Metal Mouth Message Board

You'd be surprised.

I had braces at 20, got them off and didn't wear my retainers. My teeth did not "go back" to how they were. They were much, much worse. Before I just had a large gap. After I had crowding and overlapping teeth and a bigger gap.

I also think it's weirdly attention seeker to ask for advice but then only defend what you want to do anyway. So you don't really need any advice because the overwhelming knowledge is that you're taking a gamble and wasting money and years of orthodontic treatment.

Your money and time to waste though...

Seconding what others have said, if you don't use retainers and your teeth shift, the results can be unpredictable.

I had extractions and bracing, and a pretty good result from my first round of orthodontic work. Because my Essix retainers were uncomfortable, I was a flop at wearing them, and now 7 years later I'm rebraced. My teeth shifted to give me a front gap (which I don't mind) but also the alignment was ruined, and I developed unfortunate bottom front/side gapping.

BRF is kind of a matter of your resting expression. You can talk to your ortho about it, but I don't think it's likely that just letting your teeth move will change this.

It also sounds to me like the negative self-talk you're doing might be possibly influencing what you think is happening in social interactions. I believe you think that people are reacting to you differently, but maybe your feelings about your smile are coloring the way you see these interactions playing out. Just a guess! I don't disbelieve you, but those sorts of feelings can really impact you negatively, and I bet that you look better than you think you do.