Ceramic braces and OCI? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I had originally planned to have them out beforehand. Unfortunately, that may well not happen. Will this be a problem? If so, should I get them temporarily removed?

yeah, everyone's going to come on here yakking about invisalign. My teeth were too screwed up. I NEEDED to do it the old-fashioned way with rubber bands and all. I figured it was better to do it prior to/during law school, rather than as an associate.

For those who don't know, ceramic braces are white (sometimes they turn yellow, but I keep mine white); they go on the outside of the teeth. However, they are visible at fairly close range, and the metal wires are very visible. The worst thing would be lunch interviews, or drinking coffee (it turns them yellow).

Edit: A second, compromise solution would be to get them removed for OCI Session II in October if Session I goes south. I did a bunch of mock interviews last year, and my CSO says I am "one of the better interviewers" they have seen. Since my grades are deep
into my school's NLJ 250 numbers, then, if I don't get at least some callbacks, then I'll know it might be the braces.

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[Anonymous User]

So the consensus seems to be "absolutely"? If so, how should I convince my orthodontist to do it? I really doubt he would. He is quite clueless about the legal profession, from what I gather. I did say originally I would need them out by OCI when I got them 18 months ago.

Would a letter from the CSO explaining how the legal profession works be a good route to take?

[koalatriste]

So the consensus seems to be "absolutely"? If so, how should I convince my orthodontist to do it? I really doubt he would. Would a letter from the CSO explaining how the legal profession works be a good route to take?

i think you're going to have a lot larger problems than your braces if this thread evinces your level of social acumen.

[Anonymous User]

So the consensus seems to be "absolutely"? If so, how should I convince my orthodontist to do it? I really doubt he would. Would a letter from the CSO explaining how the legal profession works be a good route to take?

i think you're going to have a lot larger problems than your braces if this thread evinces your level of social acumen.

huh? Doesn't exactly make sense. I already talked hypothetically to my orthodontist 18 months ago about possibly needing to get them off for OCI, and he said "we wouldn't do that." Thus, my options are 1) get a letter or 2) find someone else to take them out.

You're the one with issues if you think the internet = anything social. Either say something constructive or GTFO.

[Lawst]

I had originally planned to have them out beforehand. Unfortunately, that may well not happen. Will this be a problem? If so, should I get them temporarily removed?

yeah, everyone's going to come on here yakking about invisalign. My teeth were too screwed up. I NEEDED to do it the old-fashioned way with rubber bands and all. I figured it was better to do it prior to/during law school, rather than as an associate.

For those who don't know, ceramic braces are white (sometimes they turn yellow, but I keep mine white); they go on the outside of the teeth. However, they are visible at fairly close range, and the metal wires are very visible. The worst thing would be lunch interviews, or drinking coffee (it turns them yellow).

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Gah! I was not prepared for the giant teeth.

[vegeta]

Don't think too much about it; you'll only stress yourself out. Focus on your job, your grades, and bidding well.

[cinephile]

Maybe I'm crazy or out of touch with the legal world, but I think your health should come first. Doesn't seem like taking them off and putting them back on would be in your best interest, orthodontically. Also, you never know what will happen when they come off. My sister had those and either the bonding gunk or the way they removed it took the enamel off her teeth and now there's a permanent weird stain where the brace used to be on each tooth. So ... yeah.

Just watch what you eat/drink and be confident about it. Don't try to hide it or bring it up as an obstacle you're overcoming, just ignore it and sell yourself.

[KMaine]

This is stupid. Nobody will care. Thousands of ugly people are hired every year.

[PinkCow]

This is one of the better posts I've seen this year. And thank you for adding a picture so we know what braces look like.

Short answer: If you get shut out, it will not be because of your braces.

[keg411]

Maybe I just remember the awfulness of braces (I had them for over 6 years and I still need to go back and get invisilign in the near future), but I sympathize with you, OP.

Why not ask to get the wires out for OCI as a compromise? I had ceramic braces back when I had my bat mitzvah and I had the wires taken out and they're not even visible in the pictures (although that could be airbrushing ).

[Pokemon]

This is just stupid. So firms that hire people from all the spectrum of looks, will not accept someone with braces because they will not like their smile even though they know that braces are a temporary fixture that actually improves smiles?
Just be confident OP. The only way that braces might affect your OCI is if they lower your self esteem/increase insecurity to such an extent that you sound weird. But no one will be we cannot hire this guy, cause it is not professional to have braces.

[nygrrrl]

Personally, I think this is a non-issue.
I agree with Keg's suggestion of having your ortho remove the wire if you think that will make you feel more confident (it's fairly simple), but if I think it might look odd, up close. But removing the braces is really hard on your teeth and I think it would be a poor choice (also? It can leave marks where the brackets were; those take a while to wear away.)