Braces as sign of affluence

[BobKitten]

The point is, do you feel like your own braces are a sign of affluence (whether you paid for them or not), either just for you or as part of your culture.

i think that question is fairly straightforward, meryaten. not asking whether your version of affluence is the same as mine, not attempting to flatten out subjectivity, just asking whether, from a personal level, one person regards their braces as a sign of affluence on an individual or cultural level.

i answered yes, because i had to consciously make the decision to spend more than £2K on my braces. you answered no, for your own reasons. there's no right or wrong when canvassing opinion, but there is an element of unpleasantness when people criticise a thread or a question (saying it 'falls totally flat' or 'oh no, not this again' isn't particularly helpful and isn't designed to make the initial poster feel as if the thread is welcome or worthwhile). to that end, i'll say that i appreciated reading it, and seeing other people's points of view.

[Nancy51]

Oh no, not this again...

No. My treatment is free on the NHS (surgery and all). Orthodonture is free in the UK to those who need it as a child, and adult patients also qualify if a bad enough case.

Therefore, my braces are no kind of status symbol and are simply a means to straighten my teeth. I don't particularly like them, they hurt and are aesthetically displeasing to me, but they are a means to an end. I gather in the US it is very different.

Dubnobass has responded to the question well, I think. He voiced his reaction as well as answered the question--without trying to censor the topic. I also find the different health-care approaches in different countries interesting.

[dubnobass]

I said "Oh no, not this again " because the last thread related to this topic got really quite nasty. I just didn't want to see a repeat.

[Steadfast]

On kids, no. On adults, yes.

I'm a UK'er and, it has already been mentioned, kids get free dental treatment over here. Therefore any kid can have braces, rich or poor.

Adults, on the other hand, have to go to a Private Practise if they want braces (except in really really bad circumstances) and they cost an arm and a leg. I say they are a sign of affluence because when I see an adult with braces I think to myself - they must have a few bob! Simple as that, really.

[ohmyjaw]

I have braces and I am certainly not affluent. Foolish, maybe, but not affluent. I saved up for about a year to pay for the downpayment, and I pay monthly installments that aren't too much of a burden. I had jaw surgery about eight months ago and I put most of that expense on my credit card (that's the foolish part). But oh well, I am working my butt off to pay down the debt and hopefully it will all be worth it!

[bracesafter40]

O.K., So I'm going to say what everyone thinks, but won't say: Minorities usually dont' get braces as they cannot afford to get braces; this is a fact, all you have to do is just look around and see who is wearing braces the next time you are out. The minorities that do; either their parents are affluent or they've made a tough personal sacrifice; I've done the latter.

I am currently in Asia and almost everyone I see needs braces and they just don't have them for whatever reason; mostly, they are poor and having perfect teeth is just not the correct priority at the moment. I am from Jamaica and many people in my school needed braces including myself and none of us got them.

So, let's not skip around the truth of the matter; no disrespect is meant to anyone on this topic. Just stating the God awful truth that I think Mary hinted on...

[bracesafter40]

Yup; I think it gets messy as people just don't understand other cultures and we are oftentimes scared to say what we think for fear of offending...

Just say what we are thinking for once; some things are just the facts of our society...It is O.K. to speak what you are thinking ...

[jackie100]

I was chatting to my physical therapist about pain. She commented that one particular group of her patients - people from a certain ethnic background - would always tell her, when asked, that their pain was a 10 (on a scale of 1 to 10). They'd be chatting merrily, and quite obviously not in complete excruciating agony, but they always rated their pain a 10. It's apparently just a cultural thing. There are a lot of "cultural things".

Considering certain parts of Asia, I'd say it's more likely that in many cases it can be about different priorities and a different level of importance being placed on having perfect teeth. I have several Asian colleagues whose teeth could potentially benefit from ortho, and they can certainly afford it. But apparently it's just not important to them.

It's a big World we live in, filled with people from many different cultures and backgrounds. That's one reason threads like this tend to get messy, since it's too easy to judge based only upon our own local cultural attitudes and experiences, and doing so can often lead to erroneous conclusions.

lol, I'm asian and looks are EXTREMELY important to me, perfect teeth is a major priority for me as well as appearances in general. I'm Asian-American though, not "asian-asian" if you know what I mean. To me perfect teeth are very important and also not for them to be just straight, but I want the perfect "Hollywood Smile" that you see on celebs like Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson etc. I realized that if you want to look good you have to suffer for it and bear pain, most celebs aren't born looking that way, they have had work done etc in order to look that way.
No pain, no gain. Pretty much anything that makes you look better is painful (braces, plastic surgery, veneers, exercise, diet)

Bracesafter40, my parents are not affluent at all (also I'm extremely independent, I moved out at 18 and haven't taken a penny from the parents since) and I didn't have to make any sacrifices at all for my braces besides personal discomfort, I make pretty good money so it isn't expensive for me at all. My braces were 5k and it's spread out through monthly payments, the cost is minimal and doesn't affect me at all.

[jackie100]

Might be generational (first generation american vs. deeper roots here) or might be a gender deal - my Asian colleagues ... in fact most of my colleagues tend to be male.

ETA: And, to be crystal clear, I couldn't give a stuff if their teeth do look like ortho would be good for them - I judge them based on how they treat people around them and on how they do their jobs. I am merely relating an observation that seemed relevant.

I totally understand what you are saying. I live in Southern California though and people here are in general more concerned with appearances etc and that includes the Asians here too. I actually have an Asian male friend who wants to get veneers... It seems like almost everyone here has teeth so blindingly white that they almost glow in the dark that it seems a little weird when someone doesn't...

[BobKitten]

I said "Oh no, not this again " because the last thread related to this topic got really quite nasty. I just didn't want to see a repeat.

ahhh.... ok, fair point.

i can already see what you mean, with someone saying "I'm going to say what everyone thinks, but won't say: Minorities usually dont' get braces as they cannot afford to get braces" .... i've genuinely never thought that before.

sorry to be a bit spikey, dubnobass - and Meryaten!

It seems like almost everyone here has teeth so blindingly white that they almost glow in the dark that it seems a little weird when someone doesn't...

good lord, yes...

just look what happened to this ordinary british boy...



*rushes to buy a pair of sunglasses for the glare factor...

[danish]

In Denmark where I reside orthodontics is offered to anyone in primary school who is in need getting the teeth fixed. After leaving primary school around the age of 16 people who want orthodontics must pay out of their pocket. The reason why I'm undergoing the treatment now at the age of 36 is because I didn't want to have braces at the age of 12-13 (stupid decision!!!!).

Braces as a sign of affluence? For me: NO! I have to admit that I do not think much about the financial aspect of my treatment. I'm more if not totally concerned about the aesthetical aspects and the discomfort from wearing the brace. I'm pretty goal-oriented about this whole process and it would be an understatement to say that I will be delighted at the end of the treatment. In the meantime I'm trying to be positive and not let the fact that I wear braces affect my life to much. This is a challenge, though..

Although I do not understand people who apparrantly enjoy and take great pride in showing the braces, I find this ability fascinating. Mind is truly over matter! I wish that I could feel the same.....

Danish

[jackie100]

I said "Oh no, not this again " because the last thread related to this topic got really quite nasty. I just didn't want to see a repeat.

ahhh.... ok, fair point.

i can already see what you mean, with someone saying "I'm going to say what everyone thinks, but won't say: Minorities usually dont' get braces as they cannot afford to get braces" .... i've genuinely never thought that before.

sorry to be a bit spikey, dubnobass - and Meryaten!

It seems like almost everyone here has teeth so blindingly white that they almost glow in the dark that it seems a little weird when someone doesn't...

good lord, yes...

just look what happened to this ordinary british boy...



*rushes to buy a pair of sunglasses for the glare factor...

Haha, I actually LIKE the look of blindingly white teeth tho. I want my teeth pretty damn white when my braces are off. Not so white that they glow in the dark but the same whiteness as the "Hollywood Smile" that many celebs have. I love white teeth. I'm obsessed. I don't like them "natural" white, I like them very white!

[SueFromNJ]

To respond to the OP's original question, a resounded YES from me - I definitely saw my braces as a sign of "moving up in life". And yes, I definitely see straight teeth and braces as a sign of affulence and status. When I finally got braces at age 33, I was thrilled to finally join the "haves" and stop being a "have not". I am certainly not afflulent in any sense of the word (don't I wish!!) , so maybe "perceived affulence" is a better description of what I see braces bringing me. I always seen status and class connected to having straight teeth and a great smile.

I also come from a family that could have gotten me braces as a kid, but chose not to - I had very naive parents who never saw my appearance as their responsibility. My badly crooked teeth was my problem, not their's. So when I got my braces as an adult, I LOVED showing them off! Big tin grins for me! I felt I was removing the "have not" status I was branded with, and moving up in the world and joing the "haves". That is exactly how I felt. I have my braces off now, and yes, I feel I am treated more "affulently" (is that the right word?) everywhere in my life, and I LOVE IT!!!

[Gennel]

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever get my teeth fixed. My mom could not afford it when I was a child even when as a child we had Medicaid.Back then it was not covered.Now it is.
Well I never thought of braces as a status symbol. It was a HUGE sacrifice for me to get braces and each month it's a sacrifice to make that payment each month. I love the transformation and can't wait to get these things off! It's been more painful than I thought it would be.

Gennel