Happy New Year DP devotees! And what better way to kick off the new year than by making an announcement? How about a declaration of improvement in the spirit of resolutions and making goals for 2013. Yours truly has bitten the bullet and has gotten braces once again.
I know, not the major announcement you were looking forward to.
However, after years of my teeth taking it upon themselves to head in any direction it pleases, completely disregarding the two years of prior treatment I had as a teenager to put them where they were, I made an appointment with an orthodontist, and boom, here I am kicking off the new year going through this process again.
I've said it many times, braces were the the worst pain I ever felt in my life. Worse than broken bones, torn ligaments, sprains, and even knee pain. Nothing will ever compare to that pain of having metal braces placed on your teeth for the first time. The sensitivity. The headaches. The uncomfortableness. The inconvenience. And yes, the insecurity of your appearance.
So yes, as a sixteen year old teenager, these were all things I had to deal with. However, as a twenty-seven year old man, the thought of braces not only brought flashes of all of those things, but the sheer weirdness of being an adult with braces.
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| Invisalign, saving adults with crooked teeth worldwide |
However, lo and behold, for those of you in this position, I've learned in my consultation appointment how much braces have improved over the years. And believe me, I fired dozens of questions at my doctor. Part of me was relieved, and part of me was furious at many of the improvements in orthodontics. Is there anything kids today have to suffer through?
Nonetheless, as the new year hits, I have already been wearing Invisalign trays for two weeks. While clear, and barely noticeable, if at all, the lifestyle is already one that I am adjusting too having to remove the trays every time I eat, and being forced to pay more attention to the overall hygiene of my teeth. Not that I didn't before, but I'm at the point now where I brush my teeth after snacking.
As we all make changes to better ourselves, this is oddly one that I've made to improve myself. A change that will continue through 2013 and half of 2014. A change in which I will be twenty-nine when completed.
Scary. Very scary.
Nonetheless, so goes the process of life, and the cycle that it brings.
Round two with braces. Let's go.