Improve Oneself?

Message

#1 Post by **amychelle** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 1:30 pm

I think I know what everyone's (or almost everyone's anyway) to this will be, but

Why did you get braces?

(Besides the obvious fact that your teeth were not straight!)

I have recently started my "Improve Myself" journey. I have had plans to get my teeth (er, it's really just one tooth out of line) fixed for a few years (I'm 26.) Last fall I ran into back problems and had to have surgery to remove a disk in December. In March I had LASIK surgery so I could stop wearing glasses (although I loved my ColorBlend contacts in Hazel!) And now begins the braces journey.

I guess part of what I'm asking is - Does anyone else feel guilty about spending "unnecessary" money on self improvement projects such as this?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hurting for money, but there are other things that I could be paying off or using it on such as student loans, credit card bills, a home, a car that is reliable... etc... Braces are definatly something I have to budget for. I did get off lucky there though. 6-8 months in Braces with my share of the cost being approx $900. (or $66/month for a year)

#2 Post by **momof2grlz** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 1:53 pm

My journey is self-improvement - but it's not really based on cosmetic reasons. My teeth were pretty straight but my overbite was starting to cause some damage. Most people see my braces and ask why I got them since my teeth were straight.

I don't really feel guilty because I'm fixing a problem that could have resulted in tooth loss. I might have felt guilty about spending the money ($4,900) for purely costmetic reasons, but if you've got it and it makes you feel better about yourself, go for it.

If my treatment time cost was only $900, I would have done it in a heartbeat even if it was purely cosmetic. A small price to pay for a killer smile in my opinion.

Chris

#3 Post by **nahky** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 4:00 pm

Have a look-see of this thread

viewtopic.php?t=4929&highlight=&sid=2b6 ... eefdbff6e4

#4 Post by **Attagirl2** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 4:16 pm

Amychelle, you think this was for cosmetics, but don't kid yourself. In about 20 years that one little tooth that was slightly out, would be joined with several others and the original one would be worse - trust me, I know.... And since you had some kind of help with the payments, it would only make sense to get it done now. You never know when the company will drop adult ortodontics (mine did) or you have to move on to another company which doesn't cover adult ortodontics....

Glad you were able to get it done now. Best wishes on your braces journey.

#5 Post by **TuZZi** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 8:52 pm

I got braces because I was sick and tired of people not taking me seriously because I had screwed up teeth. I've had one of my front teeth severely sticking out and crooked since the age of 8. I got ridiculed CONSTANTLY at school, and I heard "why don't you just get braces" on a daily basis. Unfortunately, eventhough most of it would have been covered through my dad's Government of Canada dental plan, the cost still would have been too much for us to handle at the time, since my mom was off work at the time being as well.

As I got older, I was a fat kid, so I didn't really care about my teeth, as I got bugged about the fatness first, and the teeth second. I wanted the braces again around grade 11, but since I live where I do, the ortho wasn't able to take on any new patients as his 4 days here a month were already swamped with patients he'd had for a while already... so I had to wait even longer. Eventually I just lived my life and didn't really care.

So fast forward to now, I'm 26, and getting my braces 3 days ago, was a journey that actually started again, a year and a half ago! Yes, a year and a half from my initial consultation with the new orthodontist, the x-rays, the impressions, everything. I never thought the day would finally come.

Now that I have the braces, I can't wait for them to come off because they are chewing up my cheeks and I can't chew even the simplest, softest things without pain. I know it will ease off as the days go by, and I'll be a pro in no time, but I have a feeling there's gonna be a LOT of days ahead where I'm going to want to rip them out! haha

#6 Post by **giantfigure** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 9:04 am

I had to get them to better my SMILE. Always looked at other people and though...I wish I could have had straight teeth and pretty smiletoo. I would put any amount of money for it!!!

For me...Life is a long journey (Oh I am mere 27 now

), and a pretty smile is an asset I want to acquire as early as possible!

#7 Post by **MadeIn1984** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 10:05 am

I LOVE to smile! Love it. My teeth were never horribly crooked, but they always could've used some work.

I work with kids from about ages 4-12, and you all know how really honest some of these kids can be.

Especially the little ones. Every now and then I'd have a kid tell me "Why is that tooth sticking out more than the other one?" or "Your teeth are crooked." That last comment really made me think about investing in some braces. Yes, it made seem odd that some kids would drive me to do so, but they're a lot more honest than many adults I know.

Now that I have braces, the kids say "Wow, cool!' lol They think it's cool that I have a bunch of metal in my mouth and many of the older ones tell me that they can't wait to get braces of their very own.

I owe much of my decision to the kids I work with and I appreciate their "help", too. It was what I was thinking the whole time - they just happened to say it out loud! lol

Also, amychelle, lots of what we do for our bodies is not "unecessary" self improvement. Most of it isn't, anyway. Almost every form of self-improvement is a good thing, as long as it's benifitting your health. I congratulate you for starting your journey on the road to self-improvement! You'll be a better person for it in the end and feels tons better, too!

Website · #8 Post by **alexa** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:42 am

Well, although the reason I probably did it was purely cosemetic, my dentist told me that my teeth's positioning was ruining my oral health. The crowding made it difficult to nearly impossible to floss, I got tons of cavities. My canines, which were raised and out of my arch weren't being used to chew at all, so other teeth were getting worn down by chewing they were not designed to handle and there were other reasons too.

Even with all of that, I never listen to medical professionals and I hate going to the dentist, general practitioner, eye doctor, dermatologist or even school nurses. They just make me nervous, so their advice probably wouldn't steer me to a decision. I mainly set out on the journey because they bothered ME. The appearance, the way they felt...everything.

I also had one of those little kid run-ins too. I work at a tourist attraction and a little boy and his mother came up to the box office to buy a ticket. After a minute or two he looked up at me and said, "Does it hurt to have your teeth up there like that?"

His Mom tried to yell at him, but I just smiled an embarrassed smile and said, "Nope. Feels just fine!" It really kinda hurt my feelings though. Strange how a 6 year old boy could hurt a 21 (at the time) year old's feelings...but he did.

#9 Post by **mackenzie** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:52 pm

I want straight, perfect teeth. Plain n simple.

The medical stuff I don't really care about, its like a bonus.

The more I think about it, I think it might be better I'm getting braces at an older teen age (16) I think when I'm done I'll be more likely to always wear my retainers and everything then if I was younger since I wont be taking nice teeth for granted.

Mon Sep 05, 2005 2:25 pm

Changed dentists because we moved house and he opened up a whole new world of possibilities. He mainly started talking about the treatment because of my poor bite and some underlying bone damage; but I'm not kidding myself on this - the main motivation for me is really cosmetic. I'm finally putting behind me the painful memories of being called "Bugs Bunny" all through school (hard for me to even type that - very painful memories!!!!).

Anyway I'm now a 43 year old kicking herself for not having done this years ago.

#11 Post by ***hotslinthesun*** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 9:49 pm

My main motivation for getting braces was purely cosmetic, however my dentist was very excited because of the health benefits and better oral hygiene that comes with straight teeth. I do however feel the guilt about spending such a large sum of money on improving my looks. Especially since I'm still a student my fiancee is left footing most of the bill. I know it doesn't bother him because he was the one who suggested I get my teeth straightened before our wedding, but I can't help feeling a bit guilty. I just keep telling myself that money is money, it comes and goes. If you are in the financial position of being able to afford braces you might as well do it. I don't think that I'll be on my deathbed wishing that I had spent the money on something else.

#12 Post by **yiiiikes** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 10:57 pm

i agree wholeheartedly with you, mackenzie. i am 17, and i just got my braces a little less than a week ago. i wanted them, so that i can have nice, straight teeth and a better smile. i think if i had gotten braces a few years ago, i wouldn't have cared as much and probably wouldn't wear my retainer often, or brush good enough (i have ceramics!) as i would/do now.

#13 Post by **Gigabite** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 11:36 pm

I share many of the motivations posted so far.
For me, I recently went through a period of extreme upheaval. I quit my job of five years, moved back to Australia and began my Masters degree.

I decided to get healthy and get gorgeous while I'm here and fixing my teeth is something I have always wanted to do. Especially since my chosen profession involves lots of public speaking. Hopefully I'll have these braces off by the time I start working full time.

I feel very guilty sometimes about spending so much money on myself but then again, it's my money and I worked hard for it!
I'm sure I'll still be the same person when I get my braces off, just a little bit more confident.

#14 Post by **Evelyn** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 9:07 am

Yiiiikes and Mackenzie, I, too, am happy that I got my braces at an older age. I see many people at school who had braces when they were younger for a long time, then didn't wear their retainers and now they have them again. Even though I am definatley in the minority, I think it's worth it because I take really good care of my teeth and I genuinly care how they turn out. One of my friends who had braces a while ago is always talking about how much she hated them and she never ever used to brush or floss or take care of them at all. I remember when she got them off, she didn't even care how her teeth looked, all she cared was that the braces were gone. Well, lo and behold she had ugly marks left where the braces were, and it just reminds me that sometimes it's not so bad getting them at an older age.