Middle schoolers used to fight tooth and nail to remove their braces – metal fittings synonymous with hood clumsiness.
Now, despite Invisalign’s relentless metal-inspired innovation, the once-daunting dental project is a sought-after gem.
“I get about 15 to 20 direct messages a day from people asking me where they can find them,” Chelsey Ochulo, 18, who posts fake braces tutorials on Tik Toksaid the Wall Street Journal.
After all, geek is chic—specs, especially the thin-rimmed Bayonetta glasses, are the hottest red carpet accessory of the last few years. Now, bra-wearing celebrities like musician Coi Leray are inspiring fashionistas adopt the fake metal in their auxiliary arsenal.
Fake orthodontic wires called “one-of-a-kind braces” are sold online at vendors such as Etsy and Amazon or through individual businesses such as V’Adorned, a site run by 23-year-old Favor Egwu. In her hometown of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, people wear braces to “show off” wealth, as dental work is a rare luxury, she told the Journal.
Egwu also sells grills and teeth gems — another popular dental accessory — but started offering trendy braces last year, which she says are popular with customers who want a non-traditional addition to their pearly whites.
Meanwhile, Georgia-based Kayo Odom sells fashion braces for $55 on her Etsy store Shimmer Smiles, where she markets them as a way to get “the nostalgic look of braces without the hassle.” Customer reviews rave about her DIY kits, saying they “love them” and received “so many compliments at school.”
Odom told the Journal that her customer base is “predominantly women between the ages of 18 and 30 who often either can’t afford braces or want them for a short time, and many are repeat patrons. North Carolina resident Nina Samuels first bought the fake braces after seeing a college classmate sporting them.
“I know it’s probably strange for a 31-year-old to buy [fashion] braces,” Samuels told the Journal, “but I’ve always been a colorful outcast.”
But having a face in a brace comes at a price.
While real orthodontic work costs a pretty penny, putting trendy nails on your pearly whites can pose a serious health risk.
Such products are not manufactured, sold or glued by licensed professionals and, according to a blog post by Colgatethey can contain dangerous heavy metals, cause tooth decay and mouth sores, or even cause choking if the device comes loose.
In fact, fake braces have been banned in some countries, such as Thailand. Amidst the braces trend in the 2010s, two teenagers died from infections from fake braces, according to the magazine.
New York orthodontist, Dr. Sable Staller, told the Journal that she “wouldn’t recommend this to anyone,” adding that once the fake braces heal on your chompers, the teeth will want to move naturally.
“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should,” said Staller, who attributes the popularity of dental appliances to a greater Gen Z shift to highlight imperfections by showing off pimple patches.
“Thanks to social media and access to information online, many people are realizing that many ’embarrassing’ things aren’t so embarrassing after all,” he said.
