"A crooked smile became associated with a crooked character."
February 23, 2016 9:13 AM Subscribe
Brace Yourself: Why we want — and how we get — straight teeth. by Rose Eveleth [Racked]
"Up until the 1700s, dentists tended not to focus on trying to make teeth straight. They had more pressing issues, like rampant tooth decay and shoddily constructed dentures. If you had all your teeth, and they weren't falling out, who cared if they were straight? But as dentistry became more and more successful at keeping people's teeth in their mouths, the desire for a straight smile started to take hold, and not just among the highest classes."
The teeth that came in after I lost my baby teeth were messed up (my sister's were the same as well) that despite that first painful night in braces as a pre-teen, I've never been so grateful that my parents shelled out for orthodontia. Of course, I didn't do the retainer thing on my lower jaw so one of my lower canines is crooked, but it isn't "I will judge you" noticeable. I am constantly told I have a great smile, but seriously, I would not have this if my poor parents hadn't decided to go into debt to do so for me and my sister.
I wish dentistry were affordable and offered to people often can't afford it, or if they want it, they have to go into hock to get it.
posted by Kitteh at 9:46 AM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
I wish dentistry were affordable and offered to people often can't afford it, or if they want it, they have to go into hock to get it.
posted by Kitteh at 9:46 AM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm surprised the article didn't mention root resorption as one of the risks of getting braces that can be magnified in adulthood. I had relatively major orthodontic work done as a teenager and, of course, I did not wear my retainer consistently afterward, much to my current dismay. I would probably be one of those adult patients the article discusses, but I've been warned against getting braces again (conventional or invisalign) by orthodontists due to the risk of further root resorption.
posted by AndrewInDC at 9:53 AM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by AndrewInDC at 9:53 AM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
I resent the shit out of being forced to get braces. All the body modification that has been done to me in my life has been imposed on me, I'm not into it at all.
I just imagine a world where every kid with an imperfect nose was socially expected and forced by parents to get a nose job and wonder if we would see that as benign too.
DOWN WITH ORTHODONTISTS! (unless you want the braces of your own free will.)
posted by Drinky Die at 10:20 AM on February 23, 2016 [8 favorites]
I just imagine a world where every kid with an imperfect nose was socially expected and forced by parents to get a nose job and wonder if we would see that as benign too.
DOWN WITH ORTHODONTISTS! (unless you want the braces of your own free will.)
posted by Drinky Die at 10:20 AM on February 23, 2016 [8 favorites]
I asked to get braces and my parents complied, but they hurt like hell a lot of the time. But I was really good about wearing my night gear and retainer and have a decent smile. I was at least partly motivated by my parents both having terrible teeth. My dad had all of his yanked in the Air Force and had dentures in his 20s. My mom was always getting bridges, caps and surgery to repair her crumbling teeth. Not sure if it was lack of flouride in their water growing up or something else. But I didn't want to have the problems they did.
But all of that is secondary to the fact that we treat teeth as though they were somehow separate from the rest of the body and so don't cover dentistry for shit, even though an infection in your teeth or gums can kill you and bad/crumbling teeth are a health condition that should be treated the same as bad/crumbling bones anywhere else in your body.
posted by emjaybee at 10:25 AM on February 23, 2016 [26 favorites]
But all of that is secondary to the fact that we treat teeth as though they were somehow separate from the rest of the body and so don't cover dentistry for shit, even though an infection in your teeth or gums can kill you and bad/crumbling teeth are a health condition that should be treated the same as bad/crumbling bones anywhere else in your body.
posted by emjaybee at 10:25 AM on February 23, 2016 [26 favorites]
Yeah, I was fine with braces just so I could eat apples and corn on the cob without incessantly getting bits stuck in between several teeth at a time.
They played hell with my trumpet embouchure, though. And again when they were removed.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:26 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]
They played hell with my trumpet embouchure, though. And again when they were removed.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:26 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also, obligatory Simpsons reference.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:26 AM on February 23, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:26 AM on February 23, 2016 [3 favorites]
I've never needed braces but I'm pretty interested in veneers.
posted by discopolo at 10:35 AM on February 23, 2016
posted by discopolo at 10:35 AM on February 23, 2016
I did Invisalign as an adult, and it was pretty easy. Nobody noticed I was wearing braces. Now when I feel like it I can actually smile.
posted by w0mbat at 10:55 AM on February 23, 2016
posted by w0mbat at 10:55 AM on February 23, 2016
Personally, I want deeper crows feet and more of mischievous sparkle in the eyes for both myself and all of the people around me.
posted by srboisvert at 11:04 AM on February 23, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 11:04 AM on February 23, 2016 [3 favorites]
Personally, I want deeper crows feet
Just get plenty of sun and wait.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:20 AM on February 23, 2016
Just get plenty of sun and wait.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:20 AM on February 23, 2016
Personally, I want deeper crows feet and more of mischievous sparkle in the eyes for both myself and all of the people around me.
I'm pretty curious about Botox. Im going to try it between my eyebrows (which I keep meticulously threaded) when the crease becomes more noticeable. I actually want to try Botox on my jaw, because I clench it.
Emjaybee, my medical insurance (bought off the state exchange) covers bruxism and some kind of dental horrors I forget about. i ended up buying dental insurance recently anyway, but my medical is covering my custom nightguard.
posted by discopolo at 11:30 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty curious about Botox. Im going to try it between my eyebrows (which I keep meticulously threaded) when the crease becomes more noticeable. I actually want to try Botox on my jaw, because I clench it.
Emjaybee, my medical insurance (bought off the state exchange) covers bruxism and some kind of dental horrors I forget about. i ended up buying dental insurance recently anyway, but my medical is covering my custom nightguard.
posted by discopolo at 11:30 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty curious about Botox. Im going to try it between my eyebrows (which I keep meticulously threaded) when the crease becomes more noticeable. I actually want to try Botox on my jaw, because I clench it.
I get botox as a treatment for chronic headache, and it will totally take care of that vertical crease for you.
posted by not that girl at 11:34 AM on February 23, 2016
I get botox as a treatment for chronic headache, and it will totally take care of that vertical crease for you.
posted by not that girl at 11:34 AM on February 23, 2016
Also, they sell botox by the bottle, and there's often some leftover after your official treatment. If I have any leftover after the 31 injections in my forehead, temples, and neck muscles, my doctor uses it in other headache-related spots. But somebody gave me a tip that you can ask your doctor to use it in your armpits to cut down on sweating, which is a thing I, who am allergic to all the deodorants and anti-perspirants that work, would totally go for.
On the subject of the article, I have a friend who, despite living in near-poverty with two severely disabled kids, has been in school to become an occupational therapist. She is smart, big-hearted, and incredibly hard-working, but I worry that she'll have trouble finding employment because of the terrible condition of her front teeth, one of which is partially missing.
posted by not that girl at 11:38 AM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
On the subject of the article, I have a friend who, despite living in near-poverty with two severely disabled kids, has been in school to become an occupational therapist. She is smart, big-hearted, and incredibly hard-working, but I worry that she'll have trouble finding employment because of the terrible condition of her front teeth, one of which is partially missing.
posted by not that girl at 11:38 AM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
All through my teens and early 20's, I was miserably self-conscious of one very crooked top front tooth. But, my parents never had the money to afford an orthodontist for me. As soon as I landed a good-paying job out of college, I got braces. It was one of the best things I ever did for myself.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:01 PM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 12:01 PM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
I resent the shit out of being forced to get braces. All the body modification that has been done to me in my life has been imposed on me, I'm not into it at all.
I am going to try and tell myself that this is how I'd feel if my parents had forced me to get braces. Because currently I resent the shit out of my parents for letting a 10 year old make a drastic, life-altering decision based on zero information and hormonal stubbornness. I mean at least they could have dropped some actual knowledge on me first.
(I can't get braces as an adult because the other thing my folks let me opt out of was surgery to remove two embedded teeth from my gums, which makes adult braces a massively expensive endeavor that my dentist tells me will likely fail.)
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 12:03 PM on February 23, 2016 [5 favorites]
I am going to try and tell myself that this is how I'd feel if my parents had forced me to get braces. Because currently I resent the shit out of my parents for letting a 10 year old make a drastic, life-altering decision based on zero information and hormonal stubbornness. I mean at least they could have dropped some actual knowledge on me first.
(I can't get braces as an adult because the other thing my folks let me opt out of was surgery to remove two embedded teeth from my gums, which makes adult braces a massively expensive endeavor that my dentist tells me will likely fail.)
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 12:03 PM on February 23, 2016 [5 favorites]
I had braces in high school, and the experience was terrible. They yanked out a bunch of my teeth and stuck braces on the rest for three years, and I ended up in worse shape. Plus it set me up for a lifetime fear of the dentist that I'm only now getting over. But I was born in the 70's so the concept of "agency" was completely foreign to me mom and dad. If I had been able to articulate why I thought this was a bad idea (which I 100% did) and convince the people marching my parents into their chequebook I would not have done it.
So this idea of adult braces is completely bonkers to me. Why go through the headache (literally!) and expense so that you can look better when you smile? I dunno, maybe it's just not a priority for me.
One of the biggest revelations for me earlier on was meeting someone in college who's teeth were crooked as fuck. I asked him if his parents considered braces and he was like "I can chew my food so they gave me the choice."
At least I'm luckier than my dad: his teeth were crooked so they pulled every last one and gave him dentures in high school. Savages!
posted by monkeymike at 12:29 PM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
So this idea of adult braces is completely bonkers to me. Why go through the headache (literally!) and expense so that you can look better when you smile? I dunno, maybe it's just not a priority for me.
One of the biggest revelations for me earlier on was meeting someone in college who's teeth were crooked as fuck. I asked him if his parents considered braces and he was like "I can chew my food so they gave me the choice."
At least I'm luckier than my dad: his teeth were crooked so they pulled every last one and gave him dentures in high school. Savages!
posted by monkeymike at 12:29 PM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
I had braces to cure a diastema between my front teeth. I refused to wear my retainer regularly. My diasthema came back almost. For years since, I have been cajoled into going back into braces to re-close the gap. But, you know? I kinda like it.
posted by thivaia at 12:31 PM on February 23, 2016
posted by thivaia at 12:31 PM on February 23, 2016
So this idea of adult braces is completely bonkers to me. Why go through the headache (literally!) and expense so that you can look better when you smile? I dunno, maybe it's just not a priority for me.
It's not just for looks.
posted by IndigoJones at 12:41 PM on February 23, 2016 [5 favorites]
It's not just for looks.
posted by IndigoJones at 12:41 PM on February 23, 2016 [5 favorites]
I had braces to cure a diastema between my front teeth. I refused to wear my retainer regularly. My diasthema came back almost. For years since, I have been cajoled into going back into braces to re-close the gap. But, you know? I kinda like it.
Yeah mine came back when I refused to wear the retainer too, had the teeth bonded, problem solved without months of pain or wearing uncomfortable weird stuff in my mouth.
posted by Drinky Die at 12:43 PM on February 23, 2016
Yeah mine came back when I refused to wear the retainer too, had the teeth bonded, problem solved without months of pain or wearing uncomfortable weird stuff in my mouth.
posted by Drinky Die at 12:43 PM on February 23, 2016
I don't braces will do that for you.
THINK. I don't think braces will do that for you.
or maybe just, 'I don't think', period...
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:47 PM on February 23, 2016
THINK. I don't think braces will do that for you.
or maybe just, 'I don't think', period...
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:47 PM on February 23, 2016
I had braces growing up; my teeth were screwed up. I had a wicked overbite, a big gap between my front teeth and my lower teeth were all crowded together and going every which way.
Admittedly I didn't wear my retainers as long as I should have, but I wore them for several years.
Why go through the headache (literally!) and expense so that you can look better when you smile?
Possibly due to the fact that I didn't wear my retainers as long as I should have, but I choose to believe it's because my wisdom teeth came in and did not need to be removed, my bottom teeth are a bit crooked again - the two front lower teeth jut out a little bit. When I close my mouth, those two teeth hit the backs of my two front upper teeth, to the point where (because my two front upper teeth happen to have shorter roots), my two front upper teeth are a bit wobbly.
So I've considered adult braces to fix that (to relieve the pressure on my upper front teeth, not so I can smile prettier), but it's not covered by insurance. So the dentist shaved the back of my front upper teeth so there's no contact. It seems to work.
posted by Lucinda at 12:58 PM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
Admittedly I didn't wear my retainers as long as I should have, but I wore them for several years.
Why go through the headache (literally!) and expense so that you can look better when you smile?
Possibly due to the fact that I didn't wear my retainers as long as I should have, but I choose to believe it's because my wisdom teeth came in and did not need to be removed, my bottom teeth are a bit crooked again - the two front lower teeth jut out a little bit. When I close my mouth, those two teeth hit the backs of my two front upper teeth, to the point where (because my two front upper teeth happen to have shorter roots), my two front upper teeth are a bit wobbly.
So I've considered adult braces to fix that (to relieve the pressure on my upper front teeth, not so I can smile prettier), but it's not covered by insurance. So the dentist shaved the back of my front upper teeth so there's no contact. It seems to work.
posted by Lucinda at 12:58 PM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
I had braces as a kid/teenager. Hated them. As an adult, my top front teeth have slowly been moving: one slightly forward, the other slightly back. Every once in a while my mother will look at me and sigh and say "We'll pay for braces if you ever want to get that tooth fixed".
She's almost got me feeling self-conscious enough about it to take her up on her offer.
posted by Elly Vortex at 1:04 PM on February 23, 2016
She's almost got me feeling self-conscious enough about it to take her up on her offer.
posted by Elly Vortex at 1:04 PM on February 23, 2016
Studies show that many of the effects of childhood poverty stay with you, in some cases more permanently and visibly than others. One effect of poverty is being unable to afford proper dental care, including orthodonture. My parents couldn't afford it and probably would have been too out of it (psychologically and otherwise) to make me get it even if they'd been able to afford it. As a result, the most visible reminder of my childhood poverty -- maloccluded teeth -- is probably going to go with me to my grave. My parents couldn't afford orthodonture then, I can't afford it now, and even if I could afford it, it's questionable at this point in my life whether the risks would outweigh the benefits.
posted by blucevalo at 1:26 PM on February 23, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by blucevalo at 1:26 PM on February 23, 2016 [3 favorites]
I hated the torturous years of prodding and pain and stupid brightly coloured head gear, and I'll forever resent the orthodontist for making bank personally visiting that cruel profession on me, but at the same time I am very grateful every day for having pretty much straight teeth and a mouth that works right and rarely hurts.
Back on the knife hand, I still have nightmares about having those contraptions in my face again, so in conclusion, land of contrasts etc.
posted by lucidium at 1:41 PM on February 23, 2016
Back on the knife hand, I still have nightmares about having those contraptions in my face again, so in conclusion, land of contrasts etc.
posted by lucidium at 1:41 PM on February 23, 2016
Possibly due to the fact that I didn't wear my retainers as long as I should have, but I choose to believe it's because my wisdom teeth came in and did not need to be removed, my bottom teeth are a bit crooked again - the two front lower teeth jut out a little bit.
Wisdom teeth can do that. Your teeth also continue to shift naturally as you age, which is why orthodontists are supposed to tell patients to wear their retainers at night "forever" if they want to maintain post-ortho results (but I could swear that I was told no such thing).
posted by AndrewInDC at 1:49 PM on February 23, 2016
Wisdom teeth can do that. Your teeth also continue to shift naturally as you age, which is why orthodontists are supposed to tell patients to wear their retainers at night "forever" if they want to maintain post-ortho results (but I could swear that I was told no such thing).
posted by AndrewInDC at 1:49 PM on February 23, 2016
Growing up I had a huge gap in my front teeth and when I was around 10 or 11 my parents and I asked the dentist about braces. He told us that had I been a boy it would be no big thing but since I was a girl I should get braces. And so now I have pretty straight teeth. Girl teeth, I guess.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:58 PM on February 23, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 1:58 PM on February 23, 2016 [3 favorites]
I would like to report that if you are an adult, particularly with a lot of wear and tear like staining and bruxism, there is an alternative to braces that fixes it all at once. Find a dentist who can do a "total oral rehabilitation," which involves capping all of your teeth with caps sculpted to fix your bite. I had this done in 2003 and went from looking like Dracula when I smiled in October to being toothpaste commercial material in December.
It's very expensive though in the US, $40K+ depending on whether you need any root canals and implants. (All of my teeth were healthy so it was just caps in my case.) I had it done in Tijuana for $8000. It would probably cost a bit more now. And despite the expat thing my dentist was very experienced in this kind of work, and even today my reconstruction job gets compliments from the US dentists who do my maintenance.
I would add to the chorus of this is the best thing I ever did for myself, and it didn't even involve years of pain and aggravation.
posted by Bringer Tom at 2:14 PM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
It's very expensive though in the US, $40K+ depending on whether you need any root canals and implants. (All of my teeth were healthy so it was just caps in my case.) I had it done in Tijuana for $8000. It would probably cost a bit more now. And despite the expat thing my dentist was very experienced in this kind of work, and even today my reconstruction job gets compliments from the US dentists who do my maintenance.
I would add to the chorus of this is the best thing I ever did for myself, and it didn't even involve years of pain and aggravation.
posted by Bringer Tom at 2:14 PM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
Between 7 and 21 I didn't go to the dentist one time, though my parents tried to get me to and my older sister went regularly (as they did), and when I was 9 or 10 a fistfight loosened one of my front teeth just enough for the bottom corner to drift over a millimeter or so and block the tooth next to it from coming down perfectly in line.
When I finally got around to going to a dentist during my last year of college (everyone else was doing it), after the hygienist had cleaned my teeth, the dentist had examined me and was washing his hands to prepare for the next patient, I asked him about braces to get that tooth aligned. He turned sharply to look at me over his shoulder and said "What?! And ruin that perfect bite? You'd have to be crazy. If more people had a mouth like yours, dentistry as a profession would not exist."
A month later one of my impacted wisdom teeth developed an infection, and I had all 4 of them pulled by an oral surgeon. In retrospect, I'd bet the infecting bacteria found their way to that completely enclosed tooth through my bloodstream due to the cleaning.
posted by jamjam at 2:24 PM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]
When I finally got around to going to a dentist during my last year of college (everyone else was doing it), after the hygienist had cleaned my teeth, the dentist had examined me and was washing his hands to prepare for the next patient, I asked him about braces to get that tooth aligned. He turned sharply to look at me over his shoulder and said "What?! And ruin that perfect bite? You'd have to be crazy. If more people had a mouth like yours, dentistry as a profession would not exist."
A month later one of my impacted wisdom teeth developed an infection, and I had all 4 of them pulled by an oral surgeon. In retrospect, I'd bet the infecting bacteria found their way to that completely enclosed tooth through my bloodstream due to the cleaning.
posted by jamjam at 2:24 PM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]
I resent the shit out of being forced to get braces. All the body modification that has been done to me in my life has been imposed on me, I'm not into it at all.
I am going to try and tell myself that this is how I'd feel if my parents had forced me to get braces. Because currently I resent the shit out of my parents for letting a 10 year old make a drastic, life-altering decision based on zero information and hormonal stubbornness. I mean at least they could have dropped some actual knowledge on me first.
Yeah I was on track to get braces as a kid - had headgear first which suucked - and then I basically refused. The really embarrassing thing is I recall a significant part of my reasoning being that I wouldn't be able to eat chewy candy! But I don't resent my parents at all for letting me opt out - I feel kinda dumb about it but it's not super high on my list of regrets. My bottom teeth are kinda fucked up but I mean they work just fine.
posted by atoxyl at 2:37 PM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]
I am going to try and tell myself that this is how I'd feel if my parents had forced me to get braces. Because currently I resent the shit out of my parents for letting a 10 year old make a drastic, life-altering decision based on zero information and hormonal stubbornness. I mean at least they could have dropped some actual knowledge on me first.
Yeah I was on track to get braces as a kid - had headgear first which suucked - and then I basically refused. The really embarrassing thing is I recall a significant part of my reasoning being that I wouldn't be able to eat chewy candy! But I don't resent my parents at all for letting me opt out - I feel kinda dumb about it but it's not super high on my list of regrets. My bottom teeth are kinda fucked up but I mean they work just fine.
posted by atoxyl at 2:37 PM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]
I think I also got out of getting a tooth pulled by throwing a huge fit about it. Like I had the appointment scheduled and I showed up but I was really scared about it and just would. not. let. them. do. it. I kinda remember it being a top tooth - which actually have turned out fine - but I dunno maybe it was one of those two bottom teeth that are now heavily overlapping.
posted by atoxyl at 2:42 PM on February 23, 2016
posted by atoxyl at 2:42 PM on February 23, 2016
I got them at age 46 without actually needing them because I always found them to be pretty sexy, and wanted to experience having them. For me, that dark, sparkly smile was thrilling every I caught it in the mirror.
posted by ccaajj aka chrispy at 3:59 PM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by ccaajj aka chrispy at 3:59 PM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have two small nieces and all my sister and I hope for is that they don't inherit messed up teeth when their baby teeth fall out and get the big boobs that run in the family. *fingers crossed*
posted by Kitteh at 5:24 PM on February 23, 2016
posted by Kitteh at 5:24 PM on February 23, 2016
On the subject of the article, I have a friend who, despite living in near-poverty with two severely disabled kids, has been in school to become an occupational therapist. She is smart, big-hearted, and incredibly hard-working, but I worry that she'll have trouble finding employment because of the terrible condition of her front teeth, one of which is partially missing.
For much of the last two decades (minus time in graduate school and so on), I've been supervising guys who do skilled and unskilled labor. I'm probably forgetting someone, but in that time I can think of exactly one guy who had all of his teeth (and he is basically a middle class kid who always had access to good dentistry). You could dress them up in tailored Italian suits and the minute they smiled they would give the game away.
Teeth are the most serious and stubborn class marker I can think of. If I am in a white collar meeting, everyone has all their teeth (even if some are bridges or implants), and they are reasonably white and straight. On a job site, lots of gaps and twisted teeth, and more than a few cases of meth mouth which is its own unique marker. You can change haircuts and clothes instantly, and accents can shift with some work, but teeth are not nearly as easy to adjust. Dentistry, including at least some kinds of cosmetic dentistry, should be included in basic health care and accessible to all people.
I resent the shit out of being forced to get braces. All the body modification that has been done to me in my life has been imposed on me, I'm not into it at all.
I sympathize and I suspect the profession could do with a lot better handling of informed consent, but there are also consequences to teeth issues that kids are not necessarily ready to fully understand. My teeth are far from perfect but I am incredibly grateful that my parents made the tremendous financial sacrifice to get them straightened (or straighter, at least), because of exactly those kinds of signifiers. I'm glad my opinion wasn't really consulted, because I am sure I would have made a boneheaded decision that I would regret now.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:32 PM on February 23, 2016 [8 favorites]
For much of the last two decades (minus time in graduate school and so on), I've been supervising guys who do skilled and unskilled labor. I'm probably forgetting someone, but in that time I can think of exactly one guy who had all of his teeth (and he is basically a middle class kid who always had access to good dentistry). You could dress them up in tailored Italian suits and the minute they smiled they would give the game away.
Teeth are the most serious and stubborn class marker I can think of. If I am in a white collar meeting, everyone has all their teeth (even if some are bridges or implants), and they are reasonably white and straight. On a job site, lots of gaps and twisted teeth, and more than a few cases of meth mouth which is its own unique marker. You can change haircuts and clothes instantly, and accents can shift with some work, but teeth are not nearly as easy to adjust. Dentistry, including at least some kinds of cosmetic dentistry, should be included in basic health care and accessible to all people.
I resent the shit out of being forced to get braces. All the body modification that has been done to me in my life has been imposed on me, I'm not into it at all.
I sympathize and I suspect the profession could do with a lot better handling of informed consent, but there are also consequences to teeth issues that kids are not necessarily ready to fully understand. My teeth are far from perfect but I am incredibly grateful that my parents made the tremendous financial sacrifice to get them straightened (or straighter, at least), because of exactly those kinds of signifiers. I'm glad my opinion wasn't really consulted, because I am sure I would have made a boneheaded decision that I would regret now.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:32 PM on February 23, 2016 [8 favorites]
I'm relatively bitter about the fact that despite years wearing braces, and wearing a retainer for the prescribed period afterwards, today you'd never know -- my front teeth have big gaps again, although I guess they're at least fairly straight. I think it's a natural consequence of having small teeth and a big jaw. Getting veneers or some other kind of cosmetic rehab is one of my "if I won the lottery" dreams.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 9:20 PM on February 23, 2016
posted by sevenyearlurk at 9:20 PM on February 23, 2016
I got them at age 46 without actually needing them because I always found them to be pretty sexy, and wanted to experience having them. For me, that dark, sparkly smile was thrilling every I caught it in the mirror.
You sound just like my little sister, though she hasn't actually gone for the unnecessary braces yet. Good for you.
I'm forever furious at my orthodontist. My teeth looked great right at the moment I got my braces off. I was really happy. Then some assistant I had never even met swooped down, looked in my mouth, and started filing down my front teeth. He did it just in the middle, so instead of being basically straight, they're a bit pointier on the outer ends. Who thinks that's a good look? I was so shocked, I didn't say anything. But I hate it more every day. They also put a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth and didn't explain it to me until it was done, and now I'm the property of Big Super Floss for life.
posted by two or three cars parked under the stars at 11:31 PM on February 23, 2016
You sound just like my little sister, though she hasn't actually gone for the unnecessary braces yet. Good for you.
I'm forever furious at my orthodontist. My teeth looked great right at the moment I got my braces off. I was really happy. Then some assistant I had never even met swooped down, looked in my mouth, and started filing down my front teeth. He did it just in the middle, so instead of being basically straight, they're a bit pointier on the outer ends. Who thinks that's a good look? I was so shocked, I didn't say anything. But I hate it more every day. They also put a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth and didn't explain it to me until it was done, and now I'm the property of Big Super Floss for life.
posted by two or three cars parked under the stars at 11:31 PM on February 23, 2016
I'm looking into adult braces because my teeth are all crammed together, which makes flossing nigh-impossible, which makes my periodontist (a) sad and (b) richer.
posted by XtinaS at 7:00 AM on February 24, 2016
posted by XtinaS at 7:00 AM on February 24, 2016
I sympathize and I suspect the profession could do with a lot better handling of informed consent, but there are also consequences to teeth issues that kids are not necessarily ready to fully understand.
Half the reason I'm upset with my parents instead of just with my fool 10-year-old self is that I absolutely had the mental ability to understand the consequences--but nobody ever offered that information to me. My parents just sort of assumed that because I read at an adult level I somehow had full adult knowledge? (And this in the days before internet!) Plus they were probably grateful to have the chance to escape an enormous unaffordable expense.
My orthodontist was of the Simpsons school; he basically was like, "if you don't do this it will grow into your brain and kill you" which was such patent bullshit that I didn't trust his judgment in any way.
I didn't want braces because nobody presented a logical argument for me to get them. All I knew was I was already ugly, bullied, and noticeably poor; who needed to add braces to the mix? If someone had said "hey, here's the thing, if you don't get these braces you will ALWAYS be noticeably ugly and poor, plus shit is gonna hurt a lot" I'm pretty sure I'd have gotten on board.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:04 AM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Half the reason I'm upset with my parents instead of just with my fool 10-year-old self is that I absolutely had the mental ability to understand the consequences--but nobody ever offered that information to me. My parents just sort of assumed that because I read at an adult level I somehow had full adult knowledge? (And this in the days before internet!) Plus they were probably grateful to have the chance to escape an enormous unaffordable expense.
My orthodontist was of the Simpsons school; he basically was like, "if you don't do this it will grow into your brain and kill you" which was such patent bullshit that I didn't trust his judgment in any way.
I didn't want braces because nobody presented a logical argument for me to get them. All I knew was I was already ugly, bullied, and noticeably poor; who needed to add braces to the mix? If someone had said "hey, here's the thing, if you don't get these braces you will ALWAYS be noticeably ugly and poor, plus shit is gonna hurt a lot" I'm pretty sure I'd have gotten on board.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:04 AM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
(This comment not meant to argue with you, Dip Flash, just to offer anecdata about how informed consent and kids' abilities can intersect on this issue in a particularly pernicious way)
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:08 AM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:08 AM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
When discussing the possibility of our son needing braces (Mr. Lucinda has good teeth, mine I talked about above, so it was a crap shoot as to which would happen), Mr. Lucinda was *very* "if it turns out he does need braces, well, that's just too bad for him, they're expensive" whereas I was very "if he needs them HE WILL GET THEM."
Fortunately he did not need them, so it was a moot point, but it always kind of concerned me the fight I probably would have had to put up if he'd needed them (and then again if our son didn't want them).
posted by Lucinda at 11:18 AM on February 24, 2016
Fortunately he did not need them, so it was a moot point, but it always kind of concerned me the fight I probably would have had to put up if he'd needed them (and then again if our son didn't want them).
posted by Lucinda at 11:18 AM on February 24, 2016
At 27, I got braces.
I was self-conscious not because of the misaligned teeth; but the metal post that consisted of the space of my #7 tooth (which is next to your 2 front teeth, very prominent). I had a metal post inserted in there as a teen when part of the tooth decayed; and then 90% of the tooth chipped off a year or so after graduating college.
Since I was a broke college grad, living with my parents, and aged out of their insurance (this was right before Affordable Care Act became effective, 2009-2012) I went to the dentistry school to treat it and their only solution (IIRC) was to pull it out or leave the post in there until I could get . There wasn't enough tooth structure left (over 90% of the tooth was gone) to build a crown (or is it called a cap?) on it. :/ They highly recommended an implant since the tooth is pretty essential to chewing and chomping.
After a couple years of unemployment, I got a full time job and was able to afford the braces. Even with my dental coverage (my benefits weren't bad, I think they paid a few hundred dollars?) finally got the braces ($4,300) and after 18 months; I had them taken off in October. I don't regret it one bit yet. I go in a couple weeks for my initial consult for the tooth implant.
posted by fizzix at 11:49 AM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh, and I never got braces as a teen growing up (my parents would have likely been able to afford them, but I'd imagine, it would be tough; and none of my 3 other siblings needed them), because my teeth were relatively straight (at least according to my then dentist a Ned Flanders doppelganger) ; only in the past 5 years my teeth had significantly shifted.
posted by fizzix at 12:09 PM on February 24, 2016
I got braces in my 30s, and it was the worst mistake of my life. I'm now facing $30-50k to fix what this corrupt as whole did to my mouth. Did you know that any dentist can call themselves an orthodontist, and there is virtually no way to file malpractice suits on dentists for performing orthodontic work, even though they have no training?
I hate leaving the house because I can't afford to fix what my own vanity led me into.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:45 PM on February 25, 2016
I hate leaving the house because I can't afford to fix what my own vanity led me into.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:45 PM on February 25, 2016
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He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;
He bought a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
...wait, that's not how it goes. ☹
I wonder if we'll ever get to a point when straightening teeth is such a cheap and routine operation that it becomes the equivalent of the deep shag rug in the mobile home. (I'm thinking of We couldn’t afford carpet and it was embarrassing when you’d bring girls back. “Oh, you’ve got no carpet?” And I remember coming to London for the first time and people having no carpet on the floor and it was a status symbol. And I had to go back and say to my mam, “You know in London, they don’t have carpet on the floor? What they’ve done is polished the floorboards.” “Really, why would they not have carpets?”)
So what will the rich and stylish do with their teeth then, I wonder?
posted by clawsoon at 9:33 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]