Great fun, huh?  Fancy dress parties are always a great excuse. Ive been dared to wear mine at a "back to school" party next year! But it can also be fun to wear it out without the disguise of fancy dress, but I havent had guts, or a friend, to do that for quite a while.

It helps to have a pal or two that knows about your kink, to encourage you to cross those lines.

I really wanna just go somewhere and walk around with it, like it's nothing. I see pictures of people doing that, and it's like they're making it cool.

Maybe if I ever travel somewhere by myself in the near future I'll do it. Probably just cervical as I don't want it to be too much. Posting all this may seem like I'm an exhibitionist, and maybe I am a little bit, but I don't want it to seem so outlandish that it's unlikely to be real....if that makes any sense.

Yes I think Sparky has explained it very well.
When I first got my fake retainers I wore them straight away and although they were not particularly noticeable, I experienced all of those feelings especially when I had to talk to anyone and when I had to eat with them in so as not to attract extra attention. After a time they became quite "normal" but I still had all of those feelings every time I thought about them.
The real challenge / excitement came when I went to France. I slept in the car overnight at the motorway services as I was traveling a long distance.
In the morning I went to the wash rooms which are mainly for truck drivers. I usually take my retainers out just while I clean my teeth. I suddenly realised that I  was going to have to do this infront of all those using the nearby wash basins. I had two choices....and before I had time to really think about it, I took both top and bottom retainers out, put them down on the basin and started to clean my teeth. I felt that all eyes were on me. By this time I had started to gain a little confidence and when i had finished cleaning my teeth I cleaned the retainers with toothpaste, rinsed them off and put them back in.
There are probable those who wear retainers for real who would think nothing of this, but for me that was one of the biggest steps in fakes wearing, and one of the most exciting.

I've found it surprisingly easy to wear my retainer out in front of people (who I don't know). Much easier than headgear. Retainers are pretty common here, but I have never seen someone in headgear in real life. It's not a thing here... 

I would still be nervous if I ran into anyone I knew, but it's only really visible when I smile, and this lisp is pretty minor. That being said, taking it out in front of people would probably have me just as nervous.

I've never had a problem with wearing my retainer in public.  I had braces for 11 years - round three only came off at age 29.  Having worn braces for - at that stage - half my life since I stopped eating crayons, I find wearing a retainer now to be amateur stuff.  When you are used to full train tracks, the simple wire retainer is hardly anything to notice! 

My retainer is very real - and I have to wear the damn thing if I don't wanna get into round four of railway tracks (which, believe it or not, is not an option - no matter how kinky it may sound, entering my middle-age with a mouth full of metal, again, is just not that appealing!).  But just because its real doesn't mean I don't wear it occasionally for "fun and games".   And this is where I've learned just how unobservant people really are.  No one notices a retainer.  Ever.   No matter how self-conscious you may be, no one sees the damn thing!  I once decided to go on one of "those" adventures, and went to a photo shoot wearing my retainer.  (I'm a commercial photographer by trade, I do a lot of fashion and glamour work).

I'm in the studio with a beautiful model and an even more beautiful make-up artist, and I'm retained.  Kinda freaky - or so I thought.  The Make-up artist offered me a snack.  "Sorry, I cannot eat with my retainer in" I say. 
"What retainer?" she asks - and I show her my Hawley. 
Her reaction: "oh, you wear braces, I did not even see that!"
The model:  "What? do you wear braces?"

These are two people I've spent the last few hours in my studio with, giving them direction and talking to them extensively, and neither of them noticed.

This is where I thought headgear would come in...  surely people cannot *not* notice headgear, right?  It's quite literally in your face, visible from all angles.  And mine is not just a mere cervical either, it's a classic 1960's ugly piece of utilitarian interlandi orthodontia. 

I've had a few - like three or four - public appearances with it.  Two of these public appearances was specifically to have a very public headgear adventure! Once I went to a mall (https://www.bracesforum.net/general/my-first-truly-public-headgear-adventure/msg88055/#msg88055) and once with a beautiful friend to a pub for a few drinks.  Both times were scary as hell.

But one thing I've noticed, is how few people noticed.  Sitting in a pub full of people, and there I am, all geared up - literally on display - I was quite surprised by how many stares I did NOT get. 

Once I was on assignment, I was shooting a golf course.  (This is how you make a living, stay in a 4-bedroom serviced house on a luxury golf estate for 2 weeks taking photos! All expenses except booze paid for!)  Getting the best pics are just as the sun comes up, at about 5:00, 5:30 AM.  I decided to screw it, and go shoot the deserted golf course geared up.  All went well until an elderly lady came jogging up the path - and there was no way I could just quickly duck out of sight.  Or take my headgear off without making it obvious.  Then she jogged over to me.  And she asked me what I'm doing, and I told her about the project for the golf course, and we spoke about a bit of photography, before  she jogged off again.  Never even uttered a word, or even seemed to notice - the headgear. 

People are not nearly as observant as we think they are. 

Suggestion:

I wore headgear way back in 1968 and hated it.  The social horror of high scbool, strict parents and headgear.  I find this thread very amusing, I still remember the day I showed up in school with it on.  But that is a story for another day.

My brother in law, ten years younger, also wore headgear.   His ortho, to prevent accidental disengagement and prevent eye injury, used a safety chain.  It was basically a dog collar, that was just long enough so it stretched from arm to arm of the facebow.  First he put on the blue elastic strap and facebow.  Then the chain. He could not pull the facebow out of his mouth without taking off the chain.

Go to a pet store, get the right size chain. On your day off, drive an hour away.  Then take an hour bus/train for another hour.  Go to a shopping mall/festival/sporting event.  Put on the headgear and chain.  Take pliers and close both ends of the facebow shut.  Throw the pliers away.  Odds of meeting someone are all but eliminated and you will not be able to chicken out, at least until you get some more pliers.

Problems solved.  Have fun getting home.

I'm getting more serious about this... If I wore a hat like I did on Halloween, it really wouldn't be that noticable.

https://dereferer.me/?https://dereferer.me/?http://nullrefer.com/?https://dereferer.me/?https://dereferer.me/?http://i59.tinypic.com/331m5wm.jpg

Suggestion:

I wore headgear way back in 1968 and hated it.  The social horror of high scbool, strict parents and headgear.  I find this thread very amusing, I still remember the day I showed up in school with it on.  But that is a story for another day.

My brother in law, ten years younger, also wore headgear.   His ortho, to prevent accidental disengagement and prevent eye injury, used a safety chain.  It was basically a dog collar, that was just long enough so it stretched from arm to arm of the facebow.  First he put on the blue elastic strap and facebow.  Then the chain. He could not pull the facebow out of his mouth without taking off the chain.

Go to a pet store, get the right size chain. On your day off, drive an hour away.  Then take an hour bus/train for another hour.  Go to a shopping mall/festival/sporting event.  Put on the headgear and chain.  Take pliers and close both ends of the facebow shut.  Throw the pliers away.  Odds of meeting someone are all but eliminated and you will not be able to chicken out, at least until you get some more pliers.

Problems solved.  Have fun getting home.

Have you ever tried something like that? It sounds like a thrill!

Pesp - sounds very close to my invention of a "locking" headgear. 

I like your adventures. I wish I had someone who would do stuff like that.