Nita from Virginia

A roller skating accident at the age of 12 not only busted my lip and caused quite an embarrassment, but left my teeth obviously crooked. The medical terminology I could not tell you, but I can say that 1 front tooth almost didn't make it and there were several instances of buckling that occurred. My front tooth eventually turned dark. I rarely smiled in high school or college. The summer before I graduated from college, I saved the money necessary to pay for a porcelain crown for my front tooth. I graduated with a big smile, but my teeth were still bucked and crooked. It took 22 years from my skating accident to finally muster the courage to get braces. After a few months of orthodontist and dental appointments, my braces were just placed on Tuesday, June 27, 2006. I survived. The process took only about 2 hours and was painless. I walked out the office feeling as if I have finally conquered a lifelong goal!

My 9 year old son was excited to see that I had braces. For the first 24 hours he kept walking up to me and asking me to smile. He would then giggle! My coworkers did a double take. Many asked me if I always had braces (strange?!) I was surprised to hear that many of them had braces as an adult or knew another adult who wore braces. Many still expressed that they had always wanted to have braces. Hopefully, I inspired someone else! I did receive a bit of teasing from my teenage nephew. Little does he know, he will be getting braces next!

I went into the experience expecting pain due to the pulling from the wires. On the contrary, I do not have pain, only some discomfort which comes from the hooks which are rubbing my gums and the inside of lips. This only began to happen on the 3rd day. I am told that this will go away soon and am taking pain relievers to assist with this discomfort.

What is most uncomfortable is the inability to eat what I want. These few days have been limited to soft foods like soups. Even still, getting a small piece of vegetable or chicken stuck on a bracket is an ugly site. Not to mention, it just feels horrible. I have been very careful about brushing after each major meal. I am excited about my journey ahead. I am more excited about my final results!