I thought it was time to start my story. Some of you will have seen (long) posts from me already. I would just like to say that without the support and advice I received from members of this site, this would not be happening. So THANK YOU ALL
For anybody who does not know my pre-story, I am 22, have avoided the dentist since I was a child because of uncontrollable dental fear and only returned to the dentist last year when things got so bad that I needed a root canal. Up to that point, I felt ashamed of my teeth every single day. I did not look after them. I did not think there could EVER be a solution - I really thought they were that bad. I completely neglected them apart from brushing.I know I am still young, but I have learned that it is never too late. I went to 4 consultations after a lot of help and encouragement from members here. I was recommended for jaw surgery by one orthodontist to close an open bite I did not know I had (..and still cannot notice). This was just too much for me and I was so worried for a week after that I constantly felt sick and lost my appetite (SO not like me)! This was just too much to handle with my dental fear and I eventually chose not to go through with surgery and chose the fourth orthodontist I visited. I weighed up all the pros and cons (with help from everybody here of course), and feel I have made the right decision as open bites are often corrected without surgery, and the open bite was not even a concern to me when I first visited the orthodontist.
I have gone through the process of xrays and impressions, have had my teeth professionally cleaned and I can now say that I am FINALLY getting braced next week! Monday 13th October. I will get ceramics on top at this appointment, and will have metal placed on the bottom at a later date. My main issue is severe crowding (which is so bad that I was fully convinced it could never be fixed - what a horrible thought to be living with in silence through all my teenage years). It took me a while to believe my orthodontist when she confidently told me that my teeth in fact COULD be straightened. I will once again emphasise the fact that I have not seen ANY pictures on this website of teeth that look worse than mine. However, I was surprised to hear that crowding is actually one of the easiest things to fix even though having crooked, overlapping, pushed back teeth, and even teeth which have emerged through the gums have destroyed any chance of a normal smile for me up to now. Especially when these teeth are your top teeth. I also have a crossbite and slight open bite, with crowding on the bottom too. I will have two upper premolars extracted after having my braces fitted.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING. I don't even know what to ask you all, but I am starting to feel nervous so felt the need to share this
My healthy diet is non-existent at the moment. I ate pizza last night, and I am eating nachos right now as I know that this will not last for long 
I will miss eating normally but I am so excited (yet nervous) to begin!Four things I would like people to take from my story so far:
* NEVER feel it is too late or your teeth are too bad to be fixed. You have the right to be confident and happy, and having a smile you are not ashamed of is such a big part of that.
* Do not feel ashamed if you have neglected your teeth for a long time. You cannot control what has happened. What you can do is take action when you feel ready. Your time really will come. I never thought I would actually decide to go through with this, with it fully being my decision. That made things SO much easier and once my dentist (after my teeth having experienced so many years of neglect) had seen my teeth and had not reacted negatively, the feeling of shame lessened and gave me a tiny bit of confidence to start CONSIDERING orthodontic treatment (which took another year). This fear lessened once I began to trust this dentist, and once again when I finally went for consultations and NOT EVEN ONE orthodontist told me that my teeth couldn't be fully fixed. For the first time EVER, I was not nervous going in for impressions and xrays, and did not even feel embarrassed to open my mouth for my orthodontist. What a long way I have come, I feel like I have achieved the impossible. Regarding neglect, I did not floss for years and usually only brushed once a day once I lost hope of ever having a normal smile. However, the hygienest told me that my teeth were kept very clean and to keep doing whatever I was doing! So it may not always be as bad as you think. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised and it was another much needed confidence boost
I will now begin to properly look after my teeth and appreciate what I still have and realise it can only get better from here!* Do not let fears influence your decisions. Realise that they are fears and try to think if you would react differently if you did not have these feelings. That really forced me to take EVERYTHING into consideration when making a decision, and to really weigh up the pros and cons. Otherwise I would have been left with regret, and what a waste it would be to have feelings of regret after your journey. It is so important to know your exact reasons for each decision you make, and to know why you did not choose the alternative (if alternative options were given). That way if you start to feel regret, you can remember that your decision was justified before you even began.
* Do not let other people influence your decisions. Realise what you are doing is for yourself, and not for anybody else. Thinking of telling people you are getting braces should just be an afterthought and should not influence whether you go through with this or not.
If my story helps even one person to see things in a more positive light I will be happy. There is no rush. We each have our own path and the right time is different for each of us so I wish everyone luck in whatever stage they are at. Don't worry if you are not a member and are reading this post hoping you will make a decision soon (I was one of those people for a long time). It is all about accepting where you are at now, not rushing yourself, realising that you do want to make progress but also realising that it may not the right time for you just yet. As everyone says here, it really is a PROCESS.
I hope to keep you all updated throughout my journey (with shorter posts I hope!!).
Thanks to anybody who managed to read all of that!
It was just about two months ago when I made the decision myself. Do you have a brace date yet?
), -the whole process takes so long 
On 27th Oct I'm getting my molds and then the treatment plan.
it is not worth having to brush afterwards. I ate pasta earlier and half of it somehow ended up sitting on top of my brackets. It was extremely difficult to dislodge it without going through the full brushing routine!
I'm sure it will go well