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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Braces at 28... oh yes I did.

Here's the new me:


I got braces today. I'm 28 years old and I decided it was time to get my teeth straightened.

I've known I wanted Invisalign (the invisible type of braces) for years now, probably since they first came out.

I have just had such fear, (phobia in my opinion) of going to the dentist. I cried every single time I went. For a cleaning? Cried. For a check up? Cried. I don't remember if I had any bad experiences with dentists when I was a child, but I developed this fear of laying in that chair with a bright light on my face and gloves and tools all over my view of that roof.

 After talking to my grandma one day about how scared I was about getting my wisdom molars extracted, she said: "Lucy, c'mon now. You're a big girl. You have to go." Straightforward and wise, that's my grandma.

Well friends, that was pretty much what made me go to the dentist. I had to grow up and quit avoiding it. So... I went, I got all 4 wisdom molars out, I cried like a baby, and got over it. Was it THAT bad? Um, YES. For me it was the worst experience ever. Way worse than having a 9 lb. 3 oz. baby naturally and without an Epidural.

But that moment of knowing that you overcame that fear feels so darn good. I was brave enough to get it done and that feels awesome.

Ok, back to my braces. I found out I couldn't get Invisilign because they would not be effective on me. I was ready to say "Thanks, have a good day" and leave. But I stayed and decided to go with metal ones. Metal. On my teeth for 2 years. As I was laying on that chair, I kept praying to God that he takes my anxiety and fear away, and repeating to myself: "kids do this, kids and teens sit here and get this done. You can too."
I was still scared. But I pushed through. And why not have hot pink little rubber bands on them too, instead of clear or white? I say go big or go home.
I was scared to see my teeth, but I guess they don't look that bad after all. My mother and my husband said I look beautiful, so I chose to believe them.

Later I had to go pick up an order from Pier 1. As I walked in the store, all I could think of was "I have to tell them I'm here to pick up my order..." but I didn't want to open my mouth to speak! I wished I could communicate by sign language instead.

 In that moment, it clicked. Fear is coming and I'm going to kick it out of my mind. I was going to embrace my braces instead of hiding them. I smiled at everyone and yes, they looked at my teeth instantly. It's not common to see grown ups with braces. But I have decided to improve my life in ALL ways, and help others do so too, and that includes being more confident in myself. If you're reading this and you know you're not confident when it comes to your smile, don't think about it. Act on it, no matter what age. Just don't try to eat a cold sandwich 3 hours later because it WILL hurt! A lot. 

It's never too late to make a positive change in your life. Start today, it's Monday on my blog.

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