I grew up with a severe open bite, making it so that I could not eat things like an apple, a slice of pizza, or a cupcake. My bite simply didn't close enough to bite into things like that and tear bites off. I also had a crossbite, crooked teeth, and really low self esteem. When I was a child, I hated pizza parties because I wanted to eat a slice like everyone else but had to tear it apart with my fingers, as if I was a baby playing with my food. (unless plasticware was present but usually isn't for such events) As an adult with my first "real" job, I found myself avoiding eating lunch with my coworkers-for 5 years I ate alone. Not only did I not want to deal with situations like us having pizza, but I knew food was get awkwardly stuck in my crooked teeth and I had so many foods that required a fork. (cupcakes, sandwiches, etc.) At the age of 28, I finally had a job with insurance but was now told I was too old for insurance to cover braces. At 29, I paid over $5000.00 for braces.

Your teeth originally weren't as bad as you think. You look wonderful now, but you could have smiled all those years and many people would have never noticed. I understand though. I had all my teeth crowned and my total dentist bill is over 25k

But where do you draw the line? What if someone comes in and says their teeth need to be whiter so they won't feel so depressed? Will it cover vanity procedures such as this? And I was expecting his teeth to be MUCH worse in the before pic than they were. I thought there would be rotting and/or missing teeth. Now that, I agree, should be covered for health reasons if nothing more. Bad teeth can lead to heart disease. But if you're just looking to have them straightened or whitened, then no, that should not be free. And if you're that mentally messed up from crooked teeth, then you need a therapist because there's more going on there than just crooked teeth.

I wish Medicare covered dental. I waited until I was 39 to get my 2 wisdom teeth pulled because I'm on disability and can't afford it. The pain and problems made the decision for my husband and I to pay the $900 on credit card payments. I have a lot of medical work that needs to be done with my teeth. It's sad they don't think of teeth as health care.

I feel lucky reading this, over here this would have been sorted when he was a child or teenager at the latest.

Dental, vision, and hearing is rarely covered in most health care plans, yet we require those items to function on almost any job!

I spent years since elementary school with two broken teeth ... as they kept rotting, I was never able to get my finances up to fix them ... it wasn't until 2014 that I was finally able to do so with the help of a client (dental surgeon I did IT work for) ... now, instead of just smiling, I smile widely ... they're a bit uneven, but at least there's not spaces that I will feel ashamed of showing ... after hearing remarks like "do you gargle with acid," it takes its toll ...

I couldn't afford braces until I was 31. I had partial coverage which helped, and paid the remaining $2k out of pocket. After living with a cross bite for my entire life, and seeing it get worse and worse, I knew I had to do something. It changed my life! It gave me confidence and I don't feel held back by my appearance. It's really not just cosmetic.

My parents couldn't afford braces for me when I was growing up. My first job out of high school I took mainly because they had dental insurance. I paid for my own braces and even had them on when I got married. I agree with you that dental insurance should be better and should cover orthodontics as well.

Sorry homie, but dental care is not mental care. I mean it get what you're saying, but should I get hair transplants for free because I'm really embarrassed that I'm losing my hair? How far do we take it?

I live in Canada, the dental cost is ludicrous, I have no coverage, a few years ago I had an unexpected toothache, it was a cracked wisdom tooth, on a weekend of course, to find help from excruciating pain, to pull the tooth because of the weekend, it took one apt, for a temporary fix, then Monday different clinic, total cost, several hundred dollars !!!

If your bite is messed up, you can lose teeth, erode them, it can give you headaches, cause poor nutrition, teeth are far more than cosmetic. It will limit you socially, professionally, you will automatically be assumed to be poor, or from poor people (and all the classism that goes with it). A few crooked teeth are one thing, but a decent bite and straight teeth mean a lot. I have an overbite, overjet, my bottom teeth are eroding the back of my top teeth. My top teeth are pulling my lip and gums away from my bottom teeth. My teeth don't close properly, which means chewing is both painful and disgustingly noisy. So please, before you get all high and mighty about how this is unnecessary, think it through and maybe have some compassion. The only thing that could help my teeth is 6k in bracing and 10k in surgery, I will never have that money.

He thinks his teeth are bad? I would love to have his teeth. I really know what it's like to never smile in pictures, I am uncomfortable just talking to a person, if I could hold my hand over my mouth when I spoke I with out looking crazy I would l d do it all the time. It is an awful thing to deal with, its humiliating and you lose almost all self confidence. I never talk about it with anyone ever because it's so embarrassing and mainly because talking about it brings attention to it. It's so expensive to fix them, it's become like some fantastic untouchable thing that I dream or fantasize about. It is just awful.

The girls in my family got the dental work and braces, the boys got nothing.

I'm glad for Jon. Being able to express himself without being guarded against revealing his teeth OR wondering if people were judging him because of ugly teeth, will be liberating. Just a reminder that countries with universal health care INCLUDE dental and vision.

Besides all the reasons most people know for orthodontia and correction of dental problems, people should be aware that dental issues can lead to cardiac and cognitive problems. And shame on the US "medical" system, that makes people buy vision and dental policies separate from their "health" insurance. Most people I've met in my 73 years are like me -- their mouths and eyes are part of their bodies. Kudos to you, Jon (you are gorgeous!), for taking care of your health and sharing your story. There are a lot of us that, like Jon, didn't get proper dental care as kids. It's never too late!

Def know how he feels. I have a fang and literally cannot smile anymore. Decades of closed lip smiles has left me unable to form a teeth showing smile. Not sure if the muscles just don't know what to do...*shrug. Tried the whole pencil in mouth thing...doesn't work.

I grew up with severe teeth problems. It was misaligned, frail and discolored (yellow, and permanent), due to antibiotics medication I took when I was a toddle. Spent all teenage until college life with low self-esteem but not caring about it. Then when I was 26, got a brace for 1 year, then a permanent crown for all the teeth except 6 teeth (the 4 lower incisors and 2 canines) just to remind me how important dental care is.

I agree that teeth can make or break a person's feelings of self worth. My adult son is a handsome young man, but he is now missing his front tooth (in his teens he was in a bike accident & the dentist he seen was worthless so the dental work never lasted). He is so self conscious about his teeth & will shy away when approached by a female because hes afraid of what they think. Ive tried to set up appointment for him & even offered to pay half the costs but he says he can't afford the $3000+ (total the estimate would be close to $8-10k). I worry because my family has herditary dental issues. I hope he understands how important teeth is & let's me help him soon. I know it would give him his confidence back.

I understand why some ppl go for cosmetic procedures but at the end of the day his teeth were fine and it's a shame he had low self esteem. No one should feel shame over their own body. All that money spent when he could have had counselling and learned to love himself instead. Its a shame such procedures are becoming the norm.

2 weeks ago my dentist told me I need braces, the cheaper alternative being removal of the tooth and 2 others would fall out as a result. I chose the latter. 2 days ago my vet told me I need to spend approx $2000 on my dogs teeth which I HAVE to do. The f*****g irony....!

People ortodoncy it is about better looks, but it is really about regaining your confidance.

So he thinks someone like me that proudly works three jobs and pays my way in life, needs to work harder so I can pay more taxes to have HIS teeth fixed. What an idiot he is. He is young and very capable of working to pay his own way, but instead becomes a "political organizer" so he can get me to pay for it by stealing from me!!! Get off of your lazy bottom and get a second job and pay for it yourself! I had bad teeth for a good many years of my life and when I grew up, I worked another job so I could pay to have them fixed.

Clearly he’s never been to England.