A Professional in Braces (2003)

One thing I haven't mentioned is that when I had my braces as an adult, back around 2003-2004, I actually kept a blog about my experiences.  Since I also had glasses (and still do), I called my blog Foureyedmetalmouth.  It wasn't as broadly oriented as this blog, but rather just dealt with my day to day experiences wearing braces as an adult. Since getting my braces off, I stopped posting, and with time, the blog was deleted (and the web company that hosted it went out of business). However, thanks to an internet archive I found, I was able to recently salvage parts of my old blog, and I plan to post some of my old posts from that blog. 

Here is one of my more interesting old posts. It was from a time right after I went to a professional conference for the first time with my braces. Braces are indeed an interesting experience when you are an adult in a fairly conservative profession, trying to look "proper" while having a mouthful of ortho gadgetry.  Enjoy.

A PROFESSIONAL IN BRACES/SOCIAL IN BRACES 

Monday, 13 October 2003

I just finished attending a professional conference/convention. This is my first in braces, and I believe of all the fairly large group of people attending, I was the only one in mouthmetal. After the convention, I had to go to another social gathering. I must admit that I am still a bit reticent to appear with my braces in front of people, especially those who havent yet seen me in braces. At the conference, there were several friends (or maybe acquaintances is more like it) of mine who had not yet seen me in braces, and I must admit that after several months in braces, I still feel uncomfortable confronting people in them the first time. I was trying to be discreet about my mouthmetal, yet still try to look natural. Theres this silly balance one has to pull of whereby you have to try to not bare your braces too obviously, yet still not try to obscure them too much... if you bare your braces too intensely you appear a bit too happy to have braces, and you may appear a bit odd... but if you try too hard to obscure your braces (which is probably my tendency moreso than baring them too much, at least with people I try to be "professional" with and those who havent seen my braces before) you will just draw even more attention to them, and look even dumber. So, anyway, the moral of the story is that as an adult, and after several months, you still may feel a bit awkward for having a tin grin. I guess I should consider that this makes it all just that much more "authentic" since a typical teenager would probably, in most circumstances, feel quite awkward in braces, and if I had gotten them in my teens, even though I think braces are cool, I would still probably have the feeling of awkwardness nonetheless....especially in a school full of people who are all too willing to tease you for other reasons and who would like nothing better than to find a new reason to get onto you.