I had my braces put on June 17th. Today is September 24th, which means it has been just over three months, and yesterday I had my third adjustment.
Something interesting happened after my Thailand trip. During a professional photoshoot, my photographer asked me to smile, and for the first time I truly loved the result. From that day, I couldn’t stop smiling with my teeth showing.
For most of my life, I was very self-conscious about my teeth because of their misalignment. Growing up in Taiwan, I often heard comments like, “Why don’t you wear braces?”—as if something was wrong with me. In Taiwan, dental treatments like root canals are very affordable, but braces are still expensive for most families. My parents couldn’t afford them when I was a teenager, even though I was advised to wear braces at that age.
Cultural and social beliefs influence us more than we realise. In Taiwan, people often point out crooked teeth and see braces as necessary. But in Australia, I’ve had people tell me they never saw a problem with my teeth at all. Each culture has its own standards, and if we hold on too tightly to one, it can shape our self-image in painful ways. For me, growing up with the belief that I needed perfect teeth in order to smile left me hiding my smile for years. That kind of perfectionism can make us feel like we are less, or that we are not good enough.
The reason I finally chose braces wasn’t about chasing perfection—it was because I had a molar pulled out, and my dentist warned me that if I didn’t fix the gap, my other teeth could collapse into the space like books on a shelf. I chose braces for my dental health.
But here’s the turning point: just one month into my braces journey, before my teeth had even moved much, I realised I had been wrong all along. I could smile confidently without waiting for my teeth to be “perfect.”
When you smile, your energy lifts and the whole room brightens. Please don’t wait until you think you finally deserve to smile. You already do. You look great when you smile—not when you hide or shut your mouth.