Self-conscious of my brace

I know it's normal to feel self-conscious of wearing a brace but it's really getting me down. It's probably to do with the fact that I'm older than most orthodontic patients, being nearly eighteen. I don't have that much longer to wear it, but I'm dreading the summer holidays when everyone will be out all the time celebrating the end of exams, and I'll just feel really paranoid and aware of this ugly metal in my mouth!
I hate having photographs taken with it as well.
And I get really nervous when it comes to guys - I HATE smiling at guys I like because of the brace. Has anyone got any advice other than "It'll be worth it when it comes off!!!" ? xx

Reply 1

chel

hey i know exactly how you feel i still had my brace when i was nearly 18. if its traintracks you could ask to have silver bands not coloured as this suprisingly enough makes them less noticable. also try wearing dark eye make up to draw attention to your eyes not mouth. all the time i had my brace i smiled with my mouth closed etc. i really hated them. but when i see people with braces it doesnt bother me. and i have spoken to other ppl about it and they say its not really off putting ie. it wouldnt put them off fancying someone if they liked the person with braces.
Other than that all i can say is (the thing you didnt want to here) it will be worth it when they are off, and that you are by no means alone. soooo many people have/have had braces that people barely take note of them.

Reply 2

q1w2e3r4t5y

I'm nearly 18 and wear braces, I'm getting them off this summer, but I know how it feels to be self conscious. You will get used to it and try to smile without baring teeth :wink:

Reply 3

hyper-little-mushroom-men

1

Actually, I know several guys who think braces are really nice. To be honest, I think most people look right past braces (I know I do), because so many people have them. A good friend of mine had hers taken off last weekend -- when she came into school I honestly didn't realise until she said how pleased she was. You probably notice it way more than others do. :tongue:

So there you are... most people just don't notice, I think -- and if they do, they don't care. It's certainly never cramped any of my friends' style... A lovely smile is far more noticeable than the fact that the teeth have braces on them.

Reply 4

baby_emmy

15

I'm 18 and at Uni, still got braces... I hate them with a passion and as far as i'm aware they WILL be going in about June time...

Anyway, really don't let it get to you, no one cares and to my suprise quite a few people have them! I still get a bit upset sometimes, but there really is no need!

Like i said, no one really cares... only yourself!!

-x-

Reply 5

smilee172

14

Anonymous

I know it's normal to feel self-conscious of wearing a brace but it's really getting me down. It's probably to do with the fact that I'm older than most orthodontic patients, being nearly eighteen. I don't have that much longer to wear it, but I'm dreading the summer holidays when everyone will be out all the time celebrating the end of exams, and I'll just feel really paranoid and aware of this ugly metal in my mouth!
I hate having photographs taken with it as well.
And I get really nervous when it comes to guys - I HATE smiling at guys I like because of the brace. Has anyone got any advice other than "It'll be worth it when it comes off!!!" ? xx

embrace the brace.. lol no pun intended. i loved having my brace just because it made me look different. i didn't dislike it at all, in fact sometimes i wish i still had it. but it's also the most liberating feeling having it taken off and being able to feel your teeth with your tongue!
anyway not sure what to say but don't let it get you down im sure people really arent put off by it at all, and it'll be off in the end! x

Reply 6

mike_J

2

I wouldn't worry about it to be honest. Think about it, when you see other people with braces you don't think anything about it. It's gonna be the same from other peoples' perspective. Unless they're incredibly shallow, in which case i doubt you'd want to be friends with 'em anyway.

Reply 7

kitty_koo

12

im nearly 17 and ive had my brace for about 3 years and recently ive started to hate it so much as well,maybe because last year my dentist said i should have been able to have it off before the end of last year,and here wea re in april and ive still got it! im getting so fed up with it coz it feels like im never gonna have it taken off :frown:

and i hate having pics of me with it too,so i dont smile on photographs,which i hate

Reply 8

seashellstar

I know it probably won't be that much consolation but people actually don't really notice them at all anymore as so many people have them. I remember when I had mine off even people who I was quite close friends with took about 4 or 5 months to even notice.

The photo thing is very annoying, but don't become paranoid about photos as trust me it only makes things an awful lot worse!

18's not so old anyway some people have them in their 40s!

It might seem hard but just keep smiling :smile:

and people won't actually notice! (lol even if you think they will!)

Reply 9

mypaperheart

16

I felt the same when I had my braces. I just smiled with my mouth closed, and didn't have many photos taken (which drove my mum crazy..."you'll regret not having any pictures of you at this age when you're older!")

You just have to keep in mind how beautiful your teeth will be when they're off (and they will be). Then you can smile ten times as much as everyone else to make up for the loss in smiling now! :biggrin:

Reply 10

quintsy

17

My best friend's mother is 40 and has just had a brace put on! Don't worry too much about it- in this day and age most people have had some form of orthodontic treatment, and while it is often in the early teens, many people still do have it at 18+. Any orthodontic work which is dependent on the growth of your jaw will almost certainly be done at your age and not earlier, as you wouldn't have finished growing any earlier.

Braces are really quite common nowadays, and I'm sure no-one will make fun of you or judge you. In fact most people will just be sympathetic if you mention it and exchange brace stories. :biggrin:

Good luck! I hope you feel better about yourself. :smile:

Reply 11

FireDeuce

14

I swear i dont see the problem with braces.
Some people actually look better with them, its weird.

Reply 12

*Joanna*

12

Definitely don't worry about the age thing- I'm going on 21 and am getting them put on in the summer (due to a combination of my stubborness when I was 11 and the incompetance of the NHS and my orthodontist). So I'll have them for all of my second year at uni and probably my third as well. But I've seen a few people with them, so I don't mind that much. Of course I might change my mind when I get them, but I'm actually quite looking forward to it becuase I'm finally gonna get my teeth sorted out!

Reply 13

Monkey_Maiden

11

I had braces when I was at college, through most of my second year as well and I was really self conscious as well :redface:

But you have to think, there are loads of other people with braces who are the same age as you and they probably think the same :smile:

Guys shouldn't be put off at all and maybe even think they are cute, my bf asked me out when I had traintracks and he certainly had no problem hehe
Plus you have the satisfaction of knowing you will have great straight teeth when a lot of people don't

Reply 14

LuverlyLawyer

1

I had braces, top, bottom and inside of teeth!! I was 11 when I had them on and it was the best thing I ever did. Am so glad as now I have perfect teeth. I promise you it will be worth it. My mum has just had braces put on and she is in her 40s!

Reply 15

Flukey

The vast majority of people aren't shallow enough to care about a brace. Seriously, don't worry about them. And be confident, confidence is sexy! :smile:

Reply 16

Sithius

16

Flukey

The vast majority of people aren't shallow enough to care about a brace. Seriously, don't worry about them. And be confident, confidence is sexy! :smile:

Your confidence is turning me on. :]

Reply 17

hugatree

11

I'm self-conscious of my glasses and have had them since I was 2. :redface:

YaY for contacts!

Sorry this isn't helping, it just needed to be said. :p:

Reply 18

love2learn

4

To be honest, a lot of people won't actually be aware that you have braces. I had mine on for well over 2 years, and then the retainer for about a year during daytime. I thought that they were the most noticeable things in the world, and they really hurt. It didn't actually bother anyone. I had clear bands around the brace which made so much difference because I usually had the silvery ones. I don't know if you can normally get clear ones, or if it was just clear lines of elastic, if that makes sense.

The worst thing is that I actually hated my teeth when they came off, because there was still some movement that they needed to make on their own. Still, an amazing progression from what they were, given that I risked my incisors knocking out all of front teeth. They've settled down now, and they look much better and I'm much more confident about them. I know you didn't want to hear this, but it is worth it, especially if there were other reasons than cosmetic for having orthodentistry.

I meant to celebrate by buying myself a Lancome juicy tube when I stopped wearing braces daytime, but I never got round to it. Maybe you could think about getting a great lipgloss or something to celebrate having your braces off?

Reply 19

love2learn

4

laurah

embrace the brace.. lol no pun intended. i loved having my brace just because it made me look different. i didn't dislike it at all, in fact sometimes i wish i still had it. but it's also the most liberating feeling having it taken off and being able to feel your teeth with your tongue!
anyway not sure what to say but don't let it get you down im sure people really arent put off by it at all, and it'll be off in the end! x

Actually, being able to feel your teeth with your tongue after braces is the most amazing thing!!!! And not getting ulcers from it rubbing. And not having a painful mouth everytime it was readjusted. Just look forward to having them off!!!!

Self-conscious of my brace

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