Love is in the air at Aesthetic Orthodontics. One of my patients was sitting in the chair the other day making a big to-do about the fact that she couldn’t go to Vegas and have fun with her girlfriends because she had her braces on. She said she didn’t feel comfortable dating. “I’m on a dating hiatus,” she said. Another patient a couple of chairs down had overheard her complaining and said, “Are you kidding me? I met my boyfriend this way, and now I know he really likes me for me.” Everyone started laughing.

A lot of my single adult patients worry about being able to date with braces. Anxiety can arise with the thought of going through orthodontic treatment. “I’ll never be able to date.” “Men won’t find me attractive.” “Women won’t think they are sexy.” “Braces are going to ruin my game.” “I won’t be pretty.” Some people decide that they aren’t going to date at all. Honestly, would a woman kick Tom Cruise out of bed for having ceramic braces? Would a man not be interested in Nikki Taylor or Gwen Stefani because their teeth adorn little brackets? Not so much.

Think of having braces as a time to reform and transform. Carry off a positive attitude, and you’ll have no problem carrying off braces. Find someone who is interested in you for being the incredible person you are and put some faith into the fact that you look amazing with or without your braces. If other people can’t see past your braces, they aren’t even worth your time.

It’s been a joke at our office lately that love is in the air because lots of patients are getting braces before weddings or meeting their soul mate with their braces. A couple of patients are getting married with their braces. Some of my women patients in their forties and fifties don’t mind keeping their braces on even longer than they need to because the braces give their lips the “botox effect.” They love them because it makes their lips feel fuller and they attract younger guys. As for my male patients, braces make them seem like a risk taker and make them look younger – what isn’t attractive about that? The truth is, the object of your affection is going to be interested in you regardless of what’s in your mouth (unless what’s in your mouth is yesterday’s breakfast and seriously bad oral hygiene – nothing attractive about that). So put a big smile on your face and your best foot forward, and nothing, not even a mouth full of metal, will stand in your way.