Let’s face facts: if you’re an adult, you know exactly why you’re getting braces. At this point, it’s more psychological than physical when it comes to dealing with it. The end result is have a nicer looker smile with the straightening of your teeth — easier said than done but here are some tips to help you survive braces as an adult.
Pretend they don’t exist. No one really cares if you have braces and unless if you draw more attention, no one will probably notice. Don’t constantly touch them or try to hide them when smiling or laughing.
Let other people mention them first. So people may look at your mouth more than usual when you’re talking to them but who cares? Just ignore them. Having braces as an adult isn’t that big of a deal and most people are polite anyway — asking more about the cost and pain more than anything.
Have a toothbrush handy. When you eat, food is bound to get trapped in your wires — it’s just going to happen. Carrying a toothbrush with you means so you can clean your teeth after meals. Even if food didn’t get caught in any visible places, it’s better to just get it when it happens.
Own it when it comes to your love life. Being single is hard enough when you’re trying to find someone to spend time with but throw braces into the mix? Yikes! Don’t blame your braces if your dating game is suffering — make a concerted effort to meet new people. You may not meet ‘the one’ but at the very least, you’ll make some new friends. People worth dating won’t think twice about your braces!
Take care when eating food. You may want to slow down the pace at which you eat, even if you’re starving. Break apart food into smaller pieces or cut it into bite-sized morsels.
Be confident. If you feel good about yourself that show through your smile and your entire demeanour. If you feel insecure, you will look insecure and that won’t get you anywhere.
Take care of your teeth. The day your braces come off, make sure with 100% certainty to wear your retainer. How would it feel if you had to wear braces again because you didn’t wear your retainer? A lot of hardship for nothing plus braces can cost a fortune so once is enough — especially at your age! (Wink, wink)
