I wonder who thought of the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”
I’d like to throw a stick at ‘em.
When I was in 7th grade a kid from my class, whom we shall call “Lonnie”, said something to me that I have never forgotten. We were downtown at the arcade. Ya know the one that was there for about two days. I was of course playing an arcade game and “Lonnie” came up to me and said, “You’re pretty good-looking Missy, except for your sh!x$k crappy teeth.”
Well ok then.
Now granted, he was speaking the truth. I have a pretty bad overbite and my bottom teeth are very crooked. But still. Throw a rock at me or something. Unfortunately my parents could never afford to get me braces and even though I’ve always wanted them, I’ve always told myself it wasn’t that big of a deal and they were too expensive.
Well finally, after 25 some years of wanting braces, it looks like I’m going to be getting them. Take that, “Lonnie”!
For the longest time I’ve had pain and popping in my jaw when I yawn. And for the past three or four weeks it’s been painful all the time, difficult to chew and very painful when I wake up in the morning. I’ve also had a lot of pain radiating to my ear and neck.
This is often referred to as TMJ, which I’ve learned is actually incorrect. This is what Dr Google says:
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) occur as a result of problems with the jaw, jaw joint and surrounding facial muscles that control chewing and moving the jaw. These disorders are often incorrectly called TMJ, which stands for temporomandibular joint.
So anyway, at my last checkup 6 months ago, the dentist suggested that I should get a mouth guard to wear at night. Blah, blah, blah. I’m not wearing no stinkin’ mouth guard.
Well I am now fitted with a most beautiful mouth guard.
I was kind of hoping it would have been black or pink! Maybe I’ll request that next time. But oh my word, I seriously want to wear it all the time. I obviously must grind me teeth and clench my jaw all the time because it feels so much better to wear this mouth guard. And with the problems getting worse, the dentist suggested I get a consultation with a orthodontist.
I’ve called around to different orthodontists, and it turns out most of them don’t work past noon on Friday. Who knew?! I did get in touch with one and so I have my first consultation on March 12th. I’m planning to visit a few others so that I can find the cheapest best one. We did find out that our insurance covers some orthodontics and so that was exciting! Probably won’t be very exciting when I find out what our out-of-pocket is going to be!
Of course I will keep you posted. I’ll try to control myself and not post any gross pictures of my teeth. Unless of course I pick black or pink braces. I’ll have to show you those, right!
When I was in 7th grade a boy in my class said he looked at the previous year’s yearbook and told me “you were prettier then.” Um…I think I can relate to what you said. I still have an awful memory of one single comment made 25 years ago.
On another note, I’m a believer in orthodontics. Not just for appearance but overall improvement in alignment and if you’re smiling more as a result, then it’s a good thing! Good luck.