Question:
Answer:
The desire to look our best is not necessarily vanity. Otherwise combing our hair, shaving, selecting the type of frames on our glasses would all be sinful but they are not. None of those things are essential to our health but are considered part of normal healthy self-esteem.
Whether getting braces to fix a gap in your teeth is vanity or not is a question of inner self reflection. Is this something that simply annoys you or is your self-esteem affected by it?
If it is a minor annoyance and getting braces for it won’t seriously affect your finances then I would consider it a matter of personal preference.
If, however, this affects your self-esteem and you are going to great financial lengths to make this happen then I would recommend first addressing the issue of self-esteem before embarking on this procedure. Your worth comes from within. Our character, how we treat others, acting with love, etc. should form the foundation of our self-worth. If we cannot be satisfied with these things then no amount of exterior work is going to satisfy us, we will simply move on to another perceived imperfection to obsess about.