have them on for 11 more months to straighten it out further and correct a bite issue, I already am so happy to be rid of that goofy tooth that it is totally worth it.

So I think that if it is something you think about and feel self-conscious about, it is worth being even *more* self-conscious in braces temporarily in order to fix it for good! (I have no idea if that even made sense, but I hope you know what I mean!)

[Snowglobe32]

Hi,

Do people really notice/care if they see braced teeth or am I blowing it out of all peoportion by dreading it. I just feel like once they're off I can be normal, better than normal even.


ST

People really don't care if you have braces. In my experience, the people I know, think it is a non-issue. As an adult, you are doing this because you are fixing something. It isn't a fashion statement or "my parents are making me..." kind of thing. The adults I have seen with braces, don't make a big deal about it. I think as adults, we are more confident with braces than most young teens. I know how expensive my braces are so I am not surprised that more adults have braces. I sometimes wonder how much their braces are costing.

Once you get your braces on, your confidence level will skyrocket. Even if you had no confidence issues before, people will notice a change in you. My friends and co-workers don't care that I have braces, they hardly remember I have them. My newest coworker didn't know for 3 months that I had braces! I kid you not. One day I complimented her on her teeth and she said, "Wait-how long have you had braces?" I said, "Almost a year.." and she never noticed until then. Maybe because I have ceramic on top and metal on bottom.

Most people have actually shared with me things they do not like about their own teeth. One co-worker had braces and another one had her son and daughter in braces (she would love them herself), they are always interested in what is going on, asking about my appointments, wanting to see my progress. My co-worker said that she loves what braces can do for a smile and that is why she is so intrested.

If anyone notices my braces, it is those who have already had them or knows someone who does/did have braces.

Think of it this way, I have many friends of all different ethnicities...white, hispanic, african american...when I see my friends, do I automatically think, "Oh there is my hispanic friend Barb." No, I do not, I just see my friend Barb. So, why would someone say or think, there is my friend so and so with the braces????

Instead of dreading having to get braces, feel bad for those who want them, but can't afford them. Consider yourself lucky. In this economy, braces are a luxury for many people.

[Lynette]

Do you want someone looking at you thinking "Wow her teeth are bad. She needs to get her teeth fixed!" or would you rather someone thinking "Oh she's got braces! Her teeth will end up really nice and straight!"

[catgyrl]

My 14-year-old niece just went for her first consultation and will probably be getting braces due to overcrowding. She said she has to get all her cavities taken care of, and then get 4 teeth extracted. She's dreading all of it. I told her if her 42-year-old auntie (me) can get them, so can she. Poor thing... she's one of those girls who was always a tomboy who all of a sudden grew up into a very beautiful young girl; yet I've never seen her show her teeth when she smiles. I just cannot wait until she gets this started!

I agree with Lynnette - I'd much rather someone see that I'm fixing my teeth than think "Lord, she needs to do something with those things!" And NONE of my family or friends asks me one thing about my braces. They don't give a rat's patootie about them one bit.

[felicia]

Yes, people stare. It's just human nature...we're curious.
When I walk into a crowd, at a party for example, people will look for about 3 seconds and then they would not look anymore for the rest of the night.
Trust me, in about 4-5 months, when your teeth will be pretty much straight, you will smile much more confident than you ever did in your life.

[blackapple]

Honestly has time goes on I don't even notice the braces or feel embarrassed wearing them anymore. It's like they have become a part of me. When I first got them I was really anxious about them and constantly worrying that folks were staring at me. Just shy of two months with them I am starting to love my smile as my teeth are getting so much straighter. Things change weekly with my smile which inspires me to keep my head raised high and not feel embarrassed about a thing. You would be surprised but folks in the real word could really care less that you are wearing braces as an adult. It took me sometime to understand this. We are often our worst critic. To think I called my self Ugly Betty for the first day is proof of this.

[blackapple]

Forgot to add I find myself looking at everyones teeth and when I notice flaring an crooked teeth I often say to myself why don't they try to address that? I guess at some point folks were saying that about me as well. It's not a right but a privilege for me to go through this process and for that I will never be shameful about a thing.

[revontuli]

Seriousthinker, I was afraid of the same thing (and I'm 55!) but I've noticed that people actually treat me more nicely! Maybe it's my imagination, but since I got my braces on a month ago, store clerks have been downright bubbly toward me once they notice the braces (I can see them looking at my mouth. ). I've even found myself feeling kind of proud and independent about it, which is something I never thought I'd feel (I originally wanted to just stay home for 2 years and not go out).

[BraceFace2o1o]

Hey seriousthinker, how did your consultation go? I hope it went well