Photo credit: http://www.epix.de/images/bcf001sa01ep001.jpg
Before I got my braces I was a confident young lady who thought having braces wouldn’t affect her so much. Man was I wrong. When all my friends were getting their teeth whitened for prom, my mom got me the most expensive treatment– braces. When I was 12 I wanted braces, not only because I needed them but also since my friends had them at the same time.
Now, when my friends were flashing their pearly whites, I was stuck hiding my metal mouth. They felt so weird when I got them on. It was like my lips were forbidden to touch my teeth and theses braces served as bumpers. Now, if you have thin lips then braces can work to your advantage and make your lips look nice and plump but since I was already blessed with full lips, I felt I looked weird with the ultra plumpness the braces gave me. I wouldn’t smile and when I talked it was as if my lips wanted to curl inside my mouth. Thankfully my mom called me out on that several times and told me how bad I looked when doing that, “honey you look bad when you’re doing that and quite frankly, you’re drawing more attention to your braces that way.” She was right.
She told me to talk naturally because if I hid my braces and contorted my lips like that then, when my braces came off, I would subconsciously keep doing that. I am so thankful that my mother told me this and reassured me that I looked fine. It took some time, but I found myself laughing and smiling proudly. In fact, many people don’t even notice them, it’s no big deal until you make it one. We are our worst critics. The best thing to do when having your braces is to first, consider yourself lucky that you were able to have this treatment done, and second, realize that it’s temporary, and third, some rappers put on grillz because they like how it looks. So in a way, your braces are also kind of fashionable.
Be happy, be yourself. Honestly it’s not easy, you don’t know how embarrassed I felt with them when meeting people for the first time, I thought they would judge me or make fun of me, but that was just my paranoid little mind. If anyone does make fun of you for your braces it’s because they’re shallow, and sweetie, you don’t want to associate with shallow people anyways.
Peace & love,
~Bena…
Bena...what? 
I also got braces when I was a senior in high school. When I told one of my friends what was going to happen, she was like, “But what about your prom pictures?!” And the photographer who took my senior picture was like, “Hmm, maybe you should try to keep your lips closed when you smile.” And then I started college with braces and my dorky plastic glasses… I’m glad all that’s behind me now. :) But you’re right, no one will notice as much as you do, especially if you don’t act self-conscious about it.
Aw, as if being self-conscious wasn’t bad enough, someone else (like the photographer) telling you sure didn’t make matters better. I too hated taking pictures while I had my braces on, but years from now we’ll look back at our old photos and remember our brace-face days hahaa.
Truth!
I rebelled and decided not to get my braces … my sis did though … and what an ordeal she went through! In the end I was quite fine with my ‘slight’ overbite!
I love this post though! Hope it reaches a lot of self conscious teens!
Oh you rebel..hahaa, yes my experience with braces really tested my self-confidence. My teeth weren’t bad to begin with but oh well, guess things happen for a reason!
Yes I hope it does! Spread the message and hopefully those with braces can feel better about themselves
I love this! I had braces when I was 7 years old and then had them put on again at 11 (the first time around I’d only lost about eight teeth but they were so crooked that I couldn’t brush them very well, and the second time was after I lost the rest of my teeth) — so I had them when I was younger, but then I got a retainer that I still wear at night now (age 21). In the end, I realized it was absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. I love the way my teeth look now, and I’m sure you will too!
Thanks! Wow 7 was such a young age to have braces, I can only imagine how uncomfortable they were. When we have our braces it feels like a lifetime, but when they’re finally off then it’s like “oh so soon?” :)