So, you need braces? Whether for health or aesthetic reasons having braces can be daunting. They can be uncomfortable, and they can also make you feel less confident. Although the irony is that often crooked teeth and dental issues can also make your confidence plummet. Even though a huge portion of people will need braces during their lives, there is still a huge stigma surrounding braces. It is normal to feel embarrassed or upset but try to remember that you aren’t alone. There are also a few things that you can do to boost your confidence while you are wearing braces. 

Think About Your Choices 

If you have decided to straighten your teeth, you will obviously need some form of braces. However, depending on where your teeth are and the severity of the misalignment, you could be a candidate for a number of different brace options. First, there is the traditional metal brace, lingual braces or clear aligners. These aligners are virtually invisible, and so many people feel much more comfortable and confident when wearing them. You do not even necessarily have to go through your orthodontist to receive them, which can take a while due to waiting lists. You can use a company like ALIGNERCO; they deliver your teeth aligners through the mail, which makes it much easier. They also have several different payment plan options for their clear aligners, so that you can pick the one that is the most affordable for your budget. 

Keep Them Clean

Whatever form of braces that you end up with, it is incredibly important to keep them and your teeth clean; keeping them clean will make smiling a lot easier. Try to keep things like toothpicks, floss or even a toothbrush handy to make sure that you can clean your braces properly after eating. Some forms of braces are like magnets for food particles, and it can be really easy for little pieces of food to wedge themselves in and around your braces. As well as simply looking bad, having food trapped in and around your braces can also damage your teeth, the particles and break down the enamel and lead to cavities. 

Watch What You Eat

This will depend on the type of braces that you have, as some braces can limit what you can eat. If you have to have the traditional wire braces, then some foods can actually damage the braces by snapping the wire or knocking a bracket loose. Things that are particularly chewy, hard or things with a kernel should all be avoided. In general, you should always opt for softer foods. If you opt for an aligner, then this should not change your diet too much as most people remove them to eat. However, they can be easily stained, so you might want to avoid things like tea, coffee or wine. If you break or stain your braces, then it can be costly, but it can also knock your confidence if you can’t afford or don’t have the time to get it fixed right away. 

Don’t Psych Yourself Out

A lot of people fall into the trap of overthinking. While it can be really easy to get hung up thinking about what other people might be thinking of you, try to avoid this. Most of the time, they will be doing the exact same thing. Most people spend far more time worrying about their own appearance than they do other people’s. The time will go by a lot faster than you think it will, especially if you stop worrying about it. In the grand scheme of things, a couple of years is not that long. If you keep reminding yourself that it is only temporary, you might find it a lot easier to get on with it. If you focus on the end result and visualize how your smile will look when the braces are off, it can act as a great motivator and help you feel more confident in the braces in the meantime. 

Fake it till You Make it

Sometimes pretending to be confident really can make you feel more confident. It really does work; try it out. Smile more. The odds are that the more you try to hide your smile, the more people will notice anyway. If you change your behaviour because of the braces, it will be incredibly hard to build that confidence back up. Having braces as an adult is better than having them as a child in some ways because you are far less likely to be bullied for wearing them, and even if some people do make fun of you, as an adult, you are far more likely to have the tools to deal with this effectively. Your friends are far less likely to care, and a lot of them may have had braces themselves, so they can relate to what you’re going through. If you go about your day and try not to dwell on them, then pretty soon, you will forget that they are there. Don’t let having braces affect your social life; your friends won’t care, and if they do, then they aren’t very good friends to start with. 

Treat Them Like Accessories 

Your braces will not be going anywhere for a while. They will be a part of your appearance for months or even years, so try to view them as an accessory, much like a necklace or a pair of earrings. Depending on the form of braces you wear, you could even try and play around with them, incorporate elements of your personality. For example, if you have clear aligners, why not get a cute case for them, for when you have to take them out to eat and brush your teeth, et cetera. Having a cute case is also functional as a lot of people tend to put theirs in a napkin which then gets thrown away. If you have traditional metal braces, then one of the perks is that you get to choose the color of the elastics that they secure the wire in with. This is your chance to showcase your personality; you can opt for your favourite color or even multiple colors. That being said, some colours do not really work with braces; white bands can make your teeth look yellow, dark green can make it look like you have bits of food stuck between your teeth, and clear bands can stain. You could also wear brighter lipsticks to highlight your braces. Think of them as a feature rather than trying to hide them. 

In Conclusion

It can feel a little daunting for an adult to get braces because many people think braces are for children, but that is neither here nor there. Braces are for anyone who is looking to align their teeth either for your oral health or for aesthetics. As an adult making this choice, you should be commended for making a decision to improve yourself. Braces, like any self-improvement practice, are a choice that you have made to better your life either physically or psychologically, and you should feel proud of that. Lastly, try to remember that you are not the only one! There are lots of adult brace wearers out there