Back in the 1980’s, my parents took me to an orthodontist for braces. I had a mouth full of teeth, so I had to have a few pulled out before the braces went on, which was a major ordeal for me. I grew up with a horrible fear of the dentist and would make myself throw up during my teeth cleaning so the dentist would give up and let me go home. Looking back on this, I can only laugh, but also think of how embarrased my mother had to have been! The dentist would begin the cleaning process, and I’d start gagging when I could feel the “grit” on my teeth. He would let me out of the chair and I’d run to the bathroom where I would gag myself until I threw up. After doing this for a few times, he’d send me home and I was happy.
My braces went on my eighth grade year, along with the colorful rubberbands. I can’t remember any embarrassment from the “look” of my braces, just the discomfort that came along with them. My mother grew sick with cancer and I begged her to have my braces taken off before something happened to her. The orthodontist said that it was too early, but she wanted to do that for me, so my braces were taken off and I was given a retainer. My mother passed and I went on to college. My wisdom teeth came in and my retainer no longer fit. I was afraid that I would need my wisdom teeth pulled out, so I didn’t tell my dad. Sadly, my teeth slipped a little out of alignment since I stopped wearing my retainer.
I have seen the Invisalign commercials and recently asked my dentist about it. He said that since I needed minimum adjustments, I’d be the perfect candidate for Invisalign. As an adult, I’d feel more comfortable with this option than with a mouth full of metal braces again. After wearing metal braces for a few years, I’d highly recommend you look into the clear Invisalign overlay if you are considering getting braces. Look around for an orthodontist that offers free consultations and see if Invisalign is right for you. If you are near Las Vegas or Henderson, Nevada, you can look into Invisalign at www.nvorthocare.com/.