Free at Last

Today, after 22 months, I got my braces off! My teeth feel so smooth, so straight, and so unconstricted. I thought this day would never come.

Orthodonture as an adult has been a very different experience from having braces when I was 12. The first 10 weeks with the bite plate, when I had to blend and drink all my food, was enough to make me wish I had never embarked on this project to have straight teeth.

I remember complaining to Rachel several months after I had gotten the braces that I really missed kissing. She laughed and said, “Are you crazy? I had braces when I was dating Thomas and it never stopped us from kissing.” So as my mouth got toughened up to all the metal protrusions, I tried kissing again and sure enough, she was right.

The introduction of rubber bands offered a whole new set of challenges. This is when I really started to feel like I was imprisoned by the braces. When I was wearing Lemon-Lime rubber bands, I could barely open my mouth a slit.

But as of today, this is all behind me. It will just be another one of those experiences that I file away, knowing that it will never happen to me again in my lifetime!

Will I wear my retainers? Absolutely, positively! That’s why I can say with certainty that I will never again have braces...