'70s Braces Commercials

 Here's are examples of braces appearing on '70s television commercials.  This post is put together from content on previous posts on this blog.

When I was young kid, braces were much less common, and being told you needed braces was something that was dreaded by kids and teens who had to undergo orthodontic treatment.  This toothpaste commercial from the mid '70s shows the awkwardness of showing up at school for the first time with braces.

Check out this orthodontic Public Service Announcement from the 1970s. In this one, it looks like braces were really catching on with adults. But I remember the '70s, and braces weren't all too "groovy" with teens, much less grown ups. 

Braces in '80s and '90s Commercials

In the 1990s, football star Brett Favre was also known for having braces, which he put to great effect in this commercial for orthodontia.

When I was a teen in the '80s, braces were still stigmatized. This early '80s cheese commercial shows the tendency to hide newly acquired braces by keeping one's mouth closed and smiling without showing one's teeth.

This 1987 commercial shows the odd combination of fascination and embarrassment with which braces were perceived at that time. 

Of course, as shown by this mid '80s commercial, some kids and teens had no problem grinning through their metal mouths. Perhaps it took having a strong sense of individuality to bear one's tin grin without embarrassment.