The year was 2009. The Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga were at the top of the charts. I was in year eight, wearing a side bang and neon green and pink metal braces – permanently full of food and tearing at the side of my lip. That year, high on flying saucers at a Bat Mitzvah, a boy told me I’d be “pretty fit” if I got a nose job, the boob joband didn’t have straps. I was still quite fascinated.
The idea that functional devices make us “invisible” was popularized by 90s and 00s pop culture. Think Drew Barrymore’s metallic smile He’s never been kissed. Anne Hathaway’s black rimmed glasses Princess diaries. America Ferrera’s fancy brace AND glasses go together Ugly Betty. Braces and glasses, according to rom-coms, were ugly duckling items – symbols of genderlessness and abnormality, removed as part of a transformation into someone new.
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But flash forward 15 years, and these items have been reclaimed as the pinnacle of style and sex, flaunted by celebrities and It-girls alike. It started with the sensible glasses — usually rectangular in shape, frameless or framed by thick, slug-like lines. Julia Fox started wearing a pair. Like Billie Eilish. And Bella Hadid.
Braces follow a similar trajectory. In 2023, 76% of orthodontists reported an increase in adults seeking dental care, according to the British Orthodontic Society. Indeed, seeing someone remove their invisible brace before lunch has become a familiar sight, but an explosion of TikTokers selling technicolor metal braces and celebrities such as model Abbey ClancyRocking a full set of railroad tracks shows that we no longer hesitate to publicly admit that we do dental work.
“People are definitely much more open to a traditional brace,” he says Dr Stuart Yeatona London-based orthodontist who has seen more and more of his adult patients in their twenties and thirties opt for metal braces with colored bands over subtler options like Invisalign and tooth-colored braces.
In most cases, metal braces can achieve faster results and give the orthodontist more control over the teeth than aligners, but Yeaton believes there has also been a change in attitude. Many of his teenage patients are actively excited to get braces, a change that has taken place over the past four to five years. “From day one, for many of this generation, they no longer associate braces as such a negative thing,” she says. It’s possible that this change in mindset is related to influencers and celebrities showing off their “flaws” online, from acne trips to hair loss. “There doesn’t seem to be the same insecurity that there was before. people have a little more confidence.”
Model Abbey Clancy ©Instagram @abbeyclancy
Paulette, a 32-year-old film director in New York, misses the pink and purple metal braces she recently had off. “It became something of a signature,” they said. While Tracy, a 25-year-old postgraduate student, was actively enjoying feeling ‘non-sexual’ when she put on ‘really, really, really bulky’ braces during her final undergraduate year in London. She had opted for heat-activated metal braces that tightened based on the temperature of her mouth. “It was really liberating,” he said. While she vowed to kiss that year (it was a personal choice; she was often complimented on her braces), she felt more confident than ever, rocking colorful earrings and neon eyeliner. “It taught me how to embrace something you’re not sure about.”
Embracing the oppressive social signifiers of our teenage years is certainly a good thing, but there’s a darker side to embracing braces—the rise of DIY versions. In some parts of the world, where orthodontic care is a luxury, braces have become status symbols. Teens who can’t afford professional braces can opt for black market designs, bought from street markets or online sellers. It is causing considerable concern among orthodontists. “It worries me a lot,” says Yeaton, comparing the phenomenon to his aunt buying a hip replacement off Etsy. “You would say, ‘No! Trust the people who do this all the time!”
Often composed of low-grade metals and superglue, trendy DIY braces can contain poisonous compounds, increasing the chance of infection. They are also difficult to fit correctly, which can lead to choking. In 2018, Thailand banned fake braces after two Thai teenagers died of complications from using them. (The deaths were reported by Vice in 2012.)
Dentists are of two minds about the merits of choosing metal braces over – admittedly – more discreet aligners. They’re fixed, meaning “we don’t have to rely on patient compliance to make sure they wear them,” he sayscosmetic dentist Dr Krystyna Wilczynski which sees many patients not following the 20 to 22 hour daily wear rule for their Invisalign. “If the patient does not wear Invisalign for the recommended amount of time per day, treatment may take longer.” For this reason, metal braces are often the preferred choice for restless children and for more complex dental problems. They are generally cheaper too, costing around £1,500-£3,500 compared to Invisalign’s £2,000-£4,500 price range, which “reflects the fit and comfort of aligners”, he says. Dr Imran Sayed of Chelsea & Fulham Dentist.
As for dental disadvantages, “metal braces can cause a little more discomfort and pain, especially after adjustments,” notes Dr. Sayed. Health-wise they can be problematic. cue spinach leaves settling after lunch. “A good oral hygiene regimen is essential, as it is not easy to clean the teeth behind a fixed brace,” adds Wilczynski.
Only time will tell if the rise in people wearing “sensible” glasses and metal braces is a fad or a sign of genuine change: a cultural shift from the aesthetics of the ’90s and ’00s that bred widespread insecurities. But while it’s fun to subvert what used to be called “non-sexual,” let’s make sure we don’t get hurt.
Shop: The best splint care
“The essential tool for caring for your braces is a single-tufted brush,” says Yeaton. Recommends use after every meal, along with regular brushing.
Missed a bit? Bend a plaque-revealing tablet once a week to show if you’re missing spots with your cleanse.
An air or water flosser is more effective at removing plaque from braces than regular dental floss.
