Results of Adult Braces Poll

I've just concluded the Adult Braces Survey, which had questions from people who went through orthodontic braces treatment as an adult.  Since I've had braces as an adult myself, I also took this survey.  I posted the entire results over on the side bar. (or Click Here.) Thanks to all those who took the survey.

The results are pretty interesting.

Overall, 7 people took the survey. There was a good balance of males and females (4 females, 3 males).

Male or Female?

	42% (3)	Male
	57% (4)	Female

Here are the survey responses that had multiple choice answers:

How common were adults with braces where you lived?

	0% (0)	Very Common (i.e. you see lots of adults with braces)
	0% (0)	Somewhat common (some adults here and there)
	57% (4)	Not so common (you hardly ever see adults with braces)
	42% (3)	Very rare (besides yourself, you don't usually see adults with braces)

Was this your first time with braces?

	85% (6)	Yes, its my first time with braces.
	14% (1)	No, I had braces as a kid
	0% (0)	No, I had braces before as an adult.
	0% (0)	No, I had braces before, both as a kid and as an adult.

How happy are you with the results of your treatment? (or How happy are you with the results of your treatment so far?

	57% (4)	Very happy
	14% (1)	Somewhat happy
	14% (1)	Mixed feelings (part happy, part unhappy)
	0% (0)	Somewhat unhappy
	0% (0)	Very unhappy
	14% (1)	Not sure yet.

Which do you think is better, having braces as a kid/teenager, or as an adult?

	85% (6)	Kid/teenager
	14% (1)	Adult

As you can see, pretty interesting. Most, but not all, of the respondents had braces for the very first time as an adult, and thought that it was better having braces as a kid or teenager than as an adult. (One person thought differently in both of those cases.)  All respondents said that braces among adults was either not so common, or very rare.  There was a variety responses as to how satisfied the respondents were about their treatment. 

The essay responses were interesting to read, and they give you a good idea of what its like to have braces as an adult.  For example, one question asked "What did people say when they first saw your braces?"  Responses included simply remarking, "When did you get braces?" "I see you've been to the dentist." and "You've got braces."  One respondent said that people were surprised that he got braces at his age. Several responses noted that others were supportive.

As to that question, here was one respondent's answer:

Most people stared but politely said nothing. I was dreading their reactions, but them not saying anything was OK. I guess my front teeth always looked so bad, they assumed it was a cosmetic thing that I was finally fixing but no one said anything.

Another survey question was "How did you feel attending your first business or job function (i.e., meeting, conference, etc.) with braces?"  Most answers mentioned nervousness, self-consciousness, and even humiliation.

Here's one response to that answer:

Embarrassed for the first few months, then I got used to it and just got on with life. I interviewed for and got a new job while I had braces. The worst thing throughout treatment was eating meals with people I didn't know that well or just met professionally and having to think about which foods were "braces safe" and then worrying about having food caught in my teeth while conversing over the meal.

Here another:

Had to attend a conference 5 weeks after getting braces when I couldn't eat properly. So so awkward going to a formal meal and they served quinoa! But no-one actually said anything about the braces.

(I had to look up quinoa. Its a grain dish with edible seeds. Braces trouble!)

And here's my response, which mentioned an interesting incident:

The very day I went back to work with braces, I was called into a surprise meeting with my boss. It was a brief, pointless meeting. I think the boss may have been told I had braces, and wanted to see. Awkward.

I recommend checking out the full survey responses. Quite interesting.