I just recently passed the 6 month mark in my 18 month hardware adventure, and I realized how much has changed in my mouth and in ME in the last 6 months. So I thought I’d share with my fellow wired folk…
The beginning of my braces saga was in a word, horrible. I’m not going to try to sugar coat it at all. But I don’t blame the braces entirely for that, I had recently been forced to leave a place I loved because of schooling requirements, and in order to finish up said school I had to stay in a city I am now weary of for at least two years. Being a bit of a nomad, I was not happy about this staying-in-one-place business, but took this time frame as an opportunity to get braced, something I’ve wanted to do for a few years now. So seven extractions later I became a full metal mouth on August 19th, 2009, and was not pleased. I felt incredibly depressed and self conscious, and was having difficulty (to put it lightly) getting used to my new mush-and-liquid diet. I basically just wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear for the next year and a half, and mentally felt like I needed to put my normal life activities ‘on hold’ during this time and just be a miserable, metal-mouthed hermit.
Fast-forward 6 months and I couldn’t be happier that I took this step. No, not just because my wonky bottom teeth are now celebrity-straight, but because I seriously feel like having braces has improved my lifestyle and self-image.
I know a lot of freshly braced folk are gripping their ground up cheeks and wondering how this is possible, so I’ll explain.
First off, I feel healthier than I’ve ever been. Having braces made me so much more conscious of what I was eating. Since eating is no longer a passive activity, and at the beginning a very challenging one, I made sure that whatever I did eat packed a lot of nutrients and energy (whatsup, smoothies). I’ve kept up this habit, and I’m also weary of eating in public too much, so I rarely pick anything up on the go and instead pack myself healthy and brace-friendly food when I know I’ll be out for a while. I’ve saved SO much money this way, and improved my cooking skills! Plus, I feel pretty fantastic.
Now this part is going to sound ironic because I realize that I got braces for mainly aesthetic reasons, but I sincerely feel like they have made me LESS vain and self-conscious. I accept myself with braces now, and I’m fine with the way that I look. Having the strength to do that has helped me to accept other aspects of my appearance that I may have been critical of before. I don’t demand perfection of myself, I’m just me, and I have braces. No big deal.
Finally, what we have all worried about – other people’s reactions. In the last 6 months I have experienced absolutely no bracism, people simply don’t care. I thought I had to lock myself up from the world for 18 months and not interact with anyone, but I’ve met a great guy, made new friends, and even been elected as the president of a campus organization with over 1500 members. I’ve learned that life is what happens while you’re worrying about what people think of your braces. Don’t miss out on it.
Obviously it’s not all peaches and cream, and I’m going to be honest in saying that I’ve had it fairly easy and have had willing and cooperative teeth, but for those of you who having just recently taken the plunge or are thinking about it, I just want to let you know that like anything else in life it is an experience that can bring some very unexpected positive outcomes. Just make sure you are open to them.
Thanks for reading my super long post and keep smiling!!
P.S. Love this website, AW and everyone that makes up the community has helped me so much over the last 6 months. THANK YOU!!
