Teeth, braces, and the English Language or variations thereof.

[June Ewing]

> Geoff:
> I had friends at school who wore braces or starting wearing glasses
but you didn't make a point of talking extensively about this. These
> are not unique occurrences.

> Lynda:
> Glasses and braces were always talked about in my schools when I
was a kid. Both by those of us who wore them and others. That's why
the lack of such conversation makes me think she hadn't started with
them yet. It's not unique, but glasses and braces are so common but
usually mentioned. We all know Harry wears glasses, for instance,
although they're common among students, surely. And that Ron has red
hair and is freckled. We know that Hermione has thick unmanageable
hair, etc. It just seems that braces would be in the same category.
> But that's just my friends and I.


June:
I agree that had Hermione had braces from the very beginning they
probably would have been part of her description, however as she
was only 11 in the first book it is not likely that she had braces
yet. In fact that scene when she tells Harry and Ron that her
parents wanted her to continue with her brace was likely there to
tell you that her parents were in fact doing something about her
teeth so it is incorrect to say that they were kept from us. As for
talking about them all the time, sorry to tell you but I had braces
all through high school and I had friends who had glasses but we had
much better things to do than to talk about them. Anyone who has
braces would rather pretend they don't exsist. They are painful and
draw attention that you do not want so no, they are not something
that comes up as a topic in conversation.