I've never had braces,and I don't think I need them.I'm VERY happy about that.Pretty much all my friends have either had them or have them,and some say they really hurt and suck badly,and others say they hurt but they're not that bad..I thought a few years ago I was going to need them,because my teeth were very crooked and I had a lot of gaps on my top row.Throughout the last two years or so,they've really pushed together.I've had some dental work done though,including 2 pulled baby teeth,and I had a veneer put over one of my top teeth last summer because It was a "Peg Tooth",meaning it was really small and was basically a stick tooth.I was really self-consious about it,and my dentist originally wanted me to wait until my senior year of high school to get it fixed.I explained to her I didn't like it,and she let me get it done at only 13 years old.I had to have to clay molds done that you have to get done for retainers though.Gross!I hated that part.Plus when she put the tooth in for the first time,I had a hard time eating and it really hurt for a few days because it pushed my teeth around.But in the end,totally worth it.
Good luck to anyone who has to get braces though! I feel for you.