Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

Stirn_927 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:35:45 GMT

I had braces for over two years and no one teased me about it at all. Most kids I know were so excited about getting their teeth fixed that they didn't care if they looked the way they did with them on. Maybe some people are over thinking teen's reactions to braces.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

beatblend — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:43:02 GMT

This article infuriates me. I am tired of this culture that coddles our children so much that they shouldn't have to be exposed to the horrors of (gasp!) metal braces. I had braces for two year s during my eighth grade and freshman year of high school--granted this was the early 90s, but every one had metal braces and you dealt with it. It's part of growing up and in my opinion, builds character. This culture of "everyone's a winner" is making american kids soft, I think. Everyone is supposed to bend over backwards for our kids and this is producing this kind air of entitlement that is just sickening. If you want to results of having good teeth, you have to deal with some bumps of the road. In the end you'll have more of an appreciation for what you have. People could some of that.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

aurora8927 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:39:45 GMT

i have to agree.. its ridiculous that a parent would pay thousands more just to spare their kid embarassment.. i had braces when i was in school, year 2000 and i never got teased or picked on or anything.. in fact i actually had the most friends/boyfriends that year then i ever had throughout school.. besides, i'm so grateful now that i went through all the hassle of tightenings and wax and pain and ugh.. they are annoying i'll give it that but its worth it, because after only a year for me.. usually two for most people, i've got perfectly straight and pretty teeth.. and i have to agree with beatblend, america is getting WAY too overprotective.. granted things are a bit more dangerous now then it used to be.. however all this coddling is way too much, and kids cant defend themselves or support themselves anymore, which in turn once they grow up and head out into the real world their not going to be able to handle all the rude and mean people you have to deal with everything.. getting teased is a way of life no matter what age you are.. how about spending the time (not money) teaching your kid about self esteem and to love themselves no matter what anyone else says?

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

hawkmom81 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:46:31 GMT

Both my kids have braces and neither one of them have been teased. My younger one was so excited to get braces because all his friend have them. No big deal everyone has them these days.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

sfteri — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:59:37 GMT

Are you kidding with this article? I didn't even know that behind the teeth braces were even an option! I agree with beatblend completely, this culture gives their children a false illusion of the world. I just put braces on my daughter and she was so happy and proud she showed them to all her friends because she had different colored bands all over them. She was happy that we could even afford to get her the regular kind... I guess I will consider myself lucky she didn't whine about looking like Ugly Betty (though we wouldn't mind her bank account) As far as rude kids and braces, we've never encountered them.... and I put braces on for myself at 38 years old because my parents couldn't afford them. The whole goal of braces is to gain a beautiful straight smile... am I missing something? I say wear them with pride and smile wide! You're certainly paying enough for them.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

ChildlessWoman — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:04:55 GMT

Invisalign is useless for anything more than minor overcrowding or gaps between front teeth. If you have any bite issues, Invisalign will cause more problems than it will solve. I am speaking from personal experience! As for the breath problems the aligners cause, the thought of that would mortify any teen. And you absolutely cannot drink sugary sodas -- or even sugar-free, acidic sodas -- while wearing them. The attachments that are stuck on your teeth to help the aligners work are just as ugly as any metal braces. All things considered, it is far easier to fix the underlying problems of a bad bite when you are in your teen years than it is later on in life. Go with the metal braces and headgear while you are young, and enjoy a healthy mouth for the rest of your life.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

Flora_Babbii — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:08:57 GMT

I think this is sooooo stupid, i'm 14 and im getting braces soon, and yes i no they are late, but its because we do a lot of moving about anyway. I'm gettin braces in the next year, and now im living in one place, and a lot of my friends have braces and none of them get teased or look like Ugly Bettys, Braces are a part of life if you want a nice straight smile, even though im dreading getting them, i just think of them as like a mosturiser, because we use moturiser to make out skin nice and glowy and soft right? and braces we use braces to have a nice straight smile, its just enoughter thing to make us look prettier in the long run, my friend Rose she is gorgeous and she dosnt look any less gorgeous without braces on infact she looks even prettier i dont no why but she does!

So i wish people would stop going on about how Braces make youu look like an ugly betty they dont, AND FINE IF THEY ARE SAYIN BRACES MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE AN UGLY BETTY, THAN FINE I WOULD RATHER LOOK LIKE AN UGLY BETTY, FOR A YEAR OR TWO, THEN SPEND LOADS OF MONEY OR GO THOUGH MY LIFE WITH UGLY CROOKED TEETH!

Thank Youu!

Loveyouux

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

Flora_Babbii — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:10:35 GMT

Thank Youu!

Loveyouux

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

Flora_Babbii — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:12:07 GMT

On my comment below, i meant my friend look prettier with braces lol!

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

MCMc — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:01:11 GMT

This "article" is silly and takes vanity to a new level. I had braces in junior high school (early 80s) and was never teased. My aunt got braces when she was in her mid-50s; no problem there. My 13-year-old son may have to get braces and I doubt he will get teased, either. He is certainly not worried about it. Several of his classmates have braces and it is just shrugged off by the other children. This article leads me to believe that some families have nothing better to spend their money on. In light of this economy, that is very sad.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

eagleriver25 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:25:45 GMT

this is ridiculous. i am fifteen and a half, i've had braces on for 2 years since this month. i know that i am so fortunate that my parents are able to spend TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS on my dental work. almost everyone i know has braces or have had them. no one gets teased, having braces is such a common phenomenon. there is absolutely no problem with them, and i would rather have regular braces just LIKE EVERYONE ELSE than have my parents spend 20,000 thousand on some backwards crap that would make all my friends say wtf? why didnt you get regular braces.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

Fever — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:53:54 GMT

This is completely untrue.

I am fourteen and had Invisalign about a year ago, before this Invisalign Teen.

It ended up costing half as much as regular braces, and worked just as well.

They are really not a very big reposibility, it's just a simple thing that you will learn to o in the first few weeks of having them.

So, why go through the pain and annoyance of having conventional when Invisalign costs less and is removable?

When I went to the first meeting the presented us with two plans.

A $4,500 plan and a $2,000 plan, both flat rates.

My teeth were not terrible so I was able to take the $2,000 plan.

My results were perfect, just as good as they would have been with normal braces.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

Krate — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:23:52 GMT

I'd like to defend Invisalign real quick. My parents weren't able to spend thousands of dollars on my teeth when I was in high school (unlike most of the kids commenting on this article). I'm not in my mid twenties and I just got invisalign 6 months ago. I love them. I'm in a career when I'm meeting people everyday and being able to talk and smile without having to worry about big bulky braces is nice. Not to mention, it helps with my social and dating life. I think that if you can afford to spend the money, why not go for the better option? My older brother has braces right now, and he spend $4,500 on his... My invisalign were only $500 more than that. Not to mention the time we're spending wearing each respective orthodontic. He got his braces on in January of this year, and as of right now, he won't get them off for at least another year. I got my invisalign in May, and I'll have mine off in 3 weeks.... To me, it was worth it to get the invisalign. I spent several months researching the aligners and testimonials before I got them. I think people need to stop critisizing something that they obviously aren't educated about. It's not about vanity or money, it's about what you're comfortable with. If I was 14 and could afford conventional braces, sure I'd get them.. But that wasn't an option at the time. Now, invisalign were a better option for me, and I couldn't be happier with them!

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

mommapengie2 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:39:15 GMT

I agree with everyone who has written, I am 18 yrs of age and have worn braces for over a year now and have never been made fun.. However if my teeth then were not as bad as they were I would have gotten the invisalign as well. Is this all you can think of to wrtie about?

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

arianaknight — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:14:41 GMT

I wore braces for over three years in my early twenties. My teeth were far too bad to be able to get Invisalign, nor would I have considered them. A few times people commented on me having braces as an adult and I was quick to point out how happy I was to wear them. I was embaressed to smile prior to the braces and my parents couldn't afford them when I was younger. What is more important: looking good or feeling good? I no longer have headaches, can chew properly and mentally feel better.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

Pearlmsqueaks — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:22:07 GMT

I'm going to agree with everyone else and say that this is a stupid article. I was fortunate enough not to need braces because though my teeth came in crooked they moved into place on their own. I'm 22 and now, looking back to elemetary school I remember that most of the students who received braces did not have crooked teeth or over/underbites. I beleive that people should love themselves the way they are wether they have crooked teeth or moles or red hair. If you have crooked teeth there is a reason you have them. My boyfriend sings in perfect pitch/key all the time and he has straight top teeth and crooked bottom teeth, he never had braces, if he were to have his bottomteeth straightened now it would completely change the way notes a released from his mouth and essentially changing his singing voice. Braces are not an option for him even though he would like to have straight bottom teeth. I just keep saying look at Harrison Ford, he has straight top teeth and crooked bottom teeth. Braces are purely for vanity. Perhaps people who have crooked teeth should watch Nanny McPhee because its the beauty inside not outside.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

CDrcis83 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:46:01 GMT

I wore the plain old metal braces 13 years ago for almost 4 years and i lived through it. I had a very severe overbite to the point that i had absolutely no room for the teeth that were coming in, causing me pain and eventually TMJ. Now I'm 25 and wearing the plain old metal braces again to (re)correct my irresponsibility in wearing my retainers. Braces are not totally for vanity reasons. In some cases, yes, but in most, no. It was either break my jaws and reset them and pull out tons of teeth, or get braces and alleviate some of the problems. I love myself and am happy with what I have, but I have a mouth that does its own thing. So pearl, sorry, I must disagree. Just because you were fortunate doesn't mean all of us were and at the ripe old vain age of 8, I really didn't care what I looked like, I just wanted to be able to eat normally and not be hurting all the time.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

kaytiejo — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:01:19 GMT

I have to be another one that defends Invisalign... I got invisalign about 3 months ago and I love them. I have had no problems and they were the exact same price that regular braces would have cost me. I never had braces when I was in high school and invisalign were the best option for me. I have to wear them for about a year which is a year less than I would have had to wear conventional braces. So there are pros and cons to all sides... you just have to be one that weighs them all.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

Heethur — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:02:00 GMT

Pearl, you refer to red hair like its a bad thing.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

SarahBee81 — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:07:03 GMT

In response to Pearlmsqueaks' comment: I wholeheartedly disagree with you - having straight teeth has as more to do with a person's health than it does with vanity. Crooked teeth are very difficult (if not impossible) to properly clean - thus, people with crooked teeth tend to have an increased risk of cavities, tooth decay and gingivitis. As you may know, gingivitis leads to periodontitis, which can lead to heart disease. Furthermore, misaligned bites and crooked teeth can interfere with a person's ability to properly chew food; these conditions can also strain teeth, muscles, and jaws, which increases the risk of breaking a tooth. Finally, misaligned bites and crooked teeth can impede speech. Out of curiosity, do you also believe that people should not brush their teeth? It could be argued that the quest to prevent yellow teeth and bad breath is also vain, but most people agree that this is simply good hygiene. The same is true of crooked teeth and misaligned bites. That being said, there is certainly a vain aspect of desiring straight(er) teeth - after all, it’s hard to argue that a beautiful smile isn't ruined by bad teeth. So, while I agree that the quest for straight teeth is indeed somewhat vain, the medical benefits of a well-aligned mouth are hard to argue.

In response to the question at hand - should teenagers use Invisalign - I do not think that most are responsible enough. As a teenager, I had braces for 5 years and never wore my retainers. As a result, I am now 27 and have just spent $5000 on Invisalign braces. They have worked wonderfully for me, but they are a huge commitment - one that I do not think most teenagers can handle. As is always the case, there are undoubtedly exceptions, but my guess is that they are few and far between.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

mcr-patd!! — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:08:21 GMT

this is directed to Pearlmsqueaks im getting braces soon not just for comsmetic reasons my teeth grew behind each other so i looked like a shark with 2 rows of teath i also have a overbite it hurts to put my bottom jaw forward to make them fit together. so not all braces are for cosmitic reasons. and no offence but sine u didnt need braces u dont know what its like to have problems with your teath u didnt have to deal with it. whats wrong with red hair?

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

Fever — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:45:15 GMT

Responding to SarahBee81's comment: I am a teenager and I had no problem with Insvisalign. I did not find it hard to remember to keep them on. I have had my retainer for about 8 months now and have never forgotten to wear it. It should become a simple routine...

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

lyrical_lie777 — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:01:57 GMT

in response to pearlmsqueaks, not all braces are for cosmetics. i had a bad overbite, one that actually came back because of bone structure. however, had i not gotten braces(and later surgery) my back molars would have worn down, caused severe TMJ(which I already had the start of) and more problems later in life with my teeth than it would be to get braces.

I have no problems with invisalign if its for cosmetics. however most orthodontists will say metal braces if the problem is for a reason other than cosmetics because usually there are other applications that need to be used that have to hook onto braces, such as rubber bands to move the jaw for an overbite.

and i never had a problem with kids making fun of me for braces. when i had them in middle school and now.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

SarahBee81 — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:23:24 GMT

In response to Fever's comment: I am glad to hear that Invisalign worked for you - I don't know for sure, but I would guess that you are probably more responsible than most of your peers. I personally think that Invisalign is more of a committment than traditional braces (I've had both), but that it just my opinion. I didn't intend to offend any teenagers, which is why I said that there are certainly teens out there who are responsible enough to use them. Ultimately, I think the decision is between parent and child, and is nobody else's business.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

Wisewords8084 — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:53:54 GMT

This a great article and I think that there should be more articles like this posted. I respect everyones opinion in this informational article and think Ms. McDevitt did a great job in informing us over this topic.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

ne-ej — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:01:53 GMT

I realize everyone has different situations but Invisalign may have worked wonders for you, but they don't fix all problems. I had an extremely narrow palate, so narrow that when I smiled you only saw my front four top teeth and I had problems chewing my food because my molars didn't line up. This is an issue that they can only fix via two methods: having a palate expander that pushes it wider followed by traditional braces or having a surgical procedure where the roof of your mouth is sawed in half with a wedge put in the middle. The surgery also includes having your jaw wired shut for months.

To Pearl: People aren't forced to get braces, no one is trying to jeopardize your boyfriend's singing. Some of us need braces for healthier teeth, some like the cosmetic benefits, and some like Harrison Ford, Kirstin Dunst and your significant other, prefer their smiles au natural.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

olpsandra — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:20:08 GMT

as an orthodontic assistant, someone who has been there and seen it, i have to say that invisalign really should only be used in simple cases such as crowding, and only by responsible people. teenagers aren't the only irresponsible people out there, but it seems that when you are the one paying all that extra money, that's when you really take it seriously and actually wear them. as far as the i braces, i don't know if anyone has ever encountered someone with them, but, much like a tongue ring causes that weird slurry speech in some people, they affect your speaking because your tongue hits them, and that also causes basically a perpetual canker sore. not fun. and, much like everyone else has been saying, everyone has braces these days. none of the hundreds of kids i've seen thru the office i work in has ever wanted to get the braces off because someone was making fun of them. whoever your kid thinks is going to make fun of them, usually the only person who even thinks about their braces is themselves. so really, just go with the metal ones. it doesnt look ugly, it looks like potential.

and PLEASE: wear your retainer as instructed. its really, really not just a torture device. :)

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

DEEBBY09 — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:01:56 GMT

Im a senior in highschool and I got my braces about two months ago, I haven't been made fun of at all, most of the teenagers at my school have braces. It isn't an embarrassment AT ALL to have them! Sure they take a month or so to get used to but after that its normal, in the short period that ive had my braces my teeth have already aligned considering i had crooked teeth, and i will be getting them off before i graduate so it doesnt take that long.

As for the invisalign thing, one of my friends has some and she has to take them out when she eats and its very embarrassing for her to have to take them out in front of everyone because sometimes they come out with a little saliva on them.

I am very happy with my braces, if you can have a beautiful smile while having them on, its guaranteed it'll be gorgeous when they're off, they are sooooooo worth it.

re: Do Cosmetic Braces Work For Teens?

Nisakm — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:29:45 GMT

In response to olpsandra's comment: She is absolutely correct when she says that Invisalign works if you wear it and you have to be repsonsible about that. However, I also work in the orthodontic field, and Invisalign is not for only "simple cases". Dr. Atoosa Nikaeen has taken on Invisalign cases here where other orthodontist have said it could not be done, for example she has a patient who the other Dr. told her she needed to have 4 teeth taken out, Dr. Nikaeen is correcting her bite with Invisalign, no extractions. The key is in the knowledge the doctor posseses on how to ahcieve the results, and when it comes to Invisalign it can correct major problems. She also mentioned that she has not encountered a patient with ibraces, understanble since the article mentions that only 18% of orthodontist in the US are using this technique. Dr. Nikaeen is one of the 18%, and is currently treating 4 patients with ibraces, one of them is an actor so as you can imagine his speach is very important, and he is currently filming. It does take some getting use to but once you pass that phase, it's business as usual! Bottomline there are choices available, and for the cosmetically concious there are now alternitives that work ;)