More and more adults are choosing to wear braces. Innovative techniques and a growing awareness of the importance of healthy teeth only partly explain this evolution. ‘People are now more often judged on how they look.’
“For twenty years I put myself second, with this treatment I put my own interests first for the first time.” When Ingrid Smets (53) answers her phone, she immediately apologizes for her statement. She has just finished an appointment with the orthodontist and rubber bands have been attached to her braces, which makes talking a bit more difficult. It is a temporary problem to which Smets attaches little importance, the joy of the iron in her mouth dominates.
So she had to wait a long time. As a child, Smets already received comments about her overbite and crooked front teeth, but there was no money at that time to do anything about it. As a single mother, expensive treatment from an orthodontist was not obvious either. Only when her children left home did she choose to get braces after all. “I always found it difficult to reconcile with my appearance. I rarely bare my teeth in public for fear of reaction. If my blocks come off next year, I hope I will be able to.”
Presentable
Smets is by no means the only one who opts for braces at a later age. According to the Belgian Professional Association of Dutch-speaking Orthodontists (BBNO), 20 percent of braces wearers in our country are of age. The organization notes that the number has been increasing for years, although it is not easy to link concrete figures to it. Such treatments are rarely reimbursed by insurance companies.
Sociologist Giselinde Kuipers, who conducts research into beauty at KU Leuven, is certainly not shocked by the trend. She points out that today people are more often judged on their appearance and that they are more likely to resort to cosmetic procedures. This is partly explained by the success of social media, where people are more likely to compare their appearance with others anyway, and the rise of the service economy. As a result, more and more people have a job where it is important to look ‘presentable’.
What exactly that aesthetic norm entails is determined by cultural and time-related factors. “A hundred years ago it was already exceptional if you still had all your teeth in your forties. But what is special at a certain moment quickly becomes ordinary,” says Kuipers. Adults who have braces placed therefore do not necessarily do so in order to become ‘prettier’. They want to meet the standard in the first place. “The increasing popularity of braces is understandable because you really experience disadvantages if you have bad teeth. It just raises the bar even higher, creating a vicious circle.”
Jean Louis Hanssens, spokesperson for the BBNO, notes that certain technical innovations increase the comfort of underwire wearers. Aligners, transparent and removable plates, for example, are less noticeable and are therefore popular with adults who want to be called to account as little as possible about their dental treatment. In addition, the importance of healthy teeth has become more apparent to many people today than in the past. Crooked teeth are often more difficult to brush, so braces can be a preventative tool to avoid discomfort later on.
Exclusion
The risk of later health problems is also the reason why Emma Bostyn (39) chose to have blocks placed again three years ago. As a teenager she already wore braces, but in the years that followed her teeth grew crooked again. Her orthodontist warned her that without prompt intervention, she would lose part of her teeth. “I didn’t want that, so I started the treatment, which cost me about 4,000 euros in total. A lot of money, but I put my health first.”
Because the woman had already worn blocks before, she knew what minor inconveniences she could expect. Fortunately, eating less apples or ribs for a short time didn’t take her much effort and people around her rarely reacted negatively. “My blocks have been off for a year and a half now and I only wear night braces. The result was well worth the price and effort.”
Bostyn and Smets may be happy with their treatment at the orthodontist, but the growing demand for braces can also have a downside. Precisely because the interventions are so expensive and rarely reimbursed, a gap can grow between rich and poor. Those who cannot afford braces also experience social disadvantages. “It triggers special exclusion mechanisms. Moreover, dentists like to say that their treatments solve a medical problem, but the boundary with aesthetic motives is fluid,” says Kuipers.
Moreover, the mechanism is not limited to the world of dental care. Those who do not have the money to finance a well-groomed skin or a toned body also have to deal with prejudice. Breaking out of this vicious circle is not easy. “You can only make people aware of it, so that they do not respond to those impulses,” says Kuipers.