Attention: I appear to be an adult again!

Well, here I am running my tongue over my smooth and slick teeth.  It has been the first time in over a year that I could say that.  After indulging myself in Dr. K's eyes as he pulled off each bracket one by one, I was told to go look in the mirror.  All of a sudden, the clouds seperated, a ray of sunshine penetrated through the darkness while a gospel choir broke out into song.  There I was- I had almost forgotten what I looked like without metal tracks and bands covering all my teeth.  I smiled at myself, then stetched my lips as far back as possible to examine what 6k looks like in terms of orthodontia.  Then I smiled again, moved my hair into the perfect place, pursed my lips and then flashed those pearly whites again...where is Dr. K when it is necessary for him to see me in the way I was intended to look?  I left his office feeling amazing, I took every opportunity to entice Kory with my new chops...needless to say, he didn't catch on.  Anyway, here I am :D

Adult Braces

Although my work situation isn't looking up much, the good news is my braces will be coming off in a matter of days!  I haven't mentioned my braces much because I have spent the last year trying to hide them.  Not only did I go with the clear brackets, but attempted many times to blur them out with eye make-up that make my eyes 'pop' more or a low cut shirt that grabs the attention away from my metal mouth (and they say I didn't learn anything from Hooters).  Needless to say, people noticed them...the braces, I mean, and well maybe the other things too.  Bouncers at bars had to do a double take at my I.D. to make sure I wasn't 12 and preteens would ask who my orthodontst was.  While working at Hooters, people would ask what year I was in school and after telling them I was finished with school, they would follow with an "are you planning on going to college?"...um, been there, done that.

Anyway, I am pleased to announce that almost exactly a year from that dreadful day I got these train-tracks on, my teeth have moved to the point where they need to be and the braces are no longer needed-- JACKPOT!  When I say the 'dreadful day', I am not being dramatic...I actually mean that day was awful.  I just got back from a vacationing Las Vegas and was welcomed by Montana's first October frost while getting off the plane and on top of that, Kory and I spent the night fighting and practically broke up hours before my appointment.  When I got the braces on, it felt weird but all was good.  Until I tried to eat, my mouth felt so weird and I couldn't chew, so then I got hungry, and then cranky.  Kory and I resolved our issues but I was so miserable with braces that I made sure to go out of my way to get mad at him in resentment.

 The next two weeks my mouth was still sore and all I had been able to eat was soup, jello and applesauce.  My brackets kept getting loose and I was still self-conscious at work and felt ugly.  I thought the whole world was out to hurt me, I regretted telling my mom (at 16 yrs) that I wanted to wait till I was an adult to get braces when now I realize I could've had them when everyone else did.  I was alone (in the Hooters universe where everything is superficial and looks really DO matter)...okay, now is the moment that I can admit that yes, I was being dramatic, but it's in the past and now I have a set of teeth that are ready to sparkle on their own.

One downside though, my orthodontist, Dr. K, is a total fox...I will miss my bi-monthly visits to him.