Demosthenes

I got braces at an early age, before I even started 2nd grade and had them for nearly 8 years. Yup, you read it correctly, 8 years.

My orthodontist wanted to control the growth of my teeth and so he put me through so many teeth regimes that I've lost track of them, I think I was also something of a guinea pig for him too. I had the braces for so long that I'd completely forgotten what I looked like without them. I finally got them off the summer before 8th grade, the same time I got my first contacts Most people nearly didn't even recognize me when I came in.

I only had to wear a retainer for about a month and my teeth's still pretty much the same as ever the braces came off.

My smile's one of the most complimented feature of my face. It sure makes me feel good and makes it worth every year that I had the braces on

wildernesse

My dentist is very old-fashioned (he's been an orthodontist as well), and says that oftentimes braces are over-used. My brother and I never had braces. My teeth are straight naturally--I have like one tooth in my whole mouth that isn't very much in line, and it's not really noticeable.

My brother, otoh, has a very narrow, square jaw--which means that his adult teeth wouldn't have enough room to come in straight because of the other teeth being so close. So, our dentist pulled his baby teeth so that his adult teeth had more room. He had like 4 of his teeth pulled when he was 5 or so. My brother's teeth are pretty straight too.

Our dentist was my dad's dentist when my dad was little, and then our dentist--I'm pretty sure that he pulled my dad's teeth too like this. The interesting thing is that my cousin has the same (apparently common for our family) shaped mouth as my brother, dad, her mother, etc.--and she had to go through all of the braces, headgear and everything. Still wearing that retainer. Now she wonders if she could have had her teeth pulled when she was little, and not had to worry about all of that.

I know that if either my brother or I had had crooked teeth at all, my mom would not have hesitated to get us braces, even if just for cosmetic reasons. She is very self-conscious about her crooked teeth and never having had the means to get braces. Her family was very poor when she was growing up, and she didn't even go to the dentist until she was like 12. She's really big into us taking care of our teeth.

I think that braces are worth it--but I wonder if there are other, less-expensive and time-intensive ways of straightening most people's teeth.

--tibac

Psycho Economist

If you need orthdontics then you need them... but if you're doing it for cosmetic reasons, it probably isn't worth the pain, time or money.

I went through childhood with a .5 cm gap between my front teeth. But the big problem was my overbite. I was literally chewing up the roof of my mouth with my lower incisors. I had braces on for four years between seventh grade and soph. year of high school.

Seven years after getting them off, I still have an overbite, but it's not a threat to my dental health any more and the gap's returned now that I'm off a retainer, but it's less than half what it was.

Rusting Car Bumper

I, by no measure, have perfect teeth but I had horrible teeth before before I had braces. In fact I had one upper tooth which was threatening to rideup along the others over time. Its hard to describe but it would have been a worse problem then the temporary problem that braces were.

DC

Benjamin Franklin

Is it really that painful. My friend said it was only for the first week. Once your you get use to the braces,it just becomes part of you, according to her.


BF

Hedwig

It's worth it if you do have bite and jaw issues. But for anyone considering getting them and seeing it through, take this one little bit of advice: wear your retainer!!! I had a retainer adhered to my bottom teeth and they look the way they did the day my braces were removed. The top one I kept on forgetting to put in so my top teeth have moved some.

They're really not that painful. If you take good care of your gums, it's not really that difficult. I found I was sore for about a day or so after going in for regular adjustments, but it wasn't so horrible that I couldn't eat solids or anything.

Marduk

Depends on how bad your teeth are and who your Orthodontist is. After 30 years I just found out mine was a hack. My Dentist just did a root canal and has been treating me for receding gums. He said "I don't get it, you have great teeth and gums why am I having to do all this.....did you ever have braces? Who put them on?" I told him. "Oh no wonder, you have artificially induced gum disease now, that guy was an idiot, did the braces hurt" Yes I said and they made me look silly in High School and my front teeth are still askew.
Too tight braces messed up my upper jaw bone some how, make sure your Orthodonist knows what he's doing.

trunks2k

Mine were worth it. My teeth were growing in rather fucked up. I had to have several teeth pulled when I was a kid, but they still grew in all crooked. Would have been a big problem, so I wore braces for 2 and half years. My teeth are fine now, minus one tooth has been pushed slightly back, which is annoying when I rub my tounge across my teeth, one is out of line from the others. Also since I had braces, my wisdom teeth have plenty of room to grow in so I won't have to get those pulled, which I hear is quite painful.

Strawberry

My parents never let me get braces when I was younger. Mom always pointed out her crooked bottom teeth and said they never caused her any problem. Now I'm glad for that. (If I'd had an actual jaw problem, it would have been different.)

Besides, I think tall guys with crooked teeth are cute.

8of9

Waited until age 19 to close up the spaces. I learned how to smile while I had braces (it hurt to try to cover my teeth with my lips). I've been smiling toothy ever since. And I still wear my retainer every night.