A New Life

I finally got my braces off today and I never expected this day to be full of so many emotions. I am so excited just to have straight teeth again and hopeful that my corrected bite will result in some relief for my jaw joint disorder. I have suffered for the past three years with my jaw telling me when I'm done eating instead of my stomach. I can't bite into an apple or eat corn on the cob. I can hardly make it through a sandwhich or a hamburger. I can't kiss, I can't even smile like I used to. You don't realize just how much you use your jaw for until it doesn't work right.

As a young adult with braces, I have been very self conscious about my braces for the past two years and constantly felt like my appearance dwarfed my professionalism. I am already very young, working in a world of people twice my age, so I feel like I have to constantly fight to prove I'm not a kid which is hard to do when you have braces on. I'm just glad that my appearance will reflect my age now.

More than any other emotion I have felt today, I feel a huge sense of accomplishment and independence. When I got my braces on, I was under the impression that my dad's dental insurance would pay for half of the cost. The day after I got my braces on, my dad e-mailed me and told me that he took me off of his insurance. I was devastated. Even though it has been difficult for me to pay the approximately six thousand dollar bill, I did it- and I did it myself. Looking back, I realize that was the final tie I had to my father and it solidified my independence from him and helped me learn I can provide for myself entirely.

Lastly, I am so glad to be done with the conflict with my old orthodontist who totally screwed me over. I feel like I finally won the battle. It's so good to not have a daily reminder of him in my mouth any more. Never ever go to Dr. Donald Snyder. EVER. I mean it. I do, however highly recommend Dr. Bruce Havens, who finished up my braces when no one else would even take a look at them. Even though it cost me more to have them finished somewhere else, I knew I had to stand up for myself and defend the truth.

I feel like today was the dawn of a new life- a life without braces- a life of independence.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER