# wearing braces on one's teeth



## epistolario

In our country, wearing braces on one's teeth is something which many people are proud of. However, most of the time, only wealthy people can afford it. It costs around US$600-$1,000+ and that's a lot of money. I was also able to read an article that it's the trend in Colombia where people are proud of wearing them. 

However, years ago, I was surprised to read an article that in the United States, wearing braces is a shame and people would rather wear an invisible braces made of ceramic. And it's a sign of ugliness, for some. I also heard that the cost of dental services in the US is very expensive and braces may cost around US$5,000.00. Is it true?

I also heard that in many countries, it's considered normal and ordinary. That is, people wear it when necessary. How about in your country?


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## Elibennet

I think the answer will depend on your age and your social class. It is true that it is an expensive treatment, so those who are economically less favoured feel proud to wear braces. For others it is just something you have to go through. But I haven´t heard of anyone considering it a shame.A bother, yes, but not a shame. Of course, transparent brackets are preferred, but just because they look better. My daughter wore brackets for 4 years and of course, she was looking forward for having them removed. Now she has to use removable ones the whole day but she refuses to wear them. She only wears them at night. The reason? "I sound like a nerd, mom!"


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## Macunaíma

I'm amazed that someone should feel proud of wearing braces. I used to wear transparent, acrylic braces until two years ago and they were placed behind the teeth. They are a little more expensive and more uncomfortable too, but people will gladly pay extra for it and bear the initial discomfort just because it's invisible.


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## tvdxer

ffrancis said:


> In our country, wearing braces on one's teeth is something which many people are proud of. However, most of the time, only wealthy people can afford it. It costs around US$600-$1,000+ and that's a lot of money. I was also able to read an article that it's the trend in Colombia where people are proud of wearing them.
> 
> However, years ago, I was surprised to read an article that in the United States, wearing braces is a shame and people would rather wear an invisible braces made of ceramic. And it's a sign of ugliness, for some. I also heard that the cost of dental services in the US is very expensive and braces may cost around US$5,000.00. Is it true?
> 
> I also heard that in many countries, it's considered normal and ordinary. That is, people wear it when necessary. How about in your country?



In the U.S., braces are very common, and usually considered undesirable but necessary.  I would say about half of kids have them at some time, usually between the ages of 12 and 15.  I had mine on for just under a year and a half to correct an overbite and some other things and did not care much for them, but it wasn't too bad.  And yes, they are very expensive...$5,000 is about average.


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## Earth Dragon

Americans do consider braces to be ugly, but for some odd reason I don't understand grills (spelling?) are considered cool. Grills are metal jewery that is placed on teeth and are very noticeable.


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## Lello4ever

Well, I think just a couple of people would be happy to wear braces in Italy...


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## Tao

They are indeed a botheration. It is physically uncomfortable to wear braces. Basically you have metal pieces of junk skillfully installed in your mouth, and they can cut you open, make you avoid eating due to pains, and more. You need to go to the orthodontist every once in a while.

If it's removable, imagine a piece of technology in your mouth, and when you remove it there's all spit and such on it, sometimes even pieces of food you just ate.

Social class or no social class... it is uncomfortable, dirty, annoying, unnatural, you name it.


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## Etcetera

In Russia, wearing braces on one's teeth became even fashionable after the success of the TV-series _Ne rodis' krasivoy_ (Don't be born beautiful), where the main heroine wore braces. The TV-series was made after _Yo Soy Betty La Fea_, I think some of you have heard about it. 
I myself wore braces to correct my overbite for half a year when I was 14 or so. At first, I wasn't really ashamed of them or anything, but after a while I noticed that I started to veil my mouth with my palm when smiling - although I've never been too obsessed with the way my teeth look. They're a bit too large and not so Holliwood-looking as I might want, but I'm perfectly happy with them. 
I don't know how much braces cost now, but my parents paid for my braces $650. It was pretty much for us, and especially since the braces didn't really help. 
And I agree with Tao - braces are very, very nasty. And I'm perfectly sure that you should wear them only if it's strictly necessary.


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## nichec

Macunaíma said:


> I'm amazed that someone should feel proud of wearing braces. I used to wear transparent, acrylic braces until two years ago and they were placed behind the teeth. They are a little more expensive and more uncomfortable too, but people will gladly pay extra for it and bear the initial discomfort just because it's invisible.


 
Yes, I think it's the same in the USA.


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## LaReinita

Earth Dragon said:


> Americans do consider braces to be ugly, but for some odd reason I don't understand grills (spelling?) are considered cool. Grills are metal jewery that is placed on teeth and are very noticeable.


 
I have to agree.   Grills are ugly.  In my opinion, it seems as though children are very embarrassed to have braces, but I suppose it beats having crooked teeth the rest of your life!!!


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## sarcie

I had to suffer braces for 5 years, because I moved countries in the middle of my treatment. I had them put on (installed ) in Geneva, where a large part of the international community was from the US - nobody gave me a second glance and all bar one of my friends had either train tracks or a retainer. This was before ceramic braces were really widespread - actually, people used to make them more noticeable, if anything, because it was the fashion to get brightly colored elastics from the orthodontist! Because everyone else had them as well, I never really gave a second thought to mine until I moved back to Ireland. It wasn't yet the done thing to have braces there, mostly because of the cost I suspect. It's now more widespread, but I would estimate that the number of teens with braces is still well under 50%.


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## elizabeth_b

In ancient cultures (prehispanic for example) we can find teeth work and it was used as an status mark.  I'm not talking about braces of course, but of precious stones incrustrations or teeth sculpting.  My point is that we can find this in many ancient cultures, so it seems that this kind of things have been always linked to status.  Braces and other orthodontic works are also related to this because of it's cost.  Those who have used them (me included) can tell that's not a nice experience but there are some people that use them although they don't really need them!!!  I remember when I was a little girl some kids played puting aluminum paper on their teeth to pretend that they were wearing braces...  So I think that saying that in some cultures it's accepted as an status sign it's not so far from reality.  Maybe the idea is at our collective subconscious.  

Regards


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## Etcetera

Macunaíma said:


> I'm amazed that someone should feel proud of wearing braces.


Some years ago, braces on one's teeth could be a proof of your wealth - it was, and still is, rather expensive, so not everyone could afford it. Of course, braces aren't cheap today, but now more people can afford wearing braces. Including "advanced" ones.


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## John Mirra

Tao said:


> Social class or no social class... it is uncomfortable, dirty, annoying, unnatural, you name it.


Very true. My mother made me get braces a couple years ago. I never wanted them in the slightest, but she insisted that I get braces to correct my "nasty, Germanic teeth". 

Ironically, I just went to my second to last orthodontist appointment today.

Also, for reference, I'm a Southerner/Bible Belter, and my braces set us back around $3,000.


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## Forero

Some insurance companies will not pay for braces, saying they are purely cosmetic.  On the other hand, I remember textbooks that mentioned overbite and underbite as if they were maladies that affected one's ability to talk or to eat.

There may be a culture vs. counter-culture thing going on here.

When I was young, braces were only for children and teenagers whose parents believed they needed them.  The children and teenagers were invariably ashamed either of the handicap (if there was one) or of the unsitely treatment.

As for me, I say don't wear them if they don't serve a function, but if someone does wear them, they do not make the person ugly even if the braces are not pretty.

Now I have met an adult who wears one of those transparent things, and it looks rather strange.  I have no idea why she wears it because there's nothing apparently wrong with her dentition.  The device does not detract from her physical charm (and neither would old-fashioned braces), but it does make me wonder if she lives in a different world.  If she needs her teeth straightened, maybe we all do.


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## ColdomadeusX

In Sydney, Australia where I'm from it's generally considered to be quite normal to have braces. There's nothing wrong/ abnormal about it. Sure, some people may think that they look uglier with braces but if you need them then that's that.
Prices vary and as far as I know teenagers can go on a waiting list for subsidised braces (by the government) which means that it's a hell of a lot cheaper than getting them privately. If you do get them from your orthodontist without any discounts or anything then it's usually about $1000- $2000. Some people spend less or more depending on their dentists.


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## PrincessLyka

Hi everyone,

Here in South Africa, the question between kids who are 11-12 years old is "when do you get your braces?". It is indeed quite common. What motivates my 13 year old son to go regularly to the orthodontist is that he can choose the colour on the elastics. One month, his teeth are red, the next, they are blue, and so on.

When ffrancis spoke of the pride feeling that brace wearers have, it reminded me immediately of a cartoon I saw in "Mad" (satirical cartoon magazine) about 25 years ago showing the drawing of a drooling teenager with brace. The caption was about her parents asking her to smile a lot, so people could see that they were wealthy enough to afford the dental care.

I don't think that dental care come cheap in any country in the world. And in our westernized world were the emphasis is strongly put on perfect physical appearance, dentists don't need much skills to persuade patients to go for the extra expense.


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## Haylette

I've always wanted braces, but I had the _terrible_ bad-fortune of being born with perfectly straight teeth.  Same goes for glasses.  I know loads of people who have them, but wont wear them, whereas I actually begged my optician to fail me on an eyetest as a child. (it didn't work)


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## elizabeth_b

Haylette said:


> I've always wanted braces, but I had the _terrible_ bad-fortune of being born with perfectly straight teeth.  Same goes for glasses. I know loads of people who have them, but wont wear them, whereas I actually begged my optician to fail me on an eyetest as a child. (it didn't work)


 
Believe me, you're lucky!  Using braces hurts a lot.


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## Macunaíma

From what see in this thread, wearing braces is not so expensive in Brazil as elsewhere. Most health insurances cover dental treatments, including braces, and dentists don't charge to put them on, only the maintenance work, which is not all that expensive and can be paid for in instalments, as the treatment lasts. That makes braces pretty affordable to a great many people here, and when the status thing is not involved all that there is left to wearing braces is how uncomfortable it feels and how unattractive it looks.


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## panjabigator

Macunaíma said:


> From what see in this thread, wearing braces is not so expensive in Brazil as elsewhere. Most health insurances cover dental treatments, including braces, and dentists don't charge to put them on, only the maintenance work, which is not all that expensive and can be paid for in instalments, as the treatment lasts. That makes braces pretty affordable to a great many people here, and when the status thing is not involved all that there is left to wearing braces is how uncomfortable it feels and how unattractive it looks.



What is the price down there for braces, approximately?  My teeth do need some "fine-tuning" now after 4 years of braces about 10 years ago, and a retainer that I just never wore.  Don't blame me, blame the 12 year old boy who was too concerned about looking like a goofball with his upper-bite mouth piece, upper palate retainer, and braces, all at school.  Might I add that middle school here can be one of the most troubling times in a child life?


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## Macunaíma

panjabigator said:


> What is the price down there for braces, approximately?


 
I checked with a friend who is doing her dental treatment right now and doesn't have health insurance (the company she works for doesn't provide) and she said she's paying R$ 100 a month (U$ 50). Before you say it's just too cheap to be true, the average is R$ 80, but she's going to the best and most reputable dental clinic in town. And, as I said, her dentist didn't charge for the braces, just the maintenance.


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## panjabigator

Macunaíma said:


> I checked with a friend who is doing her dental treatment right now and doesn't have health insurance (the company she works for doesn't provide) and she said she's paying R$ 100 a month (U$ 50). Before you say it's just too cheap to be true, the average is R$ 80, but she's going to the best and most reputable dental clinic in town. And, as I said, her dentist didn't charge for the braces, just the maintenance.



Very interesting.  I have several friends who cannot afford to get dental care here so they just fly to a European country for it.  It's a lot cheaper, including the ticket.


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## faranji

I agree with Macunaíma that braces are pretty affordable to many people in Brazil. However, they're also obscenely beyond the means of many others. 

The official minimum wage here is 200 U$ a month. There're some 40 million people who only make that minimum, and millions of brasileiros who don't even earn as much. 

So at least here in Bahia braces are definitely a token of status for many people. Some of my youngest neighbours are more than happy to have them, and flaunt them rather proudly in their Internet grinning pictures.


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## Macunaíma

I agree with you to some extent, faranji. Brazil is a country of contrasts, social and regional. But as for braces being boasted as a sign of status, it just doesn't enter my brain! How can that be? I mean, as far as I know, braces are regarded as a necessary evil, and nothing more. I understand that some lower middle class people should feel "proud" of wearing designer clothes, owning high-tech mobile phones, and stuff like that, so that they can feel accepted by the "cool" or whatever, but wearing braces?! How can wearing braces be a sign of status if the "cool", the trendy and fashionable upper-middle class/ rich guys will find it downright ugly and stupid? Most teenagers couldn't stand it. I'm not sure if I'm getting my point across clearly, but, to me, it's like saying that a wheelchair is a sign of status because it's expensive. A person might be in a wheelchair after breaking their femur, but I'll bet that he or she can hardly wait to get rid of it. Having said that, I don't quite understand how all this status thing works, and, besides, teenagers' tastes and behaviour are impossible to explain.


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## faranji

Indeed, Macu, teenagers move in mysterious ways.

I guess wearing braces could mean your family can regularly afford spending a fourth of John Q. Public's salary in a far from indispensable article. In a peculiar way it falls short of vanity consumption. 

Wheelchairs, on the other hand, are essential for disabled or severy injured people. And the local council gives them for free to those who cannot aford them. Most of us are too used to the sight of a poor man on a wheelchair to deem it a sign of wealth.  

Many poor kids aren't necessarily aware of what rich guys find uncomfortable or stupid. They just notice what the latter wear and yearn to do likewise. 

Moreover, having braces also means your parents care about you to the extent of making such financial sacrifice. And good parental care, even parental presence, is an increasing rarity in many lower middle class families down here. 

Um abraço.


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## Macunaíma

faranji said:


> Many poor kids aren't necessarily aware of what rich guys find uncomfortable or stupid. They just notice what the latter wear and yearn to do likewise.


 
Now I see your point. Yes, maybe you are right and I'm making judgements from a very limited perspective. 

Valeu!


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## Lugubert

Dentistry is free for minors in Sweden. Braces seem not to be noticed or commented on.


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## mirx

As a kid, I always wanted braces because all my cousins had them. When I didn't care for them anymore I finally got them, even though I was actually very hesitant as to wear them or not. At the beginning I asked for the transparent rubberbands, and avoid opening my mouht as much as possible, so much indeed that many people didn't notice I had them.

In México waering braces is cool for most teenagers and kids, you look different and you speak different, besides it gives you an irrefutable and legitimate excuse to pick a fresa accent, once you're over 18 it looks weird but many people wear them.

I had mine for 3 years, and yes they were quite expensive. Insurance companies are very unpopular in México -I actually only know one family that has insurance-, and since our free health care system won't provide them; then one is left to pay them. Mine cost around 4000$ paid in instalments in the 3 years that I wore them.

Many teenagers like the fact that you can choose the color to wear, so some pick their soccer's team colors, or the colors of the Mexican flag, or whatever.

To be honest mine were a torture, I couldn't eat many things, and by this I mean that I actually was incapable of eating hard things, and some other food would get stuck in between the wires, or detach them off of my teeth. A nitghmare!

When I first got them, I couldn't eat anyhing but smashed bannana and soften cereal for a week!!! It just hurt too much, I coulnd't even sleep properly.

Right now I am supposed to be wearing retainers, but I only wear them 3 or 4 times a week and only while sleeping.


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## Harry Batt

I sense a better attitude about braces in the USA. The school where I tutor lies in a laboring class section of Minneapolis. Many of the students from ages 10 through 12 are wearing braces in stride. No shame. No pride. Just like wearing shoes. For myself, I hve noticed many adults sporting braces. My own went on when I was  45 years old. It was just a matter of bad genes and crooked teeth.


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## ayupshiplad

In the UK, braces are free 

So, here it's obviously not a sign of wealth or status! It's just something about 40% or so of people have to go through in their teens, the earlier the better. Everyone I know that had them hated having them and looked forward to the trips to the orthodontist who would deceive them by saying "ah yes, well next time you'll get them off!" every time they went! It's not considered anything to be 'ashamed' of, but just that people are very self-concious of them.


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## kinia22

In Canada it's not a proud and not a shame. I think people treat tooth braces normally, like a thing witch is needed to correct your tooth. about 5 years ago it was a little shame because it doesn't look nice and it was not so popular like nowadays. Now it is trendy. But many people want to have ceramid braces. It's a little bit expensive-it costs about $600.


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