ime to Brace for Impact!
We all want to have that million dollar smile. In a job interview, a big bright smile can boost and display confidence. Although like any beauty standard, it’s hard to be born with it, especially since no human has any control over this in the slightest. It is not abnormal for someone to be born with teeth that do not grow perfectly, and if not treated properly, can lead to further health complications. Not only that, but there are also cases where the signs may not present themselves immediately. Teeth might only start shifting years upon years later. Sometimes health is simply hard to predict. As such, you may need to have a lot of proper information to make an informed decision. Now, for the Adultist’s feature presentation, here is a fine assortment of tips, pros, and cons for adults getting braces.
Costs Of Braces as an Adult
There are a number of pros and cons for getting braces at such a late stage. Before taking the clear benefits into consideration, let us consider the potential counter arguments. Only looking at the full picture that the full narrative be accepted wherein a well thought out decision can be made. Sometimes, the counters need to be addressed before you move forward with such a major decision.
We need to be fully transparent and see what reasons people may have for hesitancy such as:
Expenses
The first cost to address about getting braces as an adult is… well the cost. Any form of medical care can be expensive. There’s the cost of the braces and procedures themselves as well as the cost of care and maintenance needed (which will be addressed soon). Plus, if you really want to go into semantics, you can also argue about the cost of gas to drive to the orthodontist office. Just don’t be surprised by the big bill that may come from this experience.
Care
This depends upon what kinds of braces you get, but any piece of medical equipment requires care. Your orthodontist may provide you with the information on how to properly care for your braces. When looking at standard wire and bracket braces, you can still use the usual toothbrush and toothpaste but need special flossers so that the wire doesn’t get in the way or get damaged.
Reputation
A somewhat petty but very powerful counter argument for getting braces is the social perception of others, or in more basic terms, reputation. Thankfully, most adults are mature enough to have grown out of the mindset of bullying. However “most” is not “all,” and some people can just be flat out jerks. The transitional period of wearing these braces can be difficult, especially if you don’t feel like you are being treated with respect as a result.
Restrictions
Having braces on your teeth will naturally lead to dietary restrictions. As long as you wear the braces, you won’t be able to eat nuts, popcorn, whole apples, taffy, gum, and whatever else your orthodontist may warn you about. That, and you will also need to be careful when the braces are first installed because they need time to properly set in and solidify.
Benefits Of Braces as an Adult
After looking at all the costs, you would not be blamed for not wanting to get braces. That being said, you really should consider looking at all of the details. Now that there has been a full list of the potential consequences of getting braces, we can now go over the copious amount of benefits for getting braces. There is a lot that you can look forward to as a result of living with braces, even in such a late stage of life. These benefits include:
Better for Physical Health
Generally, braces can be very helpful in maintaining dental health. Teeth growing at even a slightly incorrect angle can affect the alignment of all your teeth. Braces can not only prevent further damage, but also undo the misalignment already done. Additionally, properly aligned teeth are much easier to clean—you will now reach areas previously unreachable with a toothbrush and/or floss. There could also even be a minor chance of losing weight as a part of the dietary restrictions, but it’s only as effective as your own commitment. Keep in mind, according to Harvard, dental health can even impact your heart.
Better for Your Reputation
The smile on someone’s face is able to reveal a bit about that person. Since humans are social creatures, we often see the nonverbal queues in people. A smile on a person’s face can show off the confidence that lies within. While the perception of others should not be the leading force in your life, it’s hard to deny the fact that the image you create in others will improve your chances in achieving your goals in life. A better smile can improve your chances in dating. A better smile can improve your chances of getting a job.
Better for Self Confidence
Last but certainly not least, the aforementioned boosts in self confidence. The most common reason for a boost in self confidence in this instance is rather self evident. Seeing improvement in your dental alignment makes a seemingly impossible feat become clearly tangible when looked at in the mirror. The boost in reputation will correlate with increasing your confidence, which in turn improves your reputation and so on and so forth.
You can somewhat see the nonverbal approval of others that further improves your self perspective. It’s a constant feedback loop that starts with a beautiful smile. Not only that, but as addressed earlier, your smile leads to other changes in your life. You could potentially argue that getting a job or meeting your significant other can also be as a result not just of the new smile, but also the new found confidence you have gained from the experience of having braces.
Saying, “Ahhh…”
Truthfully, no two people are made to be exactly the same. As such, there are all kinds of different grades of braces to also talk about. There’s the standard metal braces with the wires and brackets that were more than likely the first model that would have first popped into your head. There’s also the dreaded headgear and the invisible aligners that are becoming more and more common as time goes on. As we mentioned, there is a chance that you won’t have much of a choice in which type of braces will be best suited for your needs, but that does not necessarily mean that you are not allowed to at least ask your orthodontist about the other models. In fact, asking questions of your orthodontist to show how engaged in your health you are.
However, when all is said and done, you are still the one with the decision to make. Your orthodontist will present you with the facts of the positioning of your teeth, but they are never in any position to force anything onto you (as should be the case with everyone really). How you treat your mouth is your decision, but if you are experiencing pain in your mouth because of how your teeth are aligned, wouldn’t the most logical conclusion be to do anything and everything in your power to alleviate that pain? You certainly need to take into account the advice and opinions of fully licensed medical practitioners for the sake of picking what path would be best for your physical health. With all the advice that you may potentially get from your orthodontist, then and only then can you get a good grasp of what the best path can be.
Setting in the Wires of Your Health
Dental care is an important piece in overall health. All aspects of health are important. Every single part of your body works together to form the cohesive unit that is you. With everything that you have gone through to reach this point, it only makes sense for you to do everything in your power to keep it going. No matter what happens, no matter what you will have to face, you will always be you. What exactly that “you” is, is your decision. You are the only one that can choose who you are and what that means for yourself and others.
You can always build yourself into someone better, and sometimes the next step towards that is a nice set of shiny new braces. Really the best way to think about your braces is to think of them as a cocoon. Sure, it may feel aggressively constrictive with the funds and costs needed to maintain them, as well as struggling to deal with the dietary restrictions, but the ends justify the means. By the end of the process, you will emerge a better person with a healthier smile and maybe even a healthier outlook on life.
