How often do you smile since you got braces?

[Tyrantblade]

I find that on any given day I probably smile a lot

i try to act worry free and innocently goof around when I'm around other people (family members and especially on long work days)

when it comes to pictures with family members, I usually don't feel like smiling big and obvious; I suppose it's mostly dependent on how happy I am with the current state of how my smile is looking, I also don't smile too big if I can feel food is really stuck around my braces wires and brackets.

Today was a big family gathering (Thanksgiving theme the day after Thanksgiving), and I actually smiled big and obvious, it should be my last Thanksgiving with braces (estimated end of treatment should be next August, maybe September), and it helps to know you wouldn't be showing a bunch of food stuck in your braces.

Now as for my actual mood, I can say that braces have not had a major negative impact beyond the initial feeling of "what did I get myself into" very early in treatment

I also had some annoyance about needing elastics for so long; currently putting elastics from outside of bottom left molar to inside of top left molar to fix a crossbite for the 2nd time.

I'm satisfied that I will probably not need this configuration after my next adjustment in mid December; but there's no telling on if there's another configuration waiting after that.

Best of all ~8.5 months of estimated treatment time left, hopefully not too much of it will include elastics.

[Lovespain5]

I smiled rarely during my treatment. It wasn't the braces which avoided me to smile but above all the hideous extraction gaps and the elastics.

[pantlover]

i probably smile the same amount, if not more, with my braces! even when i had my underbite and glaringly ugly surgical hooks on my front teeth, i've found that i've never been ashamed of my braces and actually fully embraced (hah!) them. now that I'm a couple weeks post op with jaw surgery and my teeth align, i'm even more proud of my braces and my smile.

[JCloNY]

According to my boyfriend I smile more. I shamelessly use my braces to look cute to get my way. Something about braces causes folks to give me a break on things.

[ditsy]

All the time lol, most people have "resting complain face" I have "resting happy face" lol!!!
I've always been smiley, I can't wait till the brace is off and I can show off my pretty straight teeth without all the metalware but I'll not let it stop me in the meantime xxx

[Voxpotens]

In the first few months, I wanted to smile a lot but I just couldnt. the braces rubbed on the inside of my lips and cut it all up -- oh the carnage! But right after I got that under control, I smile just as much, up until the point my upper arch changed. Once I realized my full smile showed a full fledged protruding upper jaw gum line, I stopped smiling so much. And when I do, I try to cover up with my hands. Im very upset about, as I didnt used to have that to begin with. My smile has not been the same for the last 1 to 1.5 years :(

[istase2000]

Smiling with my mouth closed does not work as braces look so bulky but everytime I laugh I tend to cover my mouth. It's only been 5 days so I'm still learning how to embrace them and smile as much as usual.

[JanineJanine]

The bulk of my braces means it's hard to smile with a closed mouth so I think I'm smiling with an open mouth much more than before. At times I'm very aware of it and feel a bit self-conscious but it's only been a few days. I'm sure that as my teeth start to align I'll be proud to show off my brace face.

[BLKSAGE]

I generally smile and laugh.. a lot
So I still laugh and smile the same amount but I do find myself being more self-concious of my smile.

[Bracingmyself33]

I realised I smiled a lot more with braces...

I figured that what could be worse than pre-braces?

[anacsilva]

Personally, I smile SO MUCH since I got braces, because now my top teeth look nearly perfect ahahah

[GloomyPalaver]

I think I smile a bit more than normal now. I've also incorporated my braces into my 'creepy smile' routine whenever I want to creep out my friends!

[cconant1833]

I smile 3000x's more with braces than before. I didn't get braces until 22, so I grew up covering my mouth with my hand EVERY TIME I laughed. I was incredibly self-conscious and uncomfortable in my skin. I honestly LOVE smiling now! I am proud to have my braces because I worked so hard to get them and pay them off.

I can't wait to get a new license and passport after my braces come off with a big toothy grin!

[littlething]

I smile soooooo much more now! My teeth were a giant mess before braces and I was embarrassed about my smile, so it's a significant improvement and I am proud to show it off (even with a gap still)

[Mufti]

I feel like I look like a child in braces so I never smile if I can avoid it. A bit sad maybe but it is what it is.