What Was Your Fear Of Getting Braces?

[admin]

We would like to poll the fear of getting braces.

[QTsmum]

Cost has always been the biggest issue for me.
I would have LOVED them as a child, but my parents...well, they bought other things instead. (insert eye roll here!)

I'm so excited to get them now, and they definitely won't be taken for granted.

[Carrie]

I feel like QT mine are definately not going to be taken for granted. I can't wait to see my smile in a couple years.

[toma]

the good ortho was my first fear I have search for one year untill I feel comfortable with last one , also the appearance was my second fear I always think how my look will be with braces and and after treatment it'll be change to better or worse


but now I feeel soooooooooooooooooooo comfortable and don't feel fear of anything.

[Jammy]

I had been wanting braces ever since I was like 20, it was definitely the commitment of having to wear them for 18 months that was putting me off. I just decided to bite the bullet and get them put on in January with me now being 25, and to think it would have been all over years ago if I had just gone through with it.

[smylex]

It was a parental unit's fear of dentists that kept me out of the dentist office for nearly 18 years. I had no fear of any doctor and was a dental assistant for 5 years.

For me, it was only the cost of the braces and the worry about the expenditure for surgery that kept me away. Now that I know I can afford it, nothing is holding me back.

[Brace Face]

For me it was definitely the time commitment. The appearance of them worried me but I could have lived with anything if it were only for a short time. Remarkably the biggest response I get is envy from friends who always say they wish they were brave enough to go for it themselves!

[Amolia]

Look was definitely not an issue, because people say that I look better with braces.. My biggest concern was food, ( no gum ) ahaha : )

[jarofmarbles]

I don't really care about the pain, you just have to take a pain pill and move on to something else. Cost doesn't affect me because being 16, the parents covered that! =)
The time commitment didn't really put me off because it's just something that you get put on, leave it, and get on with life.
I was really concerned with the appearence of the braces. It's only been a few days and I have been avoiding talking because I'm afraid that I look ugly and geeky. I am definitely less confident but I'm sure I'll get used to it

[Kristin.braceface]

Mine was definitely appearance. I have a 9 year old who has friend with braces. Now when they see me they compare their braces w/ mine. Not only embarrassing for me, but also for my daughter.
I'm still obsessed with staring at them, and worry that they weren't positioned correctly.

[NotParis]

I have been through a lot in my dental history.....teeth pulled with my mom sitting on me, 13 cavities at age 15, etc. So the pain associated with getting them was my biggest fear. I have been planning these for two years so I wasn't really worried about the cost and two years is just a flash in the pan anymore!!

[ninjaboy]

My biggest fear is not knowing if I'm putting my trust/ investing in the right person to do my care.

[justjenn]

My biggest fear was the pain. I hadn't really researched much. When I was a teenager my mom wanted me to get them and I didn't want them. Now that I'm close to 29 and graduating from college next May, I want my teeth straightened and overbite fixed. The thought of the jaw surgery isn't really bothering me. I just get aggravated with trying to find things I can eat with braces and food allergies.

[oscars mummy]

my biggest prob was other people staring at me i had had my braces on for just 6 hours and my daughter refused to kiss me goodnight!

[Chris]

When I was younger I was afraid of the surgery the doctor told me I needed. Imagine a 12 year old kid hearing he's going to get his jaw broken. But not that I'm going to get them I'm not really scared of it, and the surgery doesn't seem that big of a deal now. The orthodontist though said he will try and fix my bite without it.

[josie]

My fear wasn't there - which was the fear of not being able to enjoy food for nearly 2 years!

[ChrstyDA]

Hi Everyone!
For me very important to have a good ortho dentist,I need a good communication with Doc!!!!

[IHIC]

When I was told by my Dentist at 12 years old he would be referring me for a brace (NHS) I remember saying and thinking "oh no way! I do not want to wear a brace" (I regret that now) and that was because of the appearance of braces... and probably the main reason alot of teenagers don't want a brace.

I am now 24 and hopefully soon will be braced. But what are my fears now? well, I don't have any I don't think. I have no problem with the appearance, well it's not as if I love the way they look, it's just I don't/wont care what others think of me in braces (well I hope so! maybe I'll start to feel differently once they're on). Although, I am worrying about finding a good Ortho to go with... but that's about it. Slightly worrying about the commitment to braces, but I guess I wont find out about that until they are fitted.

[livelavalive]

My main fear was the 26.5 month treatment time because I couldn't take them off.
Not to mention those damn impressions.

[moonie]

I think my fear is all of the above....

Hopefully it won't be so bad.

[sassyb]

COST!!!!! i've known i needed braces since i was a young child but my parents really couldn't afford it. when i finally decided to get them as an adult and started saving money i told my mom about it. i have to really say my parents are awesome people! my 14 year old sister needed braces too and she got them a week before me. since my parents are much older and advanced in their careers my parents actually gave my 1000US towards my treatment costs. i am so grateful for that because i know they couldnt have afforded it when i was a child and they had no obligations to help me now but they did... now my sis and i are braced together! lol

[brite]

my biggest fear would be to get the braces in the 1st place

[AK710]

Before it was cost and now it is the pain (canker sores, teeth hurting) that I'm terrified of. I just keep reminding myself that I have wanted this for a while and the pain is fleeting and in 12 months I'll have the smile that I want.

[tigerfan88]

It was definitely cost, followed closely by how painful I thought it would be with them on. Fortunately, my three older siblings had braces as adults, too, so I knew a little bit of what to expect as well as the benefits of getting the work done.

[lilithinbraces]

The time commitment was a huge fear - but I also have a few irrational fears, like my teeth will fall out, or I will destroy my gums

[CapnCrunch]

I guess I really didnt have any real fear, I just was kinda complacent, putting it off, and also what stopped me before is that my parents couldnt exactly afford it for me and my three brothers, so none of us got them. I'm 20 now and can afford them so I finally did it! I'm really not embarrassed about them, I actually almost feel like I smile more now that I have them. they look just fine and I just got to the point where I dont really care what people think about it, really no one cares anyways. I think it's kinda fun talking abuot them and hearing other peoples experiences with their braces. it's kind of a good conversation piece! lol.

[ports]

I had to get my wisdom teeth removed before I could do braces. And since my wisdom teeth came in pretty well, perfectly straight, and weren't impacted, I wasn't in any hurry to do an unnecessary surgery. I got my wisdom teeth out 2 years ago when they started to hurt. And I got my braces last month, after moving around because of my job for the last 2 years. I'm in a stable place and can see the same ortho for the length of my treatment.

I agree with the previous poster. I wasn't afraid, but I am complacent with the process. I wanted to get it done, and the work/care/money for the braces is just part of that.

[Amber]

My fear was that i was going to get a really bad lisp because all the people i saw get braces before me got lisps(especially on their s's). I get them off in spring time this year (thank god) but i still have a mild lisp on the s's even after two years but it's so mild nobody notices it unless i'm singing or my tongue swells up ( that happens when my tongue rubs against my molar bands UGH), so i'm not too upset about it.
But the funny thing is i wanted them cause apparently everyone thought i would look good with them.
Now i hate them with a PASSION!!!!
Oh well

[BraceLace]

For me I was worried about how the braces would look... actually when I found out that my first pre-molar was going to be extracted I was most worried about my new toothless smile. Now the braces are on I'm glad they're there because its obvious why I have teeth missing :P

[2ten8us]

I will say it was the appearance but I also get SOOOO many compliments with them and I figured
I'm 44 what the heck vanity diminishes with age. I couldn't imagine myself at 20 or 30 with braces, my mom wanted to put them on two months before prom (I don't think so), please don't confuse vanity with confidence because confidence replaces vanity as you age. I love the decision I have made at this age, I'll be 80yrs old with a beautiful natural smile, lol.

[lasvegasann]

I think you appreciate things better the older you get. Once you enter your 40's you don't care what others think.

[silhouette]

The first four! Haha

[Rachel]

Cost was probably the biggest factor for me, followed closely by time commitment. I've never been too concerned about appearance. I'm a college student and I have yet to have a class without at least one other person having braces, so it's not really a big deal for me. I also tolerate pain really well so that was never really an issue for me either.

[kevinbrandt94]

It’s not going to hurt when you get them on; it’s going to hurt after when you put them on.
Don't be nervous. You might experience some distress when they put on the wire. It might hurt the first 2 days but then you will get used to it. And if they stroke against your cheeks or anything they give you wax. From my knowledge with braces I would rate the pain a 4. It wasn't too hurting but I did experience some pain but never to the extent where I had to use painkillers. But of course many people are dissimilar. But you will be trained how to deal with the pain in your individual way whether you use painkillers or just distract yourself from the pain. Experience is must.

[oldseoul]

All of the above! I just got my top braces last week and 1 tooth extracted yesterday. Everything has gone very well so far and I am kicking myself for not doing this years ago!

[John009]

I have been also wanting braces since I was only 20. But unfortunately i found nothing from it. But now, I am more wanting braces in this age. I am definitely sure to get it soon.


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[NewSmile10]

I would have to say finding a doctor to put them on and do an excellent job at perfecting my smile. At this time my treatment is going well and although it is moving a little slow I hope to have the perfect smile I dreamed of and that it's worth every bit of the $6700.00 I spent. I would have to say that I believe I chose the right orthodontist because he seems like a perfectionist and I swear I won't let him take these off my teeth until I'm satisfied with the result. So if it's over two years so be it I just want everything to look beautiful. I dreamed of a Hollywood smile not just straight teeth!

[TinkB]

I wish there was an "All Of The Above" option.

[PrimalNut]

My fear was to end up with an incompetent doctor that will mess up my bite more then it already was.
This however wasn't the case because I did my research and knew what kind of dr. I was looking for. I already knew what is possible and how badly deformed my dental arch was before even talking to an Ortho.
I knew what method I wanted, without extractions, without any other extra work.
I changed my diet 6 months prior to searching for an Ortho, made sure my nutrition was in check and my cleaning was done.
When I found the right Ortho (who gave me a free consultation) he was impressed about how much I knew and how well the health of my gums and teeth looked for my age (female, age 40)...especially for not having had a single cleaning in my life before age 24. (I'm originally from another country).

My Ortho called himself a facial orthodontist that specializes in braces and expansions....BINGO!

I've had the Damons on for the last year and I'm quite pleased. Got another 6 month - 1 year tops to go.

[NarcoAngel]

My fear with getting braces was the risks involved... I hope I didnt start the treatment, get teeth extracted, only to have teeth break, or rot.

[Lillaree]

My fears are 1st: the cost (no insurance)
2nd: the ortho wants to break my jaw (not gonna let him)
3rd: looking like I'm 12yrs old. As I am 24yrs old now and ppl still think I'm in high school. Add braces to me and I think they'll think I'm 12.
4th: the pain/restrictions of food. I don't like a lot of foods anyway but take away the few things I enjoy... that sucks
5th: the time. 2 & 1/2 to 3years... ouch

[Lillaree]

When I was younger I was afraid of the surgery the doctor told me I needed. Imagine a 12 year old kid hearing he's going to get his jaw broken. But not that I'm going to get them I'm not really scared of it, and the surgery doesn't seem that big of a deal now. The orthodontist though said he will try and fix my bite without it.

The ortho told me he wants to break my jaw too. But I don't think I need it. Sure my mandible is a little to small, but my jaw does not hurt or anything like that.
I hope I can find an ortho that can get around surgery, as I don't want or can afford it.

[OzGirl1985]

I replied, "Other". I think my biggest fear in getting braces was what other people would think (I know that sounds horrible). I'm in my mid-twenties and should have gotten braces YEARS ago but my parents were not strong advocates of going to the dentist. Don't get me wrong, good dental hygiene was always something that was encouraged in our household but actually making the time to get into our yearly visits was just not something that they worked towards (and is something that will change when my daughter is older). After college, when I was finally out of the house, I started to really be aware of my smile and how it needed to be corrected. I was nervous (and sometimes still am) that people look at me and wonder why I am JUST now getting braces. I'm an adult, it should have been handled when I was an adolescent. It's worth it, though, because I know when they're finally off (four months to go!) my smile will be beautiful.

[doenen]

Appearance was part of it, it's bad enough having an overbite without brackets stuck to your teeth to give you even more of a horse face (for the first 6 months or so anyway)... and the pain from the anaesthetic. When my sister had her teeth extracted she almost cried when she got all those anaesthetic shots - and she takes pain a lot better than I do, so I was terrified of going through the same ordeal. Eventually when I did do it, it HURT SO MUCH. But thankfully compared to the shots the treatment in general (tightening, etc) was quite bearable.