I am now 22 years old, and I just started my orthodontic treatment. I have wanted braces for as long as I can remember, but my parents did not have insurance, or enough money to pay for them. When I was 21, I finally landed a job with dental insurance! I had not been to the dentist in almost 10 years, and it took a year and a half to get my teeth drilled & filled, plus a root canal and a crown. My teeth are very crowded, and my canine teeth grew out of my gums up above my top tooth line. 

Since my teenage years, I have heard comments like, "I'll never understand why your parents didn't fix your teeth- you'd be such a pretty girl." or "What a waste... look at those teeth." No matter how much you try to discard those comments, they get imbedded in your thoughts and you start thinking such negative things about yourself. I am so excited at the prospect of having straight teeth! Every picture I have that I don't like is because of the way my teeth look. When I develop a picture and you can't tell my teeth are crooked, I make tons of copies! I am getting married in September 2005, and I was so nervous to have the braces put on... I had no idea how they would look, and as shallow as it is, I did not want to have an even uglier smile on my wedding day. I finally decided that I would rather have a smile full of hardware than crooked teeth I was doing nothing to fix. 

The day I went in to get the top brackets put on, I had this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was almost shaking as I waited in the orthodontist's office. I opted for clear, ceramic brackets on top (metal on bottom). It only took a few minutes for them to glue the brackets on. My mouth felt so strange! When the assistant handed me the mirror, and I looked at my mouth, a flood of relief washed over me. They weren't bad at all! In fact, you can hardly see them! It was a Friday and we had dinner plans that night with friends. I hadn't told them I was getting the braces on that day. While getting ready, I applied heavier eye makeup (just like the others I have read about on this site!) and also wore a lower cut top than I normally would. :-) I wanted to detract all the attention from my mouth that I could. But I needn't have worried. They didn't even notice until I showed them! 

Being 22, I still go out most weekends. I can honestly say the braces have not changed anything. Hardly anyone notices, and the people who do usually think I just have a retainer because they can only really see the wire. Pain-wise, the braces are nothing compared to the separators they put in for the week before. Man... how could those little rubbery things cause so much pain? Of course, my teeth haven't been moving much just yet. I am having four teeth (front bicuspids) removed in just a few hours to make room for movement! I am nervous, but the stories I have read on this site have helped ease my anxiety. I am more excited to get this show on the road than anything! The orthodontist said the gaps should be mostly closed by the wedding, and that my teeth will be much straighter than when I started. 

So, I think the two years with braces on will be well worth having straight teeth for the rest of my life! I told my fiancé that for my 25th birthday (a few months after the braces come off) I want to get professional whitening. I think being an adult definitely makes you appreciate orthodontic treatment more! I will obey every order he gives me, and I don't car how much of a pain the retainer is- I am wearing that thing! :-) 

I also wanted to say Thank You for running this site. There is nothing else out there I could find to answer my questions and ease my nerves more! (editor's note: aw shucks, you're welcome).