2024-11-30 04:30:00
Looking at the photos of his last holiday with friends in Ibiza, Yves (he did not want to reveal his surname), 37 years old, had a revelation: he is no longer afraid to smile. until now, this engineer and associate director of a telecommunications operator had always kept his lips closed in front of the camera. The defect was a small overlap of the lower jaw and some interdental spaces which gave a result “not very nice” when he revealed his teeth. “My mother always told me it was a peculiarity of mine, and for twenty-five years I smiled with my mouth closed, says the thirty-year-old Parisian. I could have stayed like that, because it’s not very shocking, but when I realized that I could fix it, I told myself it would be a shame to deprive myself of it. »
For four months – from April to August 2024 – Yves wore a clear splint similar to that of boxers or rugby players. He was only allowed to take it out three times a day to eat. A protocol he found “not very restrictive” though the first two days, the to listen to this “It was getting closer [sa] bite ». Now free from this piece of plastic, he contemplates the photos of his holiday with satisfaction. “I don’t spend time showing my teeth, but I feel that I smile fully, without fear and with confidence, comment. And this changes everything. »
les quenottes d’Yves are not the only ones to have undergone a restyling. According to an ipsos survey for the French Federation of Orthodontics (FFO) dating back to 2023, 34% of French people have used a solution in their life to realign their teeth. Showing off metal rings as adults is now seen as a positive sign, to the point that there are those who even make them an ornament by making fake rings (a practice known as « Fashionable braces »absolutely not recommended).
But in recent years it is indeed above all invisible aligners that have invaded French mouths. “The technique appeared in the late 1990s in the United Statestraces Dr. David Couchat, spokesperson for the FFO. It has been practiced in france since 2001 but was initially widely criticized by professionals because it did not resolve discrepancies well. Now very reliable, it is enjoying growing success. » According to an Ipsos survey published in November 2023, 82% of those interviewed have already heard of dental aligners and 42% of them declare themselves interested in the technique (34% of subjects aged 26 and over, in fact, have used).