I had removable ones at around age 10, and fixed ones between 15 and 17.
I remembered someone telling me where they had fixed braces, and showed me the scar it left on their front tooth. I got so paranoid about it that when I got braces, I took half an hour each time to clean my teeth. It's not easy. You have to brush above and below the braces, and use one of those thin brushes to go inbetween each bracket. You also have to keep sticking wax on the sharp bits. I bought tons of wax. Despite having wax, the sharp bits all rub against your cheeks and when you eat, the wax comes off. Then you have to go into the toilets to use a toothpick to pick out all the food that gets stuck between the metal, and apply more wax.
I remember every time they tightened the braces, it was painful. I couldn't eat solids. They sorted out my teeth though.
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I've left WP.