do you or did you ever wear braces??

[LSK]

Some co-workers were just talking about their kids wearing them. I never wore them. Nobody in my family has either. Are they really needed?

[miss_american_pie]

1. I didn't, but

I had a palate expander when I was three to prevent them. My brother had to have them for years.

[Reverend_Smitty]

2. I never needed them...

I was very fortunate to never need braces and never have a cavity

[auntAgonist]

3. yes, as an adult though ...

After the birth of my son. I had gingivitis and my teeth became 'loose' and were moving. I underwent gum surgery to clean out the infection, had a wisdom tooth removed and then 2 years of braces.

aA

[tjwmason]

4. Yes.

In my case they were needed.

They weren't much of a problem really, the worst part was their removal and the scraping away of the glue.

[Mutley]

5. No, but I should've.

I've got an underbite.

[Shell Beau]

6. Nope! Luckily I was born with straight teeth!

:)

[dysfunctional press]

7. yes, i did- but i walk fine now.

i didn't think that many people required them these days.

[djeseru]

8. I got braces and a pair of glasses at 16.

I wore them for 4 years, then the wisdom teeth came in and knocked all the lowers out of alignment. Oh well!

[nutsnberries]

9. nope- didn't need them...

when i was about 10, i had some teethed pulled and a space maintainer made to allow my front bottom teeth some space to reduce crowding and that did a good job. slight crowding.

yes, it is necessary for some. not just for looks but for overall health and oral hygiene. maybe not at 20 or 30 but crooked teeth usually cause problems down the road.

:D

edited to add: if they are more than just slight, underbites and overbites usually cause problems too. your teeth are meant to hit a certain way and it's not good when they don't.

[Mother Jones]

10. I wore the full train-tracks, as we used to call them....

and for 3 agonizing years! (the ones that wrapped around each individual tooth) Prime age too 13 -16yrs old. Needless to say, I didn't date much! :-P


In hindsight, they were absolutely the best thing I could have done. Not only did it give me a perfect smile, but it helped me develop excellent brushing habits. To this day, people still compliment me on my white & perfect teeth.

I understand that today's braces are much better and alot less painful than they used to be as the old 'train tracks' - and the headgear alone was murder!

[LeftyMom]

11. No

I was offered them to close a gap between the top two front teeth but since it's cosmetic and the gap doesn't bother me I didn't really want to deal with the hassle. I had silver caps on my teeth as a kid, so I was not about to have a mouth full of hardware again without a very good reason.

[Bridget Burke]

12. Nope.

My sister did. Only partly because our new Dentist was studying Orthodonty (?). She probably did really need them.

Some years ago, a dentist mentioned that my "bite" is not perfect. The front teeth don't really meet. However, he said "If it's not broke, don't fix it."

And I have all my wisdom teeth.

[spindrifter]

13. I never needed braces, having a

nice, even set of teeth on the top, but I have more than paid in other ways--a bridge, crowns, fillings.

[ForrestGump]

14. Nope

Wore 'em on my pants a couple of times, though...rainbow ones, like Mork's

[deadparrot]

15. Yep, in 7th-8th grade.

It was less than a year (my teeth were pretty good to start with), but I guess you could say they helped a bit. :shrug:

[u4ic]

16. Yes

my teeth were straight, but I have a small jaw, and the orthodontist convinced my parents that if I have teeth taken out and moved, that my wisdom teeth would grow in without being impacted.

I had them on for 3 years. The train track ones. (originally, it was supposed to be 18 months, then 2 years, then ended up at 3) I finally got them off in grade 10.

So...did I need my wisdom teeth taken out? Yes. :eyes: Everyone else I've spoken to that was in my position also had to have their wisdom teeth taken out, too.

What a racket it is. :grr:

[JVS]

17. Braces, how bourgeois

[Nikia]

18. Yes, although they aren't perfect anymore

I don't know if it was because I didn't wear my retainer long enough or my wisdom teeth on the bottom pushed them.
Still, my teeth aren't as bad as my sister's who didn't have braces. My front teeth are also together. Before braces, I used to have fun fitting various things in the space between them.
Evidently now they are recommending braces on adults rather than children. That is what my coworker said anyway who wanted them for her child. I have seen adults with braces and think that the changes are more likely to stay than the changes produced on children.

[Redstone]

19. You mean tooth braces? No. But I did have casts on my legs for

my first two years. (It's an American Indian thing, being born bowlegged.)

Redstone

[KitchenWitch]

20. In my case, yes they were necessary

I had such an overbite that I could not close my mouth.

[RedCappedBandit]

21. Since before i've had teeth.