Not everyone knows it but in Thailand and several other countries around Asia, braces are for more than just straightening your teeth. As an American, if you walked into the orthodontist and said, “Listen, I know I have perfect teeth, but I want braces anyway” you would probably be really disappointed as you headed back home with your perfect pearly whites.
Many Thai girls who don’t actually need braces to correct their already straight teeth get them regardless. Growing up in the 80’s braces weren’t something to be proud of or even something that you wanted to normally show off with the amount of food that gets stuck inside of them.
The issue with “non-prescription” dental accessories is that many of the people who are attaching the accessories aren’t actually licensed dentists that know what they are doing. There have been several cases where girls have ruined their teeth because of the materials used to affix the sub-par “brace” (not really bracing anything in this case) to the front of the tooth. Others have suffered from extreme mouth infections that lead to having your teeth removed eventually.
What are your thoughts? Should braces and retainers be added to the list of beauty accessories alongside contacts and tongue rings or should they only be an “as needed” device for when your smile is a little crooked? Is this an actual fetish for any guys out there or is it just something that only affects the girl’s self-esteem?