Teens & Fake Braces….What?

When I first came across this trending news about teens wearing fake braces I thought that it had to be a satirical article. After all, my brother had his oh-so-painful braces removed after a day of wearing them and I heard many young friends being called “metal mouth.” Nonetheless the rumors about teens wearing fake braces are true. Apparently some Asian teens are reportedly purchasing fake braces  to wear as a status symbol! This trend is being reported by various news outlets  to be occurring in Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. These kids are spending over $100.00 for the black market braces apparently in an attempt to look cool and teenage.

The most popular designs are Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty. I might think that this trend is sort of cute except that the fake braces have led to deaths. Apparently, the parts can loosen and choke the wearers. In addition, some of these braces are reported to contain lead.

I hope that the parents are becoming aware of the danger of these trends and that selling them becomes illegal. I, for one, will stick to Invisalign.