In TV shows, there is sometimes one (usually side) character with braces. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to actually have braces?

Before I got mine, I’ve only ever personally known two people in real life with braces, and they’ve never told their experience with it to me. Now I have braces, and even though I’m not done with my braces journey (oh, not even CLOSE), I’d still like to share what it’s like to have braces, what you can and can not do, and what’s cool about them.

What Led Me To Get Braces In The First Place:

Why I got braces is anything but simple. While baby teeth normally get loose when you're around 5 and then fall out, two of mine didn’t. One of the top teeth in the back of my mouth barely got loose and never fell out, and one of my front bottom baby teeth never even showed signs of falling out at all. My grown-up teeth still developed, but grew behind my baby teeth rather than under them. I had more teeth than I should have at one point, since two of my teeth had doubles. Baby teeth stop falling out around twelve and I was thirteen with two sets of teeth in two places in my mouth.

It was really easy to bite my tongue and my loose baby tooth hurt every time I chewed food with it.

Finally, my parents took me to the dentist to have my two baby teeth removed manually. It was a painful process (story for another day) but finally, those annoying baby teeth were out.

But once the baby teeth were out, I still had spaces where my teeth should have been, and my adult teeth sat right behind those spaces.

I was 15 when I finally got some braces to fix that problem, and I didn’t know what to expect.

What They Don’t Tell You About Braces

Now nobody says this, but when you first get your braces, your mouth HURTS. Oh, how my gums ached when I got my braces installed! whenever I tried to chew in certain places in my mouth, it hurt. Even soft foods, like a banana, will not spare you from the blasting pain of newly-installed braces.

Once I got my braces, my mother, who had had braces as a kid, told me I’d have to say goodbye to hard candies, crunchy food, candybars, and other things that could break the equipment that was straightening my teeth. Please, everyone worries about the equipment breaking when you eat hard foods with braces, but I was worried about my teeth! That terrible throbbing pain in my gums already told me to stay away from hard foods unless I wanted my teeth to fall out from the pain! Still, I do miss nut-filled bars and crunchy tacos all the time, but, I have seen my teeth getting straighter and straighter, so I won’t complain (too much).

It is so easy to get food stuck in your braces as well. Chicken, noodles, everything you chew gets stuck in between the metal band and whatnot, making you have to brush your teeth multiple times a day, just to not look disgusting.

Once you get braces, you have to go back to the orthodontist every month to get your braces tightened, so they can further bring your teeth to their final, straight positions. My mother warned me that when I go to get my braces straightened, the pain is even worse. I kept that in mind, but thankfully, it never hurt to get my braces tightened. Every month I go to get my braces tightened, I have felt just fine, as if nothing’s changed. This is excluding my last appointment, where the orthodontist put molar bands on my teeth, where I felt a slight amount of pain for like, an entire afternoon, but the next day I felt better, and now I feel just fine.

The Fun Thing About Braces

Now in my opinion, it’s hard to let go of eating crunchy foods, or deal with the pain of getting braces, but in the end, I think about how my teeth will be straight and better than they were beforehand! What’s cool is that when you get braces, they let you choose the color of the little rubber bands they put around on your braces! My mom told me there were some colors I'd want to avoid, and I could look up on the internet what colors I should get.

Now I find myself looking up new colors for my braces bands every month before we go to the orthodontist! Since sea green is my favorite color, I chose that one first, then I chose dark blue, then sky blue and I’m loving how this color looks, and find myself making outfits that will go with my braces colors!

Braces aren’t easy, but to me they’re are overall worth it. As long as I get my adult teeth moved to their correct places and I get a nice, straight smile, I'm good.

PEACE!

My name is Shila Williams. I am 16 years-old, and I’ve had a passion for writing and drawing ever since I could spell. I grew up in North Carolina, as well as lived and traveled abroad. I write to inspire kids' minds to imagine and take them on a fun and adventurous journey.

I'm now a published author! Please support my debut book! Check it out here on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/Imagination-Shila-Williams-ebook/dp/B09YXKWZJX/ref=sr_1_1?crid=15MR85DQDQCA&keywords=imagination+shila+williams&qid=1651670532&sprefix=imagination+shila%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-1

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Thanks for reading!

Picture sources( pic 1: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-wearing-black-sleeveless-top-1055859/ pic 2: https://unsplash.com/photos/3fiKx4j3PW8)