I was a latecomer to the braces scene. We were still living in Germany during those awkward adolescent years when most kids get braces and since my parents didn't really trust the military dentists for anything other than routine procedures, I didn't get my braces on until I was a 14 year old freshman in high school.
The ages between 13 to 15 were hands down the most awkward years of my life and braces only made things worse! I was about 90 pounds, oily, though thankfully not too riddled with pubescent acne and still trying to find my footing in high school. No wonder I didn't have a boyfriend until my senior year! I do have a point here: I suffered through 2½ years of braces and oh my lord, was it worth it because my smile was fucking gorgeous when the metal came off.
Here's where I have to hold back the tears. I had my problem tooth removed a few weeks ago. It was an awful ordeal, one which I hope I never have to endure again. The dentist even joked to me, "You must have really wanted to keep that tooth because it gave us a lot of trouble getting it out!" Uh, yeah, seeing as how it took over an hour (of pain, horrible pain) to remove, yes, I suppose my mouth was quite partial to that tooth!
My mouth has been slowly recovering since the extraction. All my stitches are out and I'm not feeling any pain whatsoever. That's all well and good, however, it seems as if that one tooth was holding my entire top row of teeth straight! I noticed last week that I am beginning to get a gap in between my two front teeth! I started freaking out and told Jon that it had to be fixed, and we ended up having a stupid fight over it because he implied that I'm vain, but hell, I did not wear braces for 2½ years to have them shift right back to where they were when I was 13! I enjoy my smile and will do whatever it takes to keep it pretty even if that means shelling out more money to our dentist. I still faithfully wear my bottom retainers every night, but I haven't worn my top retainers in several years because those teeth never seemed to move.
Well, last night, Jon had the pleasure of falling asleep to a wife with a mouth full of retainers. How utterly sexy! Before giving my dentist a call to cry about my shifting teeth, I decided to give my old top retainers a try first. I popped them in but they didn't fit so well because a) the one side of the retainer is supposed to attach to the tooth that was removed and b) GAH-my teeth have shifted so it's a tight fit!! I wore them anyway and was pleasantly surprised when I awoke this morning to see that the tiny gap between my front teeth has closed up again. Unfortunately, my teeth are ACHING today, but I don't give a crap as long as my teeth look pretty!
Is it really that vain to want a pretty smile? I don't think so! Jon will have to get used to me and my retainers, at least until I get my tooth implant!
