Braces, did you have to wear them? Or........
By Annie
@Anniedup (3651)
Richards Bay, South Africa
June 27, 2007 6:39am CST
Were you born with perfectly, straight, pearly Whites!
I had to wear them, and strong was my resistance to the idea at the time. I did not care that I had a gap between my two front teeth or that my bottom jaw jutted out slightly more than the top. I was only 11,after all. I wouldn't have cared if I had the mouth of Freddy Mercury. But my mother lived with the horror of being called Bugs Bunny through her childhood and was dammed if she’d let the same thing happen to me. ‘One day, when you’re a famous actress, you’ll thank me for this’. So off to the orthodontist to have braces fitted, all the time dreaming of the day when the world would watch me on the big screen. To my horror it was not a sweet little plate that was fitted, but railway tracks! Heavy metal wedges, glued to my teeth! It was not an easy time, with my brother guffawing and yelling ‘tin grin’ and ‘brace face’
Nowadays children and adults have an easier time, they get to choose from see-through braces, white ceramic braces, and braces that fit on the back of your teeth.
What was your experience with braces, did you have to wear them, or were you part of the guffawing team!
8 people like this
20 responses
@FSCAries (881)
• United States
28 Jun 07
I had to wear braces and it was rough. I didn't get picked on or anything, I just had to wear them FOREVER. Originally, when I was told that I needed them, the plan was that I would have to wear them for 2.5 years, which started in the end of 4th grade. I didn't think that it would be so bad at first, I mean, having a beautiful smile half way through middle school, alright! Yeah, well needless to say, that didn't happen. I ended up having at least 3 sets of teeth in most places and after having 26 teeth pulled, two surgeries, and a lot of wax, I finally got my braces off just before I started 11th grade. I never thought they were going to come off!
3 people like this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
28 Jun 07
I saw the orthodontist this week and learned that I need braces on my bottom teeth if I am to avoid TMJ complications. I'm sixty-five years old! I never thought I'd ever need braces. But apparently my to front bottom teeth are beginning to thrust out so that I can't actually chew properly. With my teeth the way they are I can't "grind" my food because the teeth come together in such a way that I can't move my jaw back and forth with my mouth closed. This somehow leads to me clenching my teeth when I sleep, which causes the TMJ pain. So . . .
When I went to the orthodontist I thought the problem was the top front tooth moving back. But he says it isn't that at all. So next month I go for the complete xrays and work-up to begin the process.
I sure feel silly about wearing braces at my age. But I sure don't want to end up with TMJ surgery in my future.
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
28 Jun 07
Yeah, well I'm going to need luck finding the $4500 it will cost! That's a heck of a lot of posting on myLot.
Maybe I'll post a "pity post" so people will help me raise the bucks! LOL
2 people like this
@Anniedup (3651)
• Richards Bay, South Africa
28 Jun 07
Oh my lord! I can just imagine myself what it must feel like and at your age! I'm 49 and will go bonkers if something like this should happen to me, but like you said there is no alternative and I'm sure, it will be worth it in the end. The best of luck, hope it all goes well.
2 people like this
@tshirtscene (491)
• New Zealand
29 Jun 07
I was fortunate when I was younger and not had to wear braces. I never teased my friends or class mates about braces, back then they were the old metal kind and the most fashionable you could get with them was coloured bands!
2 people like this
@Anniedup (3651)
• Richards Bay, South Africa
2 Jul 07
You were lucky indeed, but thinking back now, this made such a funny discussion I can almost say I'm glad I went through it, just to tell the story and hear what others went through. Half the time reading all the posts here I was in stitches!
@2wicelot (2945)
•
28 Jun 07
My teeth have always been in perfect shape. Even when I was a kid, my milk teeth too were very well arranged. I was told by the dentist that I have perfect teeth and never needed them at all. But I was wondering when I saw a lady the other day wearing them. She was not wearing them the day before and her teeth looked really fine. I thought you wore them if you needed to correct your teeth.
@Kylalynn (1771)
• South Africa
27 Jun 07
Hello, how are you. Yes, I also wore braces, for when the big moment came you know.lol I was lucky it was a plate that I had to wear for 6 weeks, and I kicked up such a fuss about that. Anyway it did the trick. My daughter had to wear those 'tracks' and they worked very nicely, but recently she has started sleeping in her retainer as they seemed to be going a bit skew. My grandaughter gets her tracks in 2 weeks. I know when my dauhter wore them, she decided she also needed glasses. She chose the most hideous pair of glasses you can imagine. So here she is, with her braces on her buck teeth, nose screwed up, with ugly glasses on the end of them. And then, she asked me to put 2 plaits in her hair. I had a fit. I shouted at her - 'are you trying to make yourself look poepie lang kouse' (or whatever her name was). She looked at me, and then we both packed out laughing. Now that was a stage and a half. Anyway, at least we all have straight teeth now.love to you and take care.xx
@Anniedup (3651)
• Richards Bay, South Africa
28 Jun 07
I'm just fine my friend, glad to see you at this hilarious discussion! I am laughing so much going through every post! Then just when I thought ok now I can 'skep 'n bietjie asem' here you come, painting a picture in my mind of your daughter, the poepie lang kouse, the 2 plaits! Oh this is the best fun I had in years! The girl's name was 'Pippie lang kouse' so now you can understand why I am laughing so much the tears are rolling down my cheeks!!!! Thank you for a good, and I mean, a good laugh!!
The weather here is so foul, the wind is blowing and it is bitterly cold, my hubby had to go and buy a heater! the first time in 24 years in Richards Bay! And that for Zululand is unheard of, I see it snowed in Johannesburg, did you guys also get some snow?
1 person likes this
@jumpinjack00 (3054)
• United States
27 Jun 07
Oh goodness those are memories I've been
suppressing for so many years. Thanks a lot.
For the life of me I couldn't understand why
my parents wanted to make a 12 year old more
insecure than I already was.
My teeth were just fine before the braces.
No one made fun of them then. It was once
I had them that people began to notice I was
different.
With the addition of braces came an additional
barrage of nicknames. Metal mouth, bionic mouth,
mouse trap, meat grinder, jaws, (not the Bond one,
the shark), crusher and others.
That's before I got the retainer and headgear.
The retainer was fitted to the top of your mouth.
While the headgear was attached to the braces via
a padded metal band wrapped around the back of the
head.
That was enough for me after about two weeks of
physical and emotional torment I refused to wear
either. I did finish my sentence with the braces
though. To this day I don't know what the change
was.
‹(°¿°)›
1 person likes this
@jumpinjack00 (3054)
• United States
29 Jun 07
I'm glad I could entertain you at my
emotional Grrrrrrrrr expense. Sorry.
There I Grrrrrrrrr go again. lol
This is quite a funny discussion. The
torture our parents put us through for
"our own good."
‹(°¿°)›
1 person likes this
@unuzzz (1273)
• Indonesia
28 Jun 07
hi anniedup
i was lucky to born with a perfect teeth and i never wear braces until today
i always keep my teeth a good care
for me, teeth is an important assets.. you can't have a good smile with just a perfect and straight teeth
i brush it twice or even three times a day to keep it clean and healthy
thanks.. ^^
2 people like this
@deadraven999 (1386)
• Saudi Arabia
3 Jul 07
My lower teeth need braces but honestly despite they're easy these days but I never thought of visiting the dentist for that. I just hate dental clinics, I visit them so often but when necessary. I thought of putting braces but haven't had the soul or let me say the guts 2 do so.
Thank you Annie xxx
1 person likes this
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
27 Jun 07
Annie, I can just see you as a child! lol...I never wore braces, but I remember them. I had a friend who had the kind you are talking about, and she said it felt like somebody punched her in the face. They certainly have improved!
1 person likes this
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
28 Jun 07
I always knew you laughed with and open mouth. So do I. Believe me, we are doing it right!
1 person likes this
@Zorrogirl (1502)
• South Africa
2 Jul 07
i didnt have to wear them but when i was young, most of my friends had the railway tracks. i never made them feel bad about it because i was teased for other stuff and knew how they would feel. i had my yaw wired shut once due to a broken jaw. and i was very self conscious.
1 person likes this
@arcidy (5005)
• United States
3 Jul 07
unfortinally I wasnt one of the lucky people that were born with good straight teeth so I had to get braces sometime in middleschool or in higschool I forget when but I hated it especially the first week thats when it hurted the most I couldnt eat anything hard and that sucked and whenever they tightend it it would always hurt to for a week and sometimes I would bite my lip because of the braces I was very happy when I got them off.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157552)
• United States
27 Jun 07
One of the good genetic heritages I have is to not need braces. My kids are the same. I have a little over lap on my lower jaw, but seriously not much. I wish I had had better dental care when I was younger, but there is nothing major wrong with my teeth that routine maintenance will not help.
I did not make fun of the others who had braces, though.
1 person likes this
@gh0stface (69)
• United States
27 Jun 07
I myself had braces when I was younger as well.
No, I did not get called names. As braces were at the height of the popularity at that time too as well. People who didn't need them even got them. It was pretty much the norm during my time in early high school.
1 person likes this
@yanjiaren (9031)
•
27 Jun 07
I am very upset with what happened to me..the Dentists stuffed up with my teeth big time, not only did I wear braces and was constantly made fun of at school, but in the end my teeth are still crooked because they didn't extract enough teeth that should have been extracted so I got completely mushed up and my teeth are not straight.Now I need a lot of money and work if I am ever going to get straight teeth, by the time I can afford it I WILL BE IN A ZIMMER FRAME WEARING DENTURES LOL.
1 person likes this
@Anniedup (3651)
• Richards Bay, South Africa
28 Jun 07
Hie hie sorry my girl I am not laughing at you but with you! I am lucky, mine worked out just fine in the end, but there are many cases that it didn't work at all. I think my one friend here is right, he thinks all dentists are aliens put on this earth to torture and torment us!
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
27 Jun 07
I wore them for seven years and my teeth still aren't straight I have too many teeth in my mouth. If I could afford it I'd have the job finished, as soon as I turned 18 the NHS just took the braces off. I haven't looked into exactly how much it would cost to have it done privately but it's probably thousands of pounds.
1 person likes this
@msvenzon (424)
• Philippines
27 Jun 07
I'm wearing braces right now because I need it badly. I have a gap between my teeth. If it's not too bad I wouldn't wear one. Too bad I even need to have tooth extraction for the teeth to form well and be straightened. I still have I think 1 1/2 year to wear these braces before I permanently remove it.
@clocks123 (1225)
• United States
27 Jun 07
when i was a teenager i had crowded teeth the dentist removed two of my incisors one on each side of my two front teeth and two incisors then grew in place my teeth were much straighter but no braces
1 person likes this
