Anyone else been called selfish!!??

[catgyrl]

For the life of me when I read the thread title I thought it said 'has anyone been called shellfish?' I thought to myself why would anybody call somebody else shellfish?

I have been called crabby - is that the same? LOL!

[Loztredders]

Haha the shellfish comment just made me laugh out loud!! I have been told I'm crabby when I first get to work in the morning, but well that's a different story.... haha

[Loztredders]

I also think people are right about the jealousy, that her younger Sis is taking the plunge into fixing her far less than perfect teeth, when she has similar dental issues to me, although hers may even be worse since she doesn't even visit a dentist for check ups anymore
oh well, nothing is going to put me off getting my teeth sorted anyway so I'm just gonna have to get used to people not understanding my need to do this. I know that I'll have teeth I can smile un-selfconciously with by the time I'm 24/25 and that's a good enough incentive for me to spend a few thousand pounds. And hey since I'm already 'selfish' I may just go wild and get the whole boob job, lipo, Botox....!! Lol..... Probably not though, I'm queasy enough thinking about my extractions

[Snowglobe32]

I think a lot of people just don't understand the specifics behind orthodontics. Before I got braces, I had no idea what a crossbite, underbite, over bite, or midline was. I did not know what could happen in the future if one does not have a proper bite.

Maybe when you get criticism from people, ask them if they want to know the reasons why you are getting braces. Explain how braces are going to help you, explain that although you are paying a lot now, point out the potential costs savings from not having to get implants, bridges, crowns, etc in the future, explain about the migraines, headaches and TMJ issues you deal with.

I think if you turn this into a learning experience rather than a "jealousy" issue, most people are interested. I had one coworker who asked why I had gotten braces, I asked her to open her mouth and bite down, I pointed out how her teeth sit perfectly on top of each other. Then I showed her my bite and how you could stick a skittle between my arches and my teeth still don't touch.

[sammywantstraightteeth]

Your sister is being totally unfair. Its your cash, you can do what you want with it. And if expensive christmas presents are so important to her, then she is the selfish one. Christmas isn't about the price of the gift, its about the thought that went into it. And you'll probably find that on a tighter budget you actually end up getting more appropriate presents because you have to get a little more inventive!

No one has called me selfish, but a lot of people think I'm wasting my money. Depends on the type of person they are whether I bother explaining my reasons behind it. Some people aren't worth the hassle.

[midlifesmile]

My mom had braces when she was 50: She is now 74. My family is supportive. My younger brother had braces as a child so he likes to commiserate about how much they hurt!

I have had two not-so-nice verbal reactions from "friends": "Oh good! We can make fun of you now!" (expected her to say something like that so it didn't bug me.) and "Well. I guess it's a status symbol." was the other snotty comment I got. Again, to be expected from this woman as well.

I had my first experience with being judged poorly by a complete stranger yesterday. It was along the same lines as the "status symbol" comment. I just killed the woman with kindness.

Here's my take on people judging you for braces. They are jealous. I get the same reaction from people when they ask me where my children attend school. They are jealous, jealous, jealous and make judgments based on bias. SO THERE! Tell them to pound sand.

[brendap27]

I see my mother frequently, though it makes me laugh to think I didn't tell her I was getting them, and that it took an hour that morning she first saw me with them to say,Did you get get braces!?!?!?!?! Followed by the requisite,you didn't tellmeyou were getting braces! No Mom,Ididn't. I'm an adult and needed to make the decision without the helpofmy family's crazy...

I had the opposite problem. I had a whole discussion with my mother about my constant headaches and problems with TMJD. I explained that part of my treatment would involve getting braces. I know that she was listening at the time because she even asked me if I thought the braces I wore as a teenager contributed to the TMJD.

Well, the day I got braces I was talking to her on the phone and mentioned that I'd gotten them on and she said "You got braces? You never told me you were getting braces..."

What can you do?

[fosterp]

Selfishness is part of being human.

We are all selfish.

So what she is doing is just pointing out the obvious?

[katiemcb09]

HAHA! Sorry, know this is older, but this is hilarious - my sister told my boyfriend I was being selfish right before I got braces. She didn't reference that exactly, but I'm sure it's because I was talking about it so much. It's a huge life decision! Why would I not want to make sure I'm making the right decision?

Anyway, just ignore. Siblings will be siblings. This is a big choice, and we're spending our own hard-earned money to do it.

[GRILLZ]

my mother tried to talk me out of braces by telling me HOW MUCH IT HURT when she got braces...which was around 62 years ago or so....i think they have improved the techniques quite a bit since then..... she mentioned i could have gone on a cruise to hawaii for the same price ...i could have done or bought x y or z....but the cost of a proper bite and teeth that work together as they should....priceless!

[Kittywalker3]

My "supportive" sister said she'd miss calling me "Fang". Gotta love family - we're both looking at 50!

[Ellebraced]

Great topic

I have not being called selfish to my face. But I have been laughed at by my sister, told I was crazy by a few people and why would I waste money on braces when I could go on a really nice vacation for that amount of money. But mostly people have been very supportive and said I was brave to do this ( I think brave might be another word for crazy)

I am not doing this for any body but myself. Sure it is for cosmetic reasons but also so I can close my mouth easier.

I am shocked how rude and mean people can be sometimes. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion, I have family members get plastic surgery and I think they are crazy and they don't need it but to them it is important and will make them feel better about themselves. To each their own.

Why would anyone choose to have braces if it wasn't needed or important.

I stopped telling people really fast and have not told many people because I didn't want people to talk me out of something that was very important to me.