In the Do You Remember… Going Dentist blog entry, volleymom2 suggested maybe a “braces” entry, and I couldn’t agree more!
Growing up, I had crooked teeth. Very crooked teeth. So crooked that I secretly felt very, very self-conscious about them. I hated them. I felt like they were holding me back. Luckily, I have a somewhat outgoing personality that helped me overcome my deficiency. And luckily, Paula looked beyond my ugly teeth and still married me!
It wasn’t until my early 40′s when I got my braces. Actually, daughter #2 had to have braces and we were recommended to Dr. Michael Wall. He is a really cool guy. Iolani grad. In fact, he used to be in a social club too.
So, daughter #2 was about 1/2 year into her braces when I had a consultation with Dr. Wall about braces for me. I had a really, really good dental plan at the time, plus Dr. Wall gives a sibling discount, and another discount if the treatment is paid in full, up front. And Dr. Wall explained to me that technology has changed the way that braces are done today. No more wearing “headgear” like the olden days. That statement sealed the deal for me.
It was around the 5th or 6th grade. I remember the day that Losthawaiian confided in me and told me that he was getting braces. He was self-conscious about it because he didn’t want to get teased. I didn’t think much about it. I was more curious wondering how the “headgear” thing worked. But I do remember that sometimes after he came home from his orthodontist appointment, he didn’t feel like coming out to play because the “tightening” of the braces caused him headaches. I felt sorry for him.
But back to my braces. The day came and I spent a couple of hours in the doctor’s chair while the brackets were glued on to each tooth and a light-gun was used to harden the glue. Then when it was all done, a wire was threaded into each bracket and tiny rubber bands were applied to hold the wire into place. And the ends of the wire were snipped off at this special bracket that enclosed the wire.
It’s pretty amazing. This thin gauge wire has the strength to move my teeth. And it didn’t hurt at all. In fact, it felt pretty neat. It’s kinda like when you bite into an apple and feel the strain on your teeth – but that you’re biting on the apple for the whole time.
And as my teeth straightened out, the end of the wire started protruding out the end brackets and started poking at the inside of my cheeks. That part hurt. So using this wax that the doctor gave me, I rolled up a small ball and placed it on the end of the wire to cushion it against the inside of my cheeks – until I could run into Dr. Wall’s office and ask him to quickly snip off the protruding ends – which he gracefully did, and I was all good again.
I remember that Dr. Wall said that your teeth are precious and only as a last resort does he want to have teeth extracted. But after straightening out my top teeth, the overbite was just too much and that meant I had to have 2 of my top teeth pulled. Dr. Wall removed the braces on the top set of teeth and I had my dentist extract the 2 teeth.
That’s what took the longest – because now the braces had to work extra hard to close up the gap left by the 2 extracted teeth. So the planned 18-month treatment turned into almost a 30-month treatment.
But you know what? I didn’t mind it! In fact, I think it’s pretty cool to see a middle-aged person with braces! And when I started my job at the Advertiser, I had my braces on. I’m sure people referred to me as the older guy with the braces.
But it paid off.
No more “fangs”
Having braces helped me realize a number of things. For example, I never realized how “stringy” chicken meat was until I had my braces. The long strings of meat would kinda thread the wire when I bit into chicken.
And not until I got my braces – and the end of the wire poked and irritated the inside portion of my cheeks – did I realize that ketchup has vinegar in it – that stings the hell out of open cuts.
And I noticed how eating french fries instead of rice is a good idea when wearing braces. French fries don’t get stuck in-between your wires like individual grains of rice.
And one more – you never realize how easy it is to floss your teeth until you have braces. There is a special dental floss that you have to use. The floss is pre-cut and is stiff on both ends. This helps you to thread the floss between the wire and each tooth to get between the teeth to floss. Then pull it through to remove it and thread the next tooth and on and on until you’ve done all your teeth.
But in the end – it’s all worth it. I can’t tell you how much it has changed my life. I only wish that it could’ve been done earlier in my life, but I understand that it was a big expense – one that my family couldn’t afford. But I’m glad that Paula supported me and encouraged me to get braces, even though I said it was too late in life. It is one investment that I’ll never regret.
Did you have braces? What do you remember the most? The pain of when the wire was tightened? Wearing the headgear? Cuts on the inside of your mouth? People telling you how beautiful your smile is? Share your stories with us. Or if you didn’t have braces, maybe you can share stories about your friends or relatives that did have braces.
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This Friday (3/22/13), RKSB (Royal Kunia Street Band) will be playing at Ige’s Restaurant & 19th Puka. But on this night, RKSB will be joined by special guests from Greenwood band. Get there before 9:00 PM and save yourself a $10 cover charge. We’ll be there!
Thanks for the invite CMO!