WTF Braces?

[DNT 2.5]

So, at my age of 14, 11 Other kids in my class are getting braces.
Are they REALLY necessary for adolescents? Our jaws haven't fully developed, teeth move Immensely as the jaw widens. Our old dentist tried to push braces into me as a kid, I am Glad that my parents stepped up and said, "No, His jaw hasn't grown yet." This year, about 5 years later, We go into the office and this douche is praising my teeth stating that they have really come along, and I should have perfect teeth by 20.
I don't have braces. Absolute PERFECT teeth aren't a REALLY high priority for me anyway (hygiene=/=Perfect teeth). I think that dentists are pushing braces on kids for the simple fact of MORE MONEY. Braces are expensive, I know parents that have gone into debt so their kid can have perfect teeth, then when the kid grows up he has huge gaps in their teeth. my personal view is that braces should be given to kids with HUGE tooth deformities, like that make them have trouble eating, not just because one tooth is a little crowded.
/inappropriate and most likely stupid rant. ( it's 1:06)

[Pulsar_t]

Why blame the dentists? Parents are the culprits here. They want their children to be perfect even though they're FAR from it, and who's to say what perfect is? It's obvious teeth have become an unhealthy obsession, just like darker skinned women bleaching their complexion, and a million other superficial things that society tends to obsess about for no real rational reason.

[yomomma1]

You're an idiot if you think braces are useless.

[Original_Name]

Actually, it's best for some kids to get braces before their jaws have completely developed - I know that I got my braces at 15 1/2 years old because that allowed the orthodontists to utilize the malleability of my jaw (being that it was still not fully developed) in order to hasten the process and make it less painful in the longrun. Now, I do agree with you that getting braces at an age such as 9 or 10 is a bit insane, but I've seen that numerous times. You might be thinking, "Your jaw isn't in its final stages of growth at 15" and I thought this as well - I asked the orthodontist and he told me that my jaw's last MAJOR growth spurt was going to be around age 16, and the measures they were taking at that time were in order to pre-emptively get things into place so that they would grow in the desired manner, and then the subsequent smaller growths would not be a problem if I had a retainer that I wore at night.

Now, I could have just drunk the Kool-Aid on this one, but the things they were saying seemed to line-up anatomically speaking. Anyway, as far as the paranoia that people have about their teeth, I agree with you that the social stigma for having crooked teeth is by all means outrageous -- that does not erase the existance of that social stigma, though. I received an immensely positive response from my peers when I got my braces removed and had a straight set of teeth, and that did wonders for my self-confidence (and then I got a soul-crushing whore of a girlfriend who counter-acted that, but that's not quite relevant to the conversation, is it?) It makes me feel great when people compliment my teeth, because I remember how I used to get teased for them (even though they really weren't that bad) when I was younger. When people say, "Oh Logan, your teeth are so great - I wish I had braces" I usually say that they REALLY shouldn't worry about it and that their teeth are fine, and I always mean it -- when they say, "But you got braces and now you feel better," I say, "Yeah, and it only had to be that way because people were irrational assholes about them -- the less people who act that way, the better."

[Original_Name]

You're an idiot if you think braces are useless.

I don't think that the argument is that they're useless, moreso that the vast majority of the time they serve an entirely superficial purpose.

[yomomma1]

You're an idiot if you think braces are useless.

I don't think that the argument is that they're useless, moreso that the vast majority of the time they serve an entirely superficial purpose.

Like keeping your teeth healthy? It's not like when you have a tooth in the wrong place it causes any problems, or anything like that.

[Pulsar_t]

You're an idiot if you think braces are useless.

Where did anyone say braces were useless? Or are you just being yourself here?

Anyway I agree with Original_name, having physical features that are more attractive to the public eye is a boost to self-confidence.. Perhaps one can say this is a unique "benefit" of adhering to the numerous evils of social conformity.

[Original_Name]

You're an idiot if you think braces are useless.

I don't think that the argument is that they're useless, moreso that the vast majority of the time they serve an entirely superficial purpose.

Like keeping your teeth healthy? It's not like when you have a tooth in the wrong place it causes any problems, or anything like that.

Isn't that contradictory to the argument you just made?

[Original_Name]

You're an idiot if you think braces are useless.

Where did anyone say braces were useless? Or are you just being yourself here?

Anyway I agree with Original_name, having physical features that are more attractive to the public eye is a boost to self-confidence.. Perhaps one can say this is a unique "benefit" of adhering to the numerous evils of social conformity.

Yeah, I felt kinda weird making that point because I'm not a proponent of social conformity either, but that's the honest-to-God cause and effect of my situation. Like I said though, it never should have been an issue in the first place, but nevertheless, an issue it was.

[Anubis]

People will always judge you on your smile. A good smile goes a long way.

Two things people automatically judge you on a superficial level are teeth and shoes.

Trust me, it seems like a pain in the ass that you have braces right now.
Accept it, and someday you will without a doubt, be happy you had them.

P.S. Thanks for reminding me to wear my retainer.