Brave Man in His 30s Shows Love for His Braces
An article in the Independent and Wales Online recently covered a story we found particularly inspiring about Scott Lowe, a 32-year-old window cleaner from Merseyside, who opted for braces over Turkey teeth despite what online trolls had to say.
Scott’s story
“My teeth have always looked terrible.”
Online Content Creator Scott, describing his buck teeth as a “burst piano” and “I could eat an apple through a letterbox”, has always suffered from bad teeth. Still, it’s only now in his 30s that he wants to do something about it, and rather than destroy his teeth with Turkey Teeth, Scott has opted for fixed, metal braces costing him a total of £2,700.
“I get a lot of trolls commenting on them. “Every video I make, there is always someone to mention my braces.” But Scott is a rare individual who doesn’t let the abuse or comments affect him – it doesn’t dissuade him from making videos or smiling in them.”
Scott has worn braces for the last two years and will have them removed in December 2023.
Fighting stigma
Even after facing trolls online, with one commenting, “Braces at your big age, mad,” Scott remains unphased, responding with “I think braces are better than getting ‘Turkey teeth.’ These are my teeth.” And he’s right – read this blog post to see the damage Turkey Teeth can really cause.
“It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. If my videos make people happy, even if it’s making a troll happy, then that makes me happy.”
As a local dentist practice, we know all too well the stigma around braces, and in particular, metal, fixed braces. We’ve personally grown up with insults like “brace face”, and we know that 15 years later, this is still true – but not just for teens, but more so for adults.
“It’s really positive with Scott is doing.” Dr Doshi
Some adults who could not afford orthodontic treatment in their teens have sought out treatment as an adult – but this was only made more popular during COVID when people could do this at home, in private and through the emergence of Invisalign, whose main selling point is that they’re invisible and discreet.
@scottlowesnaps Soundddf #fyp ♬ original sound – Scottlowesnaps
We hope this changes the perspectives of more patients
It’s still rare for an adult to seek out fixed, metal orthodontic treatment, but we feel and hope that Scott’s story inspires more to seek the treatments they need to improve their oral health without the fear of what other people will say and think.
We need more people in this world like Scott, who are fighting the stigma of certain dental treatments that usually put patients off, causing them to seek out alternative methods abroad that damage their existing, natural teeth.
Maybe this is the start of destigmatising certain dental treatments and putting patients on the right path to better their smile and worry less about what people have to say.
If you can relate to Scott’s story and want to look into how you can straighten your smile – take a look here at what our clinic in Hertford has to offer.