Brace face, railroad tracks, metal mouth; the monikers are endless. To me, braces mean a future of being able to run a smooth piece of dental floss through spaces without the floss being shredded beyond recognition. Braces mean more than just a pretty smile. Although, that is a perk.
As a child I was told that I would end up with braces if I kept sucking my fingers. Obviously, 4 year old children don't care whatsoever. All that matters to them is the moment, what is happening right then and there. And in that moment, I wanted to suck my fingers. Am I paying for that right now as I sit here with blisters, bumps and cuts inside of my cheeks? Did I think that maybe someday I would be complaining about not being able to eat because my bite guards prevent any of my teeth from touching? Definitely not. I'm not even sure that finger sucking caused my cross bite, or my overbite. I am certain that sucking my fingers did not cause the overcrowding in my mouth.
A bit of genetics and bad luck thrown in there, maybe. I'm not bitter, I'm looking forward to the day that I look back on my braces, and this blog and say "Wow, it was so worth it". Until then, I blog of my journey. The ups, the downs, the inevitable broken brackets. A day in the life of... a brace face.
