Search Results: opinions on braces

I'm thinking of getting braces. I have pretty crooked teeth with wide gaps inbetween them (I'm missing two of my upper front teeth, hence the gaps). All this can be fixed, but it involves wearing braces for at least three years, getting two implants and at the end of it all, a jaw surgery to bring my lower jaw forward. Also, as a preparation for the surgery, they will first have to create a large overbite on my teeth (the surgery would fix the overbite though).
However, this way I could eventually get rid of my biggest insecurity. I like the idea of being able to smile with my teeth showing and not feel embarassed about it. It would also make my profile look a lot more balanced.
The thing is, I've never been in any kind of romantic relationship in my life (I haven't even kissed a girl yet) and I feel that I may be missing out on something. I'm hoping that maybe I could stand better chances after I'm done with my treatment, but first I would have to spend about three years in braces, with huge gaps between my teeth and an overjet that only keeps getting bigger - not something that would make me very handsome dude. Also, I will be 27 before I'm done with my treatment, which might be a little late to finally start dating.
I'm not sure whether or not to go for it. I can keep my teeth as they are now, they may not look very good but they work mostly fine. I realise that looks aren't everything and I don't want to be the kind of guy who obsessed over his looks, hoping that improving his appearance will suddenly make all his problems go away. Not to mention the risk of possible complications (implants fail sometimes and a jaw surgery is no joke). On the other hand, I believe that change won't come without me taking the initiative and if I don't get my teeth and jaws fixed now, I will probably regret it in five years - just like I now regret not getting it done five years ago already.
Thank you for taking the time to read all this. Your opinion would be much appreciated.

Hello there, just wondering what you girls think about this. The reason why I am asking this questions is that I have recently lost a lot of weight. I used to be a bit portly, but now I'm almost slim, I think it will be only a few weeks until I can lose the last of the fat. Anyway, as a result, my trousers keep slipping down, and it's annoying to pull them back up again. The usual solution for most men is to buy a belt. Now, I do own both a belt and a set of braces, however, I'm currently working a long way from home, and I only brought my braces with me, as when I was fatter it was uncomfortable to wear a belt (I also have a stomach problem which means I can't wear clothes that are too tight around the abdomen). I've also developed a very strong crush on a female friend (that's part of the reason why I wanted to lose a little weight, so I might seem a little more attractive to her, as well as to help alleviate my stomach problem and be a little healthier). However, she's never seen me wearing braces, so I was wondering what you girls think of them. I don't want to wear them to be comfortable and then end up looking really silly in front of her. Normally I wouldn't care what other people think, but I do care what she thinks. Silly, I know. On the other hand, as man I have no idea what girls think, maybe some of you think it looks kinda sexy. I've been told by a couple of male friends with whom I have spoken and they reckon I could pull it off as it would be consistent with my slightly eccentric style. But I though it would be interesting just to see what the girls think too. So, thanks for your opinions, feel free to add any comments and answer the poll!

I'm missing a pair of teeth in my upper jaw (lateral incisors). It's congenital, they just didn't grow out. Generally, there are two ways of treating this condition:
- canine substitution, i. e. they push your teeth to the center to close the gaps, or
- replacing the missing teeth with implants.
I chose canine substitution. I had been wearing braces for four years and retainers for about ten additional years in total (still wearing them). Now I'm pretty much at the end of my treatment. I feel that if this is supposed to be the end result, it's grossly inadequate to what an end result should look like - but maybe I'm just being overly critical of myself, which is why I want to know your opinion.

I'm thinking of getting implants for the incisors after all. That would mean wearing braces again for several years (I'd have to reopen the gaps I've been trying to close all this time). It should help also with the crooked teeth in my lower jaw (those were caused mostly by the opposite canines being where they aren't supposed to be). It would be a lot of work, so I'm a little hesitant whether or not it's worth it. What do you think?