Throughout our lives, there is a lot we have to struggle with regarding our health: braces, glasses, wheelchairs, even technology. The matter at hand in this feature is braces. How much do braces cost? Are they worth getting? Which is worse to have for the rest of your life: braces or glasses? Experts do say, ai???Itai??i??s never too late to get braces!ai???

No amount of protesting will help you avoid wearing braces for the next two years, if you actually need them. Orthodontists give braces for a reason: to make sure their patients can flash their pearly-white beams without feeling insecure! For those who donai??i??t like wearing braces, there is a plus side – there are no more problems to deal with!

Parents have to pay a boatload of money, around 5,000 to 6,000 dollars. A mother of two daughters who have to wear braces shared her feelings:Ai??“I would rather be spending that money on something else. It’s not ideal, but it’s worth it,” said Ms. Angela Meiritz-Reid.

An expert gave her opinion on the idea of getting braces years ago. ai???A generation ago, adults didnai??i??t always keep their teeth, much less straighten them,ai??? said Ms. Leslie A. Will, DMD, of Boston Universityai??i??s Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine.

ai???When I started practicing in the ai??i??90s, I was lucky if 1% of my clients were adults,ai??? said Sunil Wadhwa, DDS, PhD, Director of Orthodontics at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. ai???It was unheard of for adults to get braces. Now, about 50% of my patients are adults. Itai??i??s definitely our fastest growing segment.ai??? It seems people, not just young, but the older generation, didnai??i??t cooperate with the concept of braces.

Another problem of braces is using floss. Is there another way? Do braces make a difference when we floss? Is it important to?

“I’ve been struggling to floss my braces,” said Celina from Ohio.Ai?? When it comes to braces, you are compelled to use a different – or stressful – method than what people without braces have to work with. Thread and floss, itai??i??s like rinse and repeat! No one has time for it, and certainly not the patience! The other way to floss is to use the thread that resembles that of floss, but shorter.

Itai??i??s attached to a disc shape which you steer underneath the metal part of your braces, then slowly wedge it in between your teeth. Itai??i??s simple and a huge stress reliever! Many people can agree on that.

“Might I suggest you try Crest Glide Threader Floss?” said an expert from Hawaii, “It comes in individually wrapped packs of 30. One end of it is stiff (like the end of a shoelace), which you use to thread under your wire so you can floss. It slides through my teeth much more easily than any other floss.”

In the world we live in today, 80 percent of teenagers are currently undergoing orthodontic treatment. Ai??Experts say braces benefit better for young children.Ai??For the younger children, they might want to use Invisalign. Invisalign is an alternative to metal braces, and it wouldnai??i??t give some of the hassles that braces do.

“Invisalign treatment uses a series of virtually invisible, removable, and comfortable aligners that allow you to smile more during treatment as well as after.” said Unae K. Han.Ai??This product could be the way to go when it comes to treatment. However, the thing that makes braces better is the fact that when you are wearing braces, you actually feel more like an operation, like time well spent.

After getting his braces off,Ai??Nepalese poetAi??Santosh Kalwar was nothing but ecstatic.

“I was smiling yesterday, I am smiling today, and I will smile tomorrow, simply because life is too short to cry for anything.”

Goodbye, candy, gum, caramel, gummies, licorice, and popcorn. Hello, braces!