I'm glad to hear your fears were alleviated a bit by talking with that woman. I LOVE talking about my braces! (Much to the dismay of my family and friends, who couldn't give a darn.) I've had many a cashier at the supermarket ask me about them, and tell me about their kids who need braces... who still suck their thumbs... etc.
I'm telling you - the ceramics ARE very discreet, especially if you wear clear or tooth-colored ligatures (if you need ligs). When I switched out my metals to ceramic, people thought I'd removed my braces completely. Then they thought I was wearing retainers. I love them!
I wouldn't say I have a dental "phobia" right now, but I surely hate going in for cleanings because I know how uncomfortable they're going to be. I lay there all tensed up for 45 minutes, and leave with a headache afterward. I always schedule cleanings for the afternoon so I can take off from work and go straight home. I would MUCH rather visit the orthodontist. I schedule ortho appointments first thing in the morning, and then go to work afterward.
You'll be fine! The nasty stuff kennyandrews85 mentioned is the etching solution they put on your teeth prior to putting on the glue. Yeah... it's a sour citrus-y taste. But they do rinse it out fairly quickly. I accidentally swallowed some. Not pleasant.
Good luck! And don't worry about posting pics of your teeth - we've ALL been there. Funny how I don't like to take pics, but had no problems posting my crooked, yellow, braced teeth.
I was so surprised by how good and discrete they look!