Most American teenagers can't wait to get rid of their "mental mouth" nickname . They count down the days they can finally take their braces  off. However, trendy teenagers in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand can't wait to get them on, even if they don't need them. Braces are the latest teenage fashion trend in Southeast Asia. Having a mouthful of metal has become so popular with Asian teens that there have been reports of many teens wearing fake  braces. Many Asian beauty shops are now offering to put in cheap fake braces. There are even cheaper do-it-yourself braces such as " Hello Kitty," Mickey Mouse" or others for a price of around $100. Braces are considered a sign of wealth in Southeast Asia. A real set of braces in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, for example, will cost around $ 1,200, which is a large amount for the country with a GDP of $345 billion ( a billion is 1,000 million), compared to the US which had a GDP of $1,506 Trillion ( a Trillion is 1,000 billion) last year. While Asian teens may think that their colorful fake braces are cool, experts say that these trendy fashion braces can cause illness and can even lead to death. According to the New York Daily News, fake fashion braces have already been linked to the deaths of two teens in Thailand.A 17-year-old in the northeast city of Khon Kaen died from heart failure caused by a thyroid infection  from a pair of fake fashion braces. Police also linked the death of another 14-year-old girl in Chonburi to a pair of fashion braces she had brought from an illegal shop. Although the government is giving warnings about fake braces, the trend has been going strong for at least four years. What's worse, the trend for fake braces shows no sign of slowing down. Teens in Southeast Asia wear fake braces mainly to   _  .
follow fashion protect their teeth show their DIY ability Prove their social position