Braces certainly have changed over the years. I had braces back in the late 1970s, and they were awful! I had metal braces complete with headgear, that wrapped around my head and hooked into brackets at the back of my mouth. Of course it had to be worn at all times, even to school. I even have formal school pictures taken of me while wearing the dreaded headgear.
I looked for a picture of me in the headgear, but luckily I seem to have destroyed them all! However I did find a snapshot of my brother in his, and from my point of view an ugly picture of my brother is much better than an ugly picture of me, so here it is!
In addition to making me look awful the braces were very painful too. I remember quite well how much it hurt to take the headgear on and off. So when I was told that my oldest needed braces I was pleased to learn headgear wasn’t used anymore. But she still had metal brackets on her teeth, and they certainly were noticeable.
Here is a picture of her from 2008, with a mouth full of metal. But now there is an alternative to metal braces, invisible removable liners from Invisalign. It makes sense, after all technology is advancing in many ways, and that includes the science of orthodontics.
The system uses a series of clear aligners made of lightweight plastic that sit smoothly on the teeth. This allows them to fit comfortably and work as effectively as metal bands. They are nearly invisible, and they can be removed for brushing and flossing, which is a huge advantage. I know my daughter had an awful time brushing with her braces on, and I doubt she ever flossed, because it was just too difficult. Plus with removable aligners there would be no more need to avoid foods like corn on the cob.
Do you have any horrible braces memories from when you were a kid?
There really is such a major difference!
It’s amazing how technology has advanced since we were kids!
Man that headgear looks painful! I am actually looking forward to getting Invisalign in a few years.
So glad there has been an upgrade.
You know….looking back on it all, we totally deserved to be called things like “metal mouth” because dang it, we were 90% metal in there!
I hated my braces and I had the clear ones. I wish I had this option back then.
of my 3 boys at least 2 will need braces.
My son had braces when he was 7 and needed them again as a teen but it was out of my budget. I can see my 10 year old is also going to need them.
ROFL live that you posted a picture of your brother. Braces sure have made a big change haven’t they.