Train tracks. Metal mouth. An occasionally dreaded thought for adolescents as they go through the period of straightening and correcting their teeth. Braces tend to be associated with middle to high schoolers, but what about those who sport braces beyond high school?
To put it simply, I have worn braces for many years, and still have a little way to go before I will officially be metal free. I have never been that self-conscious about wearing them and have always smiled wide in photographs regardless of the reflective metal on my teeth. However, my confidence level dropped a degree when I was faced with a new reality: I would be wearing my braces to college. Originally, I hated the idea of coming to college with braces, especially since that was not my original plan. A few months before moving on campus, my dentist gave me the news I dreaded — that I would need to keep my braces on while at school. I remember thinking of how different I would feel, and how immature I thought I would look. I am already petite, and have been told that I have a baby face, so the last thing I needed was one more feature to make me look younger than a college student! Regardless, the fact was the fact, and I prepared to start my semester in August with braces still in my mouth.
Amie Jamina, a current junior here at AU, had a similar experience with braces, having just recently had her braces removed after wearing them for roughly three months. She remembers feeling self-conscious about her smile, stating, “Before I had braces, I laughed a lot. And when I had braces, I didn’t laugh, I felt self-conscious about my appearance all the time.”
Reflecting on the experience, however, she now holds a different perspective. She laughs,“90% of the school that walks around with perfect teeth all had braces. They all went through it. They can’t really make fun of you because they all had it.”
Amie also adds, “Only in high school do people care about their looks. In college, people really don’t care. And if you’re self conscious about it, just think about how confident you will be with your beautiful smile.”
I agree. The future for the teeth of brace faces is bright. Though, the present can be bright as well.
In my younger years, I never viewed braces as an excuse not to smile and eventually, I realized that as a college student there is no more of a reason not to smile than in high school. Yes, I was stressed about braces, but I have freed myself from my worries over such a trivial detail, and have instead grown to love revealing my lavender braces when I have the chance. A note to others with braces in college: As a group, we represent a pretty big minority. However, we have an extremely unique physical feature that few other college students have. We are unique, and we should embrace that. We should laugh. We should smile and we should smile some more!
My time for perfect teeth will come soon enough. Until then, however, I have learned that being a college brace face is not so bad, and that I would rather take my last few months with my beloved braces in stride than keep my mouth closed and hide my smile.