how far would you go for perfect teeth?

obolton756 · June 2012

i'm 19 years old, had braces when i was younger! today i have just been fitted with the inman aligner to correct overlapping in my front teeth.. although its removable and i only have to wear it 19 hours a day its also quite bulky, makes me look about 5 and is sore!!

so my question is... how many of you out there would get braces just to get nice teeth? would it worry you if your teeth were crooked, or would the whole wearing the brace and the look of it bother you more?

lythiam · June 2012

Eh, I had a slight gap, and my lower teeth were crowded. My mom slapped braces on me (well, she paid an ortho to do this, ha), and everyone thought it was ridiculous that I had braces because my teeth weren't that bad. Now, I have perfect teeth, and I love my smile, so I think it's very worth it.

lafl3ur · June 2012

i'm 19 years old, had braces when i was younger! today i have just been fitted with the inman aligner to correct overlapping in my front teeth.. although its removable and i only have to wear it 19 hours a day its also quite bulky, makes me look about 5 and is sore!!

so my question is... how many of you out there would get braces just to get nice teeth? would it worry you if your teeth were crooked, or would the whole wearing the brace and the look of it bother you more?

I think it would depend on how crooked my teeth were. I had braces and never wore my retainer afterwards. My teeth have become slightly crooked as a result, and my dentist wanted me to have braces for a second time to correct that, but my teeth look perfectly straight, function fine, and line up normally afaik, so I didn't elect to have braces to correct the slight crookedness (I also had a complication in my mouth that didn't allow me to get braces a second time anyway). I don't need perfect teeth as long as they look pretty straight (they were really crooked before I had braces).

I have a friend who has a permanent retainer in her mouth to prevent her teeth from moving. Personally, I think that's kind of weird. I wouldn't want something like that in my mouth permanently.

RebelliousRibbons · June 2012

I just got braces in November to correct a snaggletooth and had four premolars pulled as a result of severe crowding (I have a very small jaw and huge teeth).

Honestly, if my bottom teeth hadn't been rising to fill the snaggle gap (or the second front tooth at the top hadn't been going behind the snaggle), I wouldn't have bothered. I liked my snaggletooth and thought it was cute, but I couldn't handle the way it was screwing up the rest of my teeth year after year.

Braces don't bother me, but I didn't really want *perfect* teeth, either. Now that I've put out $5k, however... of course I want them perfect. That was a lot of money. I'm just going to do my best with my retainers when I get there.

I just hope, in the future, I don't regret having four perfectly healthy teeth pulled out. =/

mtaylor33557 · June 2012

I have a little gap between my two front teeth and my bottom teeth are a little crowded me, but its not enough to make me get braces.. they function just fine.

focus4fitness · June 2012

I do not have perfect teeth. I don't even want perfect teeth (and I can afford perfect teeth). But then again I live an area where everyone seems to have perfect chicklet teeth.

twistofcain · June 2012

I have one tooth that overlaps the other on the bottom and a few that are out of alignment as well on the bottom. They do not cause me any discomfort, so I really do not care. My dentist has never suggested correcting them, so until he brings it up, I have no problem with it.

myfitnessnmhoy · June 2012

I resisted braces when I was younger (through the incredibly clever technique of being born to parents who, though loving and supportive, lacked the funds for them!). My teeth don't all meet nicely when I grit them, and the point at which most of them do puts my jaw about 1/4" out of alignment. They don't line up perfectly though the gaps and the couple of "bent-back" teeth are pretty subtle so there's not a lot to notice.

I'm 43 now. Honestly, no one has ever noticed or if they have they have not commented on it. I have been successfully able to feed myself sustenance since the diagnosis of crooked teeth 30+ years ago, and I anticipate continuing said capability for many years hence. Despite the fillings that a misspent flossless youth garnered me, all of my teeth are "original equipment" and have given me no significant problems.

I'd say it's FAR more important to keep up with brushing and flossing than focusing on the perfect alignment, but that's just me.

MelMoly · June 2012

I think my dentist is gonna be in heaven when I finish up all my trips there

10acity · June 2012

I've already spent what some would consider a ridiculous amount of money on my teeth. I'm kind of a freak about it. I tell people that if I ever won the lottery-- forget plastic surgery, I'm getting all my teeth pulled and my head filled with gorgeous, impenetrable implants!

But... it's never been because they're crooked (I'm actually the fortunate only 1 of my siblings to have naturally very straight teeth). But while their teeth are pretty healthy, mine are prone to all kinds of issues. I've had oral surgery for periodontitis, two root canals and crowns, and an implant. I've lost count of the number of fillings. I brush and floss religiously. My dentist cites "hereditary susceptibility". I bet my hereditary susceptibility has by now exceeded the cost of both my sisters' orthodontia.

Il_DaniD_lI · June 2012

I love my imperfect teeth.

ArtGeek22 · June 2012

GET IT DONE! Cautionary tale of my father. He didn't wear his retainer and his teeth got out of aliment and didn't do anything about it. He chipped 3 teeth and had to have braces on at age 50. While he was head of his company......

But as long as it doesn't hurt your teeth and it doesn't bother you (key words!), you don't have to dish out the money to get it fixed. Personally, it would bother me a lot and I would get it fixed. But I don't plan on losing my smile that my parent's payed a lot of money for when I was 13. Also, I wear my retainer like religion since my father's ordeal :laugh:

Natashaa1991 · June 2012

PLEASE wear braces, i used to wear them when i was a kid, and now everybody's saying i have the most perfect teeth! I'm also blessed because i have the whitest natural teeth color, but it didn't matter when they were crooked! you won't regret it and also i must say i find braces very cute

xHelloQuincyx · June 2012

my teeth are pretty messed up right now. i grew up dirt poor, and now im paying for it myself. its gonna put me back pretty dang far im guessing. going to the dentist for the first time in about 8 years next month. then getting braces before i start my 2nd year of college next fall. didnt get aproved for invisaline, so its traditional braces for me. doing it because it hurts, not really because it will look great. when you factor in the time its gonna look weirdo having braces, i hope it will be worth it

schume89 · June 2012

Starting in 2nd grade, I have had expanders, retainers 3 times, and braces 2 times. I got my braces off in time for high school, and since then I have used whitening products: the strips, toothpaste, and mouthwash, and trust me, it was worth it! I can't even tell you how many times I have received compliments on my teeth, and it makes me really proud haha but also, I realize how lucky I am that I was able to get all the work done

TadaGanIarracht · June 2012

I have HORRIBLE teeth. Bad genetics

but I know I will be getting braces probably in my 30s. I have so much work that needs to be done. Blech.

JennieAL · June 2012

If I could go back to my early 20's in college when I thought I was "too old" and "mature" to be wearing a retainer at night... I would in a heartbeat! I had perfect teeth... perfectly aligned. After having crowded teeth and an overbite as a child, I was very happy & proud of my teeth. The ortho warned me that they would definitely shift once I quit wearing it... I tried it out, and sure enough over the years, they've shifted. They are nothing like they were before braces & having 4 teeth pulled, but one in front in particular bugs me... it's shifted so that it does stand out more than the other. And I really don't like it at all. I'm thinking of getting braces all over again (in my 30's) to correct that.

That said, you're gorgeous and your teeth look fine from here

But... it's all about what makes YOU happy and what you're willing to live with.

BeautyFromPain · June 2012

My teeth are crooked.

"Flaws" make everyone so much more unique and interesting, imho.

juliecat1 · June 2012

I smile all the time and am grateful to have nearly perfect teeth. I do get them professionally whitened every 6months which some people find extreme. It goes a long way with making me feel more confident. I wanted braces soooooo bad as a kid. I used to unfold a paper clip and try and wear it across my teeth.

mdelcott · June 2012

I was blessed with perfect teeth, thank you mom and dad, however I would do whatever I had to to have these teeth too. So I would get the braces of wear the mouth guard

Chameleone · June 2012

I never liked my teeth but I dealt with it, because I couldn't afford braces. But apparently my dentist felt bad for me and said he'd give my parents a 2 for one deal with me and my sister. I have braces now and when I see the pics of my mouth before I'm like daaaaaaaaammmnn that was BAAAAD! I just didn't look at it too much and didn't smile too big in pictures (you couldn't tell from just talking) so I always thought it was no big deal but my dentist had seen my mouth WIDE open, lips spread and everything so he knew what was up...

I haven't gotten them off yet, maybe another 6 months, but at this point I think it's worth it for teeth that were as bad as mine. One less this to feel self conscious about

how far would you go for perfect teeth?

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