Are women more likely to notice braces than men?

[Rockskier]

I got metal brackets on all my visible teeth last week, just before my 42nd birthday. My teeth did not look terrible, but I had painful crowding and enough of an overjet for my lower teeth to start wearing out the back of my top front teeth. I'm a man with 4 kids who works in a professional setting (mostly with other scientists and engineers). I am the office manager, but it is a very relaxed work environment (nobody wears ties). So far, only women I work with or know outside the office have commented about me having braces (which are readily visible). I found out later that at least one man I work with observed I had braces, but did not ask me about them or make any comments. Are women more likely to notice people have braces? Or do people of the same gender NOT comment or ask about braces? I prefer the openness that I tend to get from the women instead of the awkward stares I get from other men. As for my kids, my daughter is the first one who noticed (I surprised them), and she is more than happy to tell everyone she knows that her dad has braces. Fortunately my kids inherited my wife's perfect teeth and none will likely need braces.

[isthistaken]

I have the same orthodontic issues, by the way, crowding, overjet (plus overbite) with wear from those issues. My teeth also did not look terrible, but they bugged me and I knew they could be so much better.

Well, I think women notice anything appearance-related more than men and speak up about it. It's quite rare a guy will comment on clothing or hairstyles. Especially--um--scientists and engineers. I know a few of those guys pretty well and if it doesn't have wires sticking out of it they couldn't care less...oh wait, you DO have wires in your mouth! Now this is a quandary. Why wouldn't engineers be interested in the amazing feat of orthodontic engineering??? The mind boggles....

[Tobilei]

I have seen 4 other people with clear braces since I got mine on. My husband was with me all 4 times and noticed none of them, so I think that women just tend to notice more in general or maybe we pay more attention to people's faces than men do when we speak to people?

[safetysquirrel]

I feel like I totally creep on people's teeth now, and it's like a little victory when I spot someone in braces - like we're in it together or something .

[Ciara]

I think women are more aware of things like this than men. Not just braces but hair style changes, new clothes etc.

[jem]

Interesting topic!

I have clear Damon brackets. I don't think many people noticed my brace until the initial white coated wires were replaced with regular metal ones.

The people who have said anything about my brace ( and it has all been polite/ supportive) have all been female, including my 8 year old great-niece.

You can often tell when someone notices and I have observed that they will sometimes unconsciously touch their own teeth when they do.

I'm not sure that women have noticed more than men, although women do tend to look more than men when they are speaking. But I do think women are more ready to talk about personal things than men.

Since thinking about getting braced, I have become much more conscious about other peoples teeth and I always notice if someone else has braces.

At first I was self conscious about having my brace and talking about it. After a few months I was not bothered and don't care now whether people notice it or not and am happy to speak about it.

Jem

[amyhenna]

I'm a woman and an engineer. Until recently I was a nose person, always staring at people's noses in meetings or when I was talking with someone. I've noticed over the years that this makes people brush at their noses with their fingers. I think they think I'm staring at something in their nose rather than the nose itself. I really love noses!

But now that I have braces, I stare at everyone's teeth, and I don't know why I ever cared about the nose!

[Kipepeo]

I feel the same way as Isthistaken.

My experiences: I work in science, IT, and clinical research with mostly women and some men. I look at everyone's teeth, everywhere, not just work. I would never comment on someone's teeth, unless they had something caught (as a courtesy). However, I may comment on someone with braces, simply because I'm in the club, too.

On the other hand, most people do not comment on mine at all. But just the other day a woman said she noticed I had braces and started asking me questions about them, because her son needs/wants them.

Guys may notice, but just don't say anything.

[djspeece]

During my days as a Navy Nurse I ran an ENT surgical unit, and since those days like Amy (above) I notice noses and ears and try to guess if they were reconstructed, or if they should be (and faces / brows / necks for that matter since some of those guys did plastics work). On my first day on the unit the head ENT came up to me smiling, pointing at my nose stating "Hey Dan, I can fix that!" I had broken it during my football playing days on at least two occasions and it did have a bit of a slant. I did eventually have a septorhinoplasty and could breathe a million times easier after that. But it still looks natural, just straighter.

Another one of my many crackpot theories: I think men notice braces, but are reluctant to say anything to a male wearing braces as it violates one of the unstated laws of manliness, which is that male (A) will not notice anything about another male's (B) mouth without said male B wondering (at some level) why the guy is looking at his mouth. Not that there is anything wrong with that for some.

Now that I have braces I would feel free to notice braces on a woman and perhaps strike up a conversation in the interests of science .
Dan

[isthistaken]

During my days as a Navy Nurse I ran an ENT surgical unit, and since those days like Amy (above) I notice noses and ears and try to guess if they were reconstructed, or if they should be (and faces / brows / necks for that matter since some of those guys did plastics work). On my first day on the unit the head ENT came up to me smiling, pointing at my nose stating "Hey Dan, I can fix that!" I had broken it during my football playing days on at least two occasions and it did have a bit of a slant. I did eventually have a septorhinoplasty and could breathe a million times easier after that. But it still looks natural, just straighter.

Another one of my many crackpot theories: I think men notice braces, but are reluctant to say anything to a male wearing braces as it violates one of the unstated laws of manliness, which is that male (A) will not notice anything about another male's (B) mouth without said male B wondering (at some level) why the guy is looking at his mouth. Not that there is anything wrong with that for some.

Now that I have braces I would feel free to notice braces on a woman and perhaps strike up a conversation in the interests of science .
Dan

This reminds me of 10 or 15 years ago when I took my kids for ortho consultations and the ortho's eyes kept drifting to my mouth. Creepy!

[amyhenna]

Yeah, Dan! I'll discuss my braces with anyone any day! I wish more people would strike up conversations about them. Why do people think there is anything else that merits discussion??

[isthistaken]

Yeah, Dan! I'll discuss my braces with anyone any day! I wish more people would strike up conversations about them. Why do people think there is anything else that merits discussion??

There were several other adult ortho victims in the office today. Since this is the Midwest, we all ignored each other.

[oldfart]

This is funny. Just got into the elevator and on one side I noticed another adult female with braces chatting with a friend. So be sured to smile. She was busy so not sure she saw me. But in the middle was another adult. And could see her glance over at the lady with braces and then glance at mine, and back to hers, then to mine. Wasn't offended, and just smiled more. Thought it was funny. Now if it was guy glancing back and forth, would have probably just closed my mouth and not smiled.

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