How to Be Confident With Braces (Smile Anyway)

6 min read · Aura

Braces week one: your mouth feels like a construction site, you've caught yourself smiling with your lips glued shut five times, and someone already said "metal mouth." Welcome.

Here's how to be confident with braces: smile anyway, but smile on purpose. Practice a braces-friendly smile in the mirror, pick colors that feel like you, shift attention with your style, and have a relaxed answer ready for comments. Braces are temporary. How you carry them is what people remember.

If you've started hiding your smile, talking less or dodging photos, Aura finds where your confidence is leaking and gives you one small move a day to get it back: Find my aura leak.

Quick note: this is about confidence, not dental advice. Anything about your actual teeth, pain or treatment is a question for your orthodontist.

Why braces feel like a big deal

Braces sit right in the middle of your face, at an age when you're already hyper-aware of how you look. So it makes sense that they feel huge. The usual worries:

• "Everyone's staring at my mouth"
• "I look like a kid"
• "I'll look bad in every photo for two years"
• "I talk weird now"

Real talk: people notice braces for about three seconds, then forget. Braces for teens are so common that in most schools half the class has had them, has them, or is about to. What people do notice for longer is someone who stops smiling, mumbles and hides. That's the part to fix.

How to prepare for getting braces (the confidence side)

• Take a "before" photo you actually like. Future you will want it for the glow-up post.
• Plan your first outfit back at school so one thing feels good.
• Pick your first braces color ahead of time (see below) so you're excited, not anxious.
• Decide on one line for when people ask. Done.

Smiling with braces in photos

The biggest temptation is the closed-lip smile forever. It's fine sometimes, but a tight-lipped smile in every photo can look tense. Here are options.

How to smile with braces (and actually like it)

1. Relax your jaw first. Clenched teeth show in your whole face.
2. Smile with your eyes. Slightly squint, like you're about to laugh. That's what makes a smile look genuine.
3. Show the top teeth, keep it natural. A half-open smile usually looks better than a full grin or a sealed mouth.
4. Practice in your phone's front camera for two minutes. Find your angle, then use it everywhere.

How to smile in photos without showing teeth

Some days you just don't want the metal in the pic. Totally fine:

• Soft smile, lips together but relaxed, eyes smiling
• A laugh shot, looking away from the camera
• A side-profile or three-quarter angle
• A playful pout or smirk for casual pics

Braces filter: yes or no?

A braces filter or smoothing edit is your choice. Just don't make it every photo. The more unfiltered pics you post, the faster braces stop feeling like a secret. For more on picture day specifically, the angle and eye tips above work the same.

Talking with braces

The first week or so, talking can feel strange: a bit of a lisp, extra saliva, lips catching. That usually settles as you get used to them (and if something hurts, ask your orthodontist).

How to talk with braces confidently while you adjust:

• Read out loud at home for 5–10 minutes. Your mouth adapts faster with practice.
• Slow down. Rushed speech makes a lisp more obvious. Slow speech sounds confident anyway.
• Don't cover your mouth. Hands over your face read as nervous, more than braces ever do.
• Keep lip balm on you. Dry lips sticking to brackets makes you self-conscious for no reason.

Style that shifts attention

You can't hide braces, but you can give people's eyes somewhere else to go. That's how to look good with braces.

If you're dealing with braces and glasses at once, check out how to be confident with glasses. They can honestly work together as a whole look.

Braces colors and braces colours ideas

Colored bands (they're called ligatures, and you usually choose at each adjustment) are the fun part. Braces color ideas that tend to look good:

• Clear or silver: lowest-key option
• Dark blue, navy, purple, or dark green: often make teeth look brighter
• Your school or team colors: instant spirit
• Seasonal: orange and black for Halloween, red and green for December
• Alternating two colors: playful without being loud

Some people say lighter shades like white or yellow can make teeth look less white; that's more a style opinion than a rule, so test and see what you like.

What to say when people comment

"Metal mouth." "Brace face." "Did it hurt?" People will say stuff, mostly out of curiosity. Keep it light.

Braces comebacks and easy replies

• "Yep, upgrade in progress."
• "Investing in the future smile."
• "Temporary. Your personality isn't."
• "Yeah, it's a whole construction project."
• "Hurt a bit, fine now." (for genuine questions)

Calm, short and a little funny wins, same as any other comeback. And if people are being properly mean every day, tell an adult. That's not something you fix with the right line.

Knowing what to do is easy. Actually smiling when you'd rather hide, day after day, and noticing when you've gone quiet again is the hard part, especially when nobody's tracking it but you.

Aura does that tracking. The two-minute quiz shows whether your leak is eye contact that slips, a voice that gets lost or shrinking when you walk in, then gives you one small move a day and a one-tap check-in at night. Your streak shows you're actually getting braver. Find my aura leak

The braces glow-up timeline

Every braces journey is different and your orthodontist sets the actual plan. But the confidence side tends to go like this:

• Week 1: Weird, sore, self-conscious. Totally normal.
• Month 1: You stop thinking about them every minute.
• Months 2–6: New colors are fun. Photos stop being scary.
• The middle stretch: Honestly forgettable. Focus on everything else.
• Braces off: After braces smile confidence hits different. Take the "after" photo.

The trick: don't wait until they're off to feel good. The braces vs no braces glow-up is great, but the real glow-up is learning to smile anyway.

Start smiling like you mean it

Take Aura's 16-question quiz in about two minutes. You'll get your aura tier, the leak holding you back and a 14-move plan with one small thing to do, say or wear each day. It works on your phone, you pay once, and you can delete your data whenever.

Find my aura leak

FAQ

How can I look good with braces?

Draw attention to your eyes, hair and outfit, pick braces colors you like, and practice a relaxed smile in your phone camera. Confidence is what people notice most. A smile you own looks better than a hidden one.

What braces colors look best?

Darker shades like navy, purple or dark green are popular because many people think they make teeth look whiter. Clear or silver is the low-key choice. Have fun with seasonal or team colors too.

How do I smile in photos with braces?

Relax your jaw, smile with your eyes and try a slightly open smile instead of a full grin. If you'd rather not show teeth, a soft closed-lip smile or a candid laugh shot works well.

How do I deal with braces comments at school?

Keep your reply short and light, like "Upgrade in progress." Most people are just curious. If it turns into repeated mean comments, tell a parent or teacher.

How long until I feel confident with braces?

For a lot of people it's a few weeks once they stop feeling new. You can speed it up by practicing your smile and speaking up on purpose. Aura gives you one small daily move for exactly that.