Braces are Cool!

ST. LOUIS - Models strutting the fashion runways are sporting the latest accessory-orthodontic braces. Braces-wearing kids having their rubber bands changed ask the orthodontist to adorn their brackets with the proper hues to show school spirit. Adults select colors to coordinate their braces with the rest of their ensembles.

Yesterday: A badge of adolescent geekiness. Today: Sleek, lightweight fashion for the pearly whites. Wires, brackets, rubber bands and retainers are all the rage. "Tin grin" isn't a taunt-it's a compliment.

Just how hip and happening are braces, anyhow? When Isabella Rossellini debuted her makeup line last spring, the smile behind the model's lush lip gloss sparkled with braces. A recent ad for Chase Manhattan Bank features a father and daughter sharing an ice cream cone-orthodontic hardware complements both smiles.

"Braces have come of age," says Dr. Mervin W. Graham of Denver, former president of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO). "Although healthy, beautiful smiles have always been in style, this 'fashion' trend is good for patients-motivated patients are far more likely to follow their orthodontist's instructions, and complete their treatment on-time with good results."

What Do You Mean, I Don't Need Braces?

"We recently had a young lady leave in tears when she realized she wouldn't be getting braces like her big sister," says Dr. Lee Graber, who practices in Kenilworth, Ill., near Chicago. In the past, the younger sister might have breathed a sigh of relief.

In New York City, an orthodontist's office reports that a boy called from his mother's cell phone, wondering when he might swing by to get braces on. After determining that the young caller wasn't a patient, nor had his need for orthodontic treatment been determined, the receptionist politely suggested to the disappointed young man that he talk with his parents and his dentist. Then, if appropriate, his parents could make an appointment with the orthodontist.

The young New Yorker learned the hard way that orthodontists won't put braces put on just for looks. Orthodontists will only treat those patients who need treatment. As Jane Larkworthy, editor of the young women's magazine Jane observes about the purpose of braces: "They fix things!"

From the American Association of Orthodontics