Taking the plunge to embrace change

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/10/2021 (1622 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I got braces a little while ago.

I opted for the full metal bracket kind that glimmers when you smile. They feel different than I imagined. For one thing, they feel a lot bigger than they are. They’re a bit intrusive, even after getting used to them. I can feel them protruding from my teeth when I talk or smile, acting as a sort of ledge for my lip to sit on.

They feel so blatant. That said, I think they’re more noticeable to me than to anyone else, partly because we wear masks in public. When I came home from the orthodontist and showed my kids my new smile, the middle kid couldn’t get over how “adorable” (in her words) I looked.

The eight-year-old thinks I’m cute!

I’ve always wanted braces, but for as long as I can remember, there was always something in my way. In the early years, it was because I lacked the money. Braces aren’t cheap, and the work benefits I had didn’t cover orthodontics. When my coverage changed, I decided I was too old for braces, and it all seemed to be too much trouble and too big of a time commitment. My teeth, I reasoned, would still be ugly even if they were straight. There was always an excuse, and I told myself the money could be better spent on other things.

I can’t explain the later stages of my hesitancy, when the privilege of coverage through my job and that of my partner made braces more accessible.

One day, while finishing up at a dentist appointment, I made a comment about how much I hated my teeth. I vented about how much the ol’ snaggle tooth on the left side beside my front teeth bothered me. Obvious overcrowding in my mouth meant this tooth was pushed back, leaving a shadowy space. At a certain angle, it looked like I was missing a tooth, especially in photos, so I’d never show my teeth when I smiled. It had been like that since my adult teeth grew in.

My dentist asked if I’d ever considered braces and if I wanted a referral to a great orthodontist she knew.

“Sure,” I said half-heartedly, still thinking the process was too much trouble.

By the time the orthodontist’s office called me, I’d forgotten all about the conversation with my dentist. When offered a time slot, I made an appointment. I wasn’t really intending to follow through with a treatment plan. I just wanted to see what it was and how much it would cost. Once I sat down with Dr. Tsang and realized the option to have braces — and straight teeth down the road — was accessible to me, I went for it.

Why not? I want this, and I’ve always wanted it. I am finally at a place where I can do it. It’s not too late. I’m not too old, and I have access to coverage. What’s stopping me?

The only thing I could think of that was stopping me was me.

Get out of my way, Shelley Cook!

I took the plunge and opted to get braces. The time and steps leading up to having these metal brackets cemented to my teeth has been longer than I thought it would be. It’s a process.

I’m glad I made the decision to do this, and I’m grateful I am able to do this.

shelley.cook@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @ShelleyAcook