Friday, November 17, 2006

Braces?! Or no braces?!



Boy...you've got great teeth. Really, it is very good. The teeth are all there, none are senget, everything is in its proper position and alignment, no holes, no cavities, no plaque buildup. But, there are some gaps between your teeth . Nothing extraordinary or bad, but, in case you want your smile to look better, you might want to consider doing braces.



So, the good dentist told me that the other day when I decided to go and get some dental work done (it's time).

Hmm....a 24 years old guy wearing braces? I already look kinda young, but with my braces, work uniform, I could pass for a high school kid albeit a slightly more mature looking one.

Can you imagine, going for job interviews wearing braces?
In my current capacity, managing a troop of people up to 30 years older than I, while wearing braces?
Presenting to the top management board, wearing braces?
Going out to meet girls, wearing braces?
Trying to make out, wearing braces?

This is a tough dilemma! No, a 24 year old guy with braces just won't cut the cheese. So, the options are:

a) Seem more respectable without braces, deal with consequences eventually
b) Suffer the indignity (behind the back giggles laughs pointed fingers stained reputation) for one year, then, have good teeth rest of life.

F#$@....what kind of a choice is that!?

2 comments:

winkris said...

i had braces... but i was 11 [i think] at the time. Let me tell you it wasn't fun!

My teeth are still fuct but oh well.

Note: do not chew on pen tops.

niteangel said...

hi hi!! yea i said i'd get back to u on this so here's my 2c worth :)

the reason braces suggested = gaps btwn teeth. so first thing u have to ask urself is.. do the gaps bother you enuff that you would be willing to spend ~1 year in braces. if yes, then by all means, go for it. if no.. then.. no-lah hehe.

things to consider:
1) lower teeth are usually not visible when u smile so gaps in lower teeth may not be as obvious to other pple as they are to u in the mirror every morning (unless u r a professional singer or something)

2) there have been SOME studies that show that teeth do move forward over time (1-2mm?) so if the gaps r in ur front teeth (especially lower) i wouldn't really advise it

3) other than the looks of braces and the discomfort, wearing braces do make teeth hard to clean so during that 1 year there is a higher risk of u getting initial tooth decay (but if u take care, then u wont lah.. just the ma-fan factor)

4) adult wearing braces is getting more and more accepted in society nowadays btw. maybe not so much in malaysia but definitely in US n all those places where pple will do anything (extreme makeover) to look good.. so if u do decide to wear them.. 24 isn't that bad.. better than a 54 year old rite? and u still have alot more years to enjoy the straight-no-gaps-teeth

5) there r other types of braces quite popular among adults.. might be a little more costly but u should look into it.. one is like ceramic braces where the metal things aren't silver, they are tooth colored. and the other one is invisible aligners, which look like transparent mouthguards or bleaching trays. i recently did a course for the invisalign in sydney n they are great for mild problems.

i hope this helps :)


ur friendly neighborhood dentist,
melissa.

haha