Let me start out by saying that one of the biggest insecurities I’ve always had about myself are my teeth. Not that there’s anything wrong with them physically just that they’ve always been a little crooked. Not something you can notice easily but if you look specifically for it you can see it.
I’ve always begged my parents to let me get braces but they didn’t think it was worth it. They said it’s barely noticeable and that no one will care. However it’s always bothered me to the point that I avoided smiled in pictures. All throughout high school I think I’ve taken maybe 10 pictures with me smiling and showing my teeth. I was so self conscious that when my mom posted a family pic on Facebook that had me smiling I asked her to take it down.
I finally managed to get braces by myself when I turned 21 and started working. Couldn’t afford anything fancy so went with the basic metal braces. It was kinda embarrassing but I told myself I can just avoid smiling until they get removed (and like I said I didn’t smile that much to begin with).