Braces: Beauty is Pain

I began my obsession with the want for braces somewhere around the third or fourth grade. Teeth have always intrigued me though; my father is a dentist. I thought braces were so cool. Who wouldn't want to have metal dots with bright colored stretchies all over their teeth? The admiration I had for braces turned into an admiration for other orthodontic appliances. Do not worry; I didn't go dumpster diving for retainers that irresponsible children threw away at lunch. Orthodontics just interested me. When I would chew gum, I folded it around my top front teeth, to see how a retainer would look on me. This may seem off-topic, but my sister and I used to take Tae Kwon Do. I was actually quite good, and got first place in a pattern competition once. One thing I did not compete in was sparring (probably because I never tried it), but my little sister did. When my dad made her a mouth guard, boy was I jealous.

In the fifth grade, I started having orthodontic appointments. I was going to get braces!!! It took two whole years for those braces to finally be adhered to my teeth. Within those two years, my excitement to have metal tracks across my smile slowly went down hill. The day I got my braces on, the excitement returned. I was able to choose the purple bands and everything. I was ecstatic, until the Motrin wore off. I had a pounding headache from all of the pressure on my teeth, the metal was cutting into my tongue and cheeks,and my teeth were so sore, that I could barely eat applesauce.

Eventually, I became used to the pain. Each time I had an appointment, I knew to have the Motrin ready. After a while, it really wasn't that bad. I learned quite a bit, actually. Since my dad is a dentist, I know basic dental lingo, so I could talk with the orthodontist in "their language".

Ask anyone, my teeth were never really crooked. The reason I needed braces was that I swallowed in a way that pushed out my front teeth, and since I am the daughter of a dentist my teeth had to be perfect. Now the long journey of braces is almost over. Those little metal squares have been glued to me for two and a half years. They were scheduled to be in the garbage by May, but my teeth were not quite perfect. That probably occurred because I chewed gum, ate apples and caramel and nuts, and didn't always wear my elastics. Though I may have strayed from the plan a little, I have still succeeded. My back braces were removed today. It shouldn't be too long before the others are gone forever.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I would love to be an orthodontist. No, not to inflict pain on others in vengeance, but because I love science and braces still intrigue me.