relationships\ confidence

[BrokenSadieBell]

Has your teeth prevented you from pursuing the peson u like?

[belistic10]

no it hasnt but i have a longterm partner of over7yrs, now engaged. He has never cared that my teeth arent perfect, his arent either and i think its actually more me thats bothered by them not anyone else. If anyone is shallow enough to care if you have braces or if your teeth arent perfect before braces than in my opinion they are not worth having as a partner! someone will love you for how you are and nothing else will matter

[BrokenSadieBell]

that's awesome congrats! unfortunately i was in a long term relationship and well it didnt work out... and sometimes i think it's because i had bad teeth and not attractive enough . sometimes i wonder what he really thought of me but too late now cuz we're no longer together. It's gonna be 1 month w braces and i'm hoping my confidence grows little by little. thanks your advice.

[BBQ Grill]

Yeah, bad teeth does SAP your confidence away.... Speaking from my own experience... From middle school to my early twenties I was always a confident n out going person.... Then when my wisdom teeth erupted side ways n pushing my other teeth ever which way. As the years pass n my teeth getting crookeder I've notice that I've been really self conscience about my smile n losing more n more confidence in myself....

[BrokenSadieBell]

Yes its not a good feeling and it ruled over my life completely for years. I stayed in a bad relationship for years bcause I thought thts all i deserved. I hve a date this fri and hope it goes well :-)

[DorkieDiva]

When I first got my braces I was a little self conscious. You have to remember that you have braces to improve your smile. That thought makes me a little more confident than I was before I got the braces.

[belistic10]

yep definately bad teeth ruin your confidence, but i am sure the breakup had nothing to do with anything like that it probably just feels that way if you are already self conscience. I am sure you are attractive your just being hard on yourself, i know i have done the same thing for many years putting myself down, but i am glad i am getting them fixed now so i can be more confident and just happier with myself. Your smile is going to look fantastic when your finished goodluck for your date too
dorkiediva is right too, i think i am even more confident already now than i was pre-braces and once more changes happen i know that will grow. Hang in there

[BrokenSadieBell]

yeah sometimes i get really happy and i smile but i forget my teeth are not straight! lol! don't wanna scare anybody. awesome thanks! we're going t the movies on fri . i'll be a late movie too ;D
it sucks that society tells us we're not attractive if we don't have straight teeth...i was never teased but i'm sure people wondered why i never got braces...i know i'd think the same as them. Just no money when i was younger. I felt very discouraged, after going to 2-3 appointments my dad kept on telling me t find the cheapest orthodontist...i felt like he didnt want to pay for them. i didnt have the money but he did... So now that i'm older i finally did it myself, he suggested i'd do the same again but i stopped him, told him i was going t do it my way. i wasn't going to find anything cheaper than 5,000 for a 2year treatment... i'm so happy i finally got something i wanted for more than 20 years!!!

[CountessDeSangre]

I feel like my teeth hasn't PREVENTED me from pursuing a man but at the same time I feel that if things didn't work out, it was because my teeth were so horribly crooked that it made me unattractive.

Self esteem problems notwithstanding, I continued on with my life, got myself some braces and slowly getting straighter teeth and I'm now pursuing a different man. Whether or not anything happens there remains to be seen. Regardless the straighter my teeth get the better I feel about myself.

Clearly I have been nicely brainwashed by societal dictates of beauty.

[BrokenSadieBell]

my self esteem has gone up a tad bit. i have more confidence w my braces on...i'm basically learning how t smile because i never really did it w.out feeling like covering my mouth. Good luck w. dating it's so tough . New experiences are always welcomed

[ArchWired28]

I am happily married and my husband is totally OK with my braces (my TMJ pain really improved since I got braced and he's happy for me). But I am pretty sure that if I was dating, it would not have bothered me either. I think if you love and accept yourself "as is", braces should not ruin your self-confidence. If you don't.... well... this is a great opportunity to start!

[MetalMouf]

I'm self conscious about my braces...Only had them one month. Strangely enough 3 days after getting braced I went to a bar with my husband and some friends, and I was hit by more people than I ever had been in my entire life. Maybe crippling insecurity works for me.

My hubby is sweet and he doesn't care. He thinks its cute and like that I look young and vulnerable.

I do still have those "Oh Lord, what the hell did I do!!?" panic moments though.

[purity3d]

I also actually feel more confident now. I wouldn't smile or cover my mouth before. I've had my braces for seven months and they have improved a LOT (it wasn't that bad to start with). I'm learning how to smile too! :D