Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

One too many
By Miss Brace
It all started over three years ago when I was told that I had to wear braces. I was in school at the time and I did not have to put much thought into it, after all I had no choice, even if I did not want to wear braces. In fact at the time I even thought it was cool!

The process all began with the extractions. Four of my ‘good’ teeth had to be extracted. I did not mind that too much. Yes, most people would think it crazy but the one thing I could not be bothered with was going to the dentist four times. So I was brave and suggested that I did not mind removing two teeth at a time and that was what I did.

Around a week later I had to get my braces done. The first week was so awful. I was on a diet of fluids! For someone who loves spicy food, and especially food, which can be bitten, a diet of soup and mashed potatoes and carrots was far from a feast!

In time I got adjusted to the tightening of braces, which had to be done once in three weeks. Along with that I also got used to the bland and boring food that had to be digested at the time. This went on for around two and a half years and finally the day came… the day I had to take my braces off. Yes, it did feel great to take them off but in some strange way I was rather attached to those pieces of silver stuck on my teeth! In fact the first night that I brushed my teeth without my braces, it felt pretty weird!

There was freedom for my teeth. I could eat chewing gum, cashew nuts and even bite with my front teeth! I am convinced that biting an apple and eating it, rather than cutting them into slices and eating, tastes so much better.

The months went on peacefully for my dear mouth. There were no wires cutting the insides of my mouth. Or my tongue getting caught on the wires, to worry about.

But then, a few months ago when I visited the dentist, the dentist realised that the spaces, from where the teeth had been extracted had not closed. My wisdom teeth had come… but the gaps were still there!! The dentist looked into quite a few options. A few opinions later it was decided that I had to go back to the braces… the second time around! This was a real shock.

Nevertheless, I had to go ahead with it. Braces, the second time around? How often does such a thing happen? After postponing the inevitable for about three weeks I finally made the dreaded appointment.

It was an awful day. I walked into the dentist’s room and sat on that awful chair. The cleaning was done, the glue was applied on each tooth and the pieces of silver were pasted. The wires were placed and so the braces were put in.

Initially I felt nothing but a few hours into the day the pain began. Oh! The nostalgia! The nostalgia of the cut mouth, the mashed food, the constant movement of the teeth… it is back… back to haunt me!

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