Confidence beats braces

I feel really self-conscious about my teeth. I have no success with guys because of them. It makes me feel bad about myself when I read everywhere that the first thing a guy notices is a girl's smile. Any suggestions? —Roxy, 14, Syracuse, N.Y.

Roxy, with a name that fabulous, you're not allowed to be anything other than super-confident! Let's start working on that. Listen, we can sit here and talk about all the options available at your local orthodontist. But that would be the easy answer, and trust me when I tell you you'd just find something new to blame your boyfriend-famine on.

I wanted braces throughout high school too, but we couldn't afford them. Then when I was a fashion editor, the magazine I worked for asked me if I wanted to go to this hotshot celebrity cosmetic dentist to have my teeth done for a makeover story. As you can imagine, I jumped at the chance.

When I told my closest guy friend, (who is a former model and a fashion photographer) though, he got so mad at me. He told me that he loved my teeth — they were what made me different. He pointed to all these cool women, like Kate Moss and Madonna, who also have not-so-perfect teeth. It was hard to believe him, especially since I'd hated my teeth for so many years. But intuitively his comment must have sunk in, because on the day of my big appointment, I totally bagged out! It's funny: If you ask my husband (cute Ari!) what his favorite thing about my face is, he'd definitely tell you it's my teeth. He thinks they're cute because they don't look like everyone else's. And I guess I must agree since I've still chosen not to fix them!

My point? It's not your teeth that are getting in the way. It's your lack of self-confidence. Before you go ahead and change a part of you that God made special, think about what else you can do to feel proud of yourself. Whether it involves taking up a new activity or sport, being confident is (as cheesy as it sounds!) a surefire guy magnet. And P.S.: You're right — guys do love smiles. They love the kind of girl who is fun and has a great attitude about things. They're not perfect-teeth fanatics! Take it from a fellow snaggletooth with a really cute husband!

I'm involved with a married man. He's only two years older than I am, but he has a daughter and has been married since April of this year. He means the world to me and vice versa. How do I deal with the situation? —Mary, 17, Detroit

This situation has zero chance of having a good outcome: No matter what, someone will get hurt, and both you and this guy will look disgusting. Get out now. This man was just married (ahem, a sacred commitment!) and has a child, yet is hooking up with you?