So after months of weighing the pros and cons, I had braces installed yesterday morning. And I don’t use the word install lightly. I was by no means looking forward to wearing braces for twelve months – especially at the ripe age of 29, so I dreaded that aspect of the ordeal, and I knew my low tolerance for pain would have me wringing my fingers during the entire two hour installation. But what I hadn’t considered was how dreadfully uncomfortable they would feel once adhered.
After rising from the dentist chair and looking into the handheld mirror that was shoved before me by the hygienist, I was met with nothing short of a downright scary reflection starring back at me. My lips were swollen and to my absolute horror, I looked like a 15 year old. One would think I would be pleased to appear younger than my years, but when a freshman approaches you in the bookstore on the first day of class and asks what dorm you live in, or when a door-to-door window cleaning salesman comes ringing your bell and asking “Are your mom and dad home?” (true stories) you don’t want to add braces to the equation. There is no way one can appear professional, attractive, or anything other than adolescent while sporting a set.
Once the initial shock wore off, the pain set in. I quickly learned that every teen I had talked to about their braces had boldly lied to my face “Oh, it doesn’t hurt that much” and “You’ll get used to them within hours” rang through my ears as I huddled against the arm of my couch gnawing bite full through throbbing bite full of soggy cereal. Within a matter of seconds I had gone from looking like a 15 year old to looking a 15 month old as I slurped up each bite, dribbling milk down my chin and stopping at intervals to remind myself how to maneuver the substance across my tongue and down my throat.
Brace Face
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