My #Braceface Anniversary

I never thought I would be an adult with braces and yet here I am - a 33-year-old with braces.

I never had braces as a kid. Like many others before me, I participated in the ridiculous trend of foil braces, but never the real thing. After all, my teeth weren't horribly crooked and I never remember feeling like I had to hide my smile.

Then I had my wisdom teeth removed.

Now I know orthodontists and dentists will tell you that having your wisdom teeth removed doesn't affect your other teeth, but I swear that's what happened to me. I had a gap form between two teeth that had never been there before and an eye tooth started to turn outward where it hadn't before. It seems so vain, but every time I took a picture or looked in a mirror, that one crooked tooth on the top mocked me. It's all I saw. I hated it.

I must have shared my disgust with this tooth with Justin one too many times because one day he told me, you've got a consultation with an orthodontist. And so we went, he and I. They took a 360 x-ray and the orthodontist took a look at my teeth.

Eighteen to 20 months he told me. It sounded like a prison sentence... and I guess in a way it is a prison sentence for teeth :) #behindmetalbars LOL

I left not wanting to believe that I was actually gong to do it. It seemed silly and vain and of course there's the cost, but deep down I knew I'd be back.

And back I went...exactly one year ago today. I remember the first few days after getting them on. I went from excited to angry and in tears to happy again. Just ask Justin, I was in such a bad mood one day he finally told me to go have them taken off! I think I'd had them for maybe three days at that point LOL

So now that I am an experienced braces wearer, I'll share with you a few fun reflections about my braces experience thus far:

• Flossing my teeth has always sucked. Flossing my teeth with braces is worse. It takes forever!
• People look at you funny when you brush your teeth at work
• I'm never without a disposable toothbrush
• Eating in public and in front of my co-workers is incredibly stressful. I feel like I constantly have to cover my mouth at all times.
• Rubber bands. Enough said.
• Dental wax...I may have swallowed my fair share :)
• When you're an adult with braces, you start taking note of all the other adults with braces that you see...and there are a lot more than I realized.
• The entire staff at Baxter Orthodontics in Gardner is incredibly nice!

I'm so looking forward to the day I get these bad boys off. Only about 6 more months to go!! Wish me luck!

Alicia