Expert: Aaron Shifferly - 3/30/2009

Question
hello, i wanted to ask you if the Army accepts a person who wears braces. you see, im 17 years old. im a junior in high school and i want to enlist in the split option program for the summer since its already gonna be the end of the school year. will the Army reject me if i have braces? because i have an appointment about every month to the orthodontist and i fear it will get in the way of Basic Training

Answer
Gabriel:
I'm not completely sure.  I know the Army will give people braces, but usually on the condition that they not deploy for a while.  In your case, I would bet as long as you can have your braces adjusted before you go off to basic training and require no maintenance during your basic training they wouldn't mind so much.  I do know the Army doesn't like to mess with medical/orthodontic treatments that already exist unless they have to.  Your best bet would be to talk to a recruiter and they'll be able to tell you for sure.  Good luck with your quest to enlist and let me know if I can be of further help.

Aaron