Braces at any point in your life can be a real bummer. If you get them in middle school, you deal with the middle school level of teasing and taunting. In high school, there is the added frustration of having braces in all of your dance pictures. In college, however, there are people that do not believe you when you tell them your age and ask if you are still in high school. If you express any displeasure with these types of comments, then you are met with the response of “They aren’t talking about your braces. They just think you’re super young.” In reality, having braces isn’t all that bad. Here are three reasons not to worry about having braces in college.
1. The Finished Product
Nothing will be more satisfying than when you get your braces off and you can come to class the next day. The looks that I got when people were trying to notice what was different about me was comical. When they finally realized I had gotten my braces off, I feel like it was responded with more enthusiasm than if I would’ve gotten them off in middle or high school. Maybe that’s because I now have hometown friends and friends at college that have been also waiting to see the new smile.
2. Less Feeling of Embarrassment
Because I waited until it was late in high school to get my braces, I was wise enough to only get the silver-colored rubber bands that blended in with my braces. This means that I have zero pictures of myself with pink and purple bands that stood out on my teeth. I honestly never thought to get blue and gold for the Mountaineers, though.
3. Nobody Really Cares
This may sound harsh, but not only is it true but it can also be relieving. People are just going to acknowledge that you have braces and move on. Braces had no real effect on the friends that I made in classes or how serious people took me. When you stop worrying about what people see you as with braces, it lets you have fun and step out of your comfort zone to make friends.
No matter when you got your braces on or whenever you get them off, it’s still a great feeling to be confident in your smile. The fear of scrutiny of braces in college is still very real, but it’s reassuring that braces have no real effect on how you are treated while at college. College kids are pretty relaxed and aren’t riled by much; I once walked passed a kid juggling to class and people only spared looks of confusion. Weirder things happen than having braces.
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Edited by Sydney Keener