International Beauty Report: Thai Fashion Braces

I read some rather disturbing news the other day about a beauty trend in Thailand. Apparently, young girls there think it is really trendy to have braces, because you can mix and match the color of the bands on them. The problem is that orthodontics in Thailand, like in most other countries, are really expensive. A sort of black market has developed, selling dangerous knockoff braces to the young trendsetters.

A Thai pop singer named Earn The Star wears braces, which seems to have added to the problem. Although it might seem trivial, braces that are not applied by a professional can lead to some serious problems, like infection or even damage from swallowing loose pieces. There have already been two deaths of teenage girls linked to braces that were purchased and affixed by unlicensed dentists.

This is a pretty shocking story, and from an American perspective it seems crazy that anyone would want braces in the first place, since the association here tends to be “geeky” and not “cute” (although I will admit that I enjoyed picking out band colors each month!). It does make me sad though, because it just goes to show how much we take our ability to afford braces for granted. The knockoff braces in Thailand are sold for under $50, whereas a real set costs well over $1,000.

I think this is one of those cases where the beauty is not worth the pain.