Things You Get When You Wear Braces

After 2 gruesome weeks of exams, they’re finally over! But, the bad news is that 12th Grade classes begin today and I’ve got to swap my online quarantine routine for my forgotten offline routine 😢 (But the bonus point is that I can physically meet my friends). Anyways, it’s been a while since I wrote a relatable post, so here you go. The weirdest thing is that this idea suddenly came to me when I was studying the Krebs cycle on Wednesday. I swear, good ideas come to me at the wrong times. Why is it like that, brain?! Ok, ok, I’ll stop rambling on and get into the post.

During those good old kiddie days, we were so fascinated with the idea of wearing braces, thinking that they were cool accessories to flash to everyone. But come middle school/high school years, there’s a change of heart towards them, as we secretly pray not to get them at all. As someone who cried when she heard that she was gonna need braces in 8th Grade, I can tell you that this experience is just one big roller-coaster. Despite having to encounter several annoying things on the way, there are some pros about wearing braces. In this post, I’ll put forth all the ish that came hurling my way during my 2 years of wearing braces. Without further ado, let’s get into this post then, shall we?

1. Once D-Day finally comes, you’re just sweating bullets. During your appointment with your dentist, you’ll be spending 90% of the time thinking how you’re gonna handle ish with a straitjacket inside your mouth. Oh…….and do not even get me started on the mould impression session your dentist makes you go through. Those are just the worst minutes/hours of your life.
2. From the 1st week of wearing braces onwards, you’re in for the total package. The day after you get your braces, the pain starts kicking in: especially in your front teeth. It feels as if someone is using a jackhammer to drill into your teeth, and it’s absolute hell.
3. Once you go to school/college with your braces, be prepared to be pestered by your friends with a million questions/comments about them and the amount of times they may request you to flash your braces.
4. When it comes to fruits, be sure to cut them into bite sized pieces. If you’re comfortable with breaking a bracket, then go ahead and take a huge bite into that crunchy apple.
5. The amount of time you spend with your dentist increases as soon as you get your braces, ’cause you’ll have to rush to the dentist as you struggle to follow your dental schedule and your normal schedule. It’s tough, but it’s better than getting called out by your dentist for missing your appointments.
6. Making it a point to follow your “new and improved” dental routine recommended to you, which begins with taking an eternity to brush your teeth. Why does it take an eternity you ask? Well…….we don’t wanna miss a single spot now, do we?
7. Literally refusing to open your mouth to smile at least 80% of the time, and when you do: your cheeks/lips somehow end up taking the rap on certain occasions.
8. Pure evil is when you visit your dentist to get your braces tightened. It’s almost as if your braces were suddenly blessed with the strength of 10 boa constrictors, and man does it hurt so badly. This is evident when you attempt to eat after getting them tightened. Sometimes, you’ll wonder if it’s okay to even skip your meal, but your stomach begs to differ. So, you bite through food while silently crying away the pain.
9. Is it me or did y’all eat all the food items your dentist specifically told you to avoid? Well, except for caramel based stuff; that was the one thing I straight up avoided. Fortunately, I managed to be a little careful with the other items (especially dried fruits), and man did it feel so good to eat all the food I missed…….
10. (This one didn’t happen to me, but comment below if this happened to you) : Break a bracket? Don’t worry, we shall add another 2000 bucks to your dental bill and extend your braces warranty for another eternity.
11. Being paranoid times 100 when you get your braces mainly because you have a literal metal trap inside your mouth. The most unfortunate victims being your cheeks, that somehow find a way to get cut whether you’re awake or asleep. Oh, and don’t forget about the constant nagging thought of something getting stuck between your teeth.
12. Amid all these crappy things, the plus point is that you get to choose your own rubber band colour.
13. Once your braces are removed, there’s that alien-y feeling of emptiness in your mouth. You mentally lunge up with joy and absolute relief about feeling your teeth and eating all the food you want, and do your little happy dance………
14. ……………until your dentist asks you to wear retainers for at least 2 years to keep your teeth in shape. Ah crap, here we go again.

So, these are some of the mementos of wearing braces from my point of view. Former/Current braces wearers, lemme know what else I missed in the comments! Can’t wait to read what you think. Anyways, all the best to my fellow students who are writing exams this month! I’m sure y’all would do great in them. Anyways, gotta go to now, classes are calling. Until next Monday, fellow readers!

-Silver Stone

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