Self conscious about smiling with teeth prior to braces?

[Stef]

I am so self conscious about my smile, I never smile with my teeth.
I know a lot of us do that...
My question is, has that changed for you?
I feel like my toothed smile looks odd and fake because I never do it. I was curious if maybe someone else felt that way but with braces and the jaw realignment that comes with it, is your toothy smile more natural now?

Hope that makes sense...

[Henrietta]

Interested in the responses too because one of the reasons I have gone for braces as an adult is to eventually have a beautiful natural smile.

[Plumcore]

YES! My God, you have no idea. As soon as i got braces i was all grins ALL the time. It was crazy. It was like..i didn't care that my teeth were crooked anymore, because i was finally doing something about it. So yeah, HUGE difference.

[Timetoshine]

Yep I agree- better to smile big knowing you are doing something about your teeth, than smile and sorta hide them because you are procrastinating

[TrustGodAuburn]

I agree, after the first couple of weeks, I started noticing I was smiling a genuine "all teeth" smile more than I have done in my whole life. I have always smiled with my lips closed, there is hardly a picture of me with my teeth showing. I found it incredibly hard to even smile for my dental "before" pictures and could not even do a decent looking natural "all teeth" smile for those pictures. But now, I find myself doing it all the time (not for pictures, but in conversation).

[redwine]

Pre-braces I smiled with my hand in front of my mouth or with teeth hidden. Now, even with full metal braces I'm smiling soooo much more, and much more confidently.

[JeniK]

I agree with everyone! I, too, would hide my smile with my hand...or just a smile without my teeth. Now that I have braces....I smile WITH teeth all the time!! And a real smile..makes me feel happier...if that makes sense!

[agrace90]

I never smiled showing teeth. Now being 5 months in I try to smile with teeth. I'll usually smile without teeth half the time while taking a set of pictures and then open and smile with teeth for some of the pictures so if I don't like my teeth showing I just pick the picture with my teeth not showing. There have been times where I actually prefer the teeth pictures. It's totally awkward to me, but everyone comments like oh look your teeth are great or something positive. Just keep doing it, it will eventually come natural.

[Stef]

Interesting! I'm glad to hear this. )))

[Beckley816]

I've been hiding from cameras since I was in like 6th or 7th grade and I am now 25. I cannot wait to start my treatment In 9 days!!!!! I'm pretty sure I won't be able to stop smiling!!

[Dirigible]

I've been smiling like mad before, and I still do - doesn't make a difference for me, except for the first couple of days when I was naturally a bit self-conscious.

[BracesB4Thirty]

I was quite the opposite, I smiled all the time before I had braces. Once I got braces, smiling the forst few months was difficult as I was very conscious about them. But after 3-4 months with braces, after getting used to them I was all smiles, especially because my teeth were getting straighter. Now I smile all the time, cant wait for the final result...

[Stef]

I am WAY less self conscious about my smile now that I have braces. Before, when I was laughing or smiling big, and noticed, I would instantly try to stop. Now that I have braces, I don't bother. If I had straight teeth, I wouldn't have braces to begin with. Lol

I can't wait to see my after- even if it is 2 years away. Lol

[Matilda]

I'm still self-conscious about my smile. I hope this will change when my braces come off.

[LawStudentBraceFace]

I smile a lot more with braces than I did before without... this is regardless of the fact that I now have a gap because of an extraction (incisor) I had done...

I think it's because I'm practicing for when I do have a pretty smile? lol