It's all my fault, really. I'm the one who brought it up, and I'm the one who imagined the Quasimodo-meets-Beast scenario after they outlined my likely future if I didn't take a particular course of action.
I just got back from the dentist. Let me give you some background.
Nick and I love our dentist. We found out after we started dating that we had the same dentist as well as the same hygienist. Crazy world, right? Anyway, since the office knows both of us, they were all very interested in the whole wedding thing that happened back in January. When it came time to invite our friends and family to the reception in August, Nick and I put together a booklet (well, Nick put it together and I told him what I didn't like when he gave me proofs…group effort) of some of the 700+ photos we took during our two weeks in Florida.
Since Nick has to go to the dentist more often than I do, he was badgered for pictures first. When the booklets were ready to go out, he took one of them to the dental office. I did not see her until a couple of weeks ago when I was in for my second cleaning of the year.
I am used to people complimenting the way I looked on our wedding day—everybody compliments the bride's dress, hair, or whatever…whether they mean it or not! It's just what you do. Well, when my dentist complimented me, I knew it was sincere because she's the only one who commented on my teeth. Yes, my dentist looked through our wedding photos and oohed and ahhhed over my teeth. I am not sure if she even saw anything or anyone else in the pictures because she just kept going on about how pretty my teeth looked in the pictures. Like I said, I love my dentist. She's the only one who
appreciates me.
She always has my teeth's best interest in mind (not mine, but my teeth's). She's talked me into some pricey things with her wooing, let me tell you. I should know, I just slapped down two bills at her office.
So I was getting my normal cleaning, nothing out of the ordinary. The hygienist still tried to carry on a conversation with me (asking me questions while she's got her hands in my mouth), same old, same old. Then the part of the appointment came where the dentist asks if I have any concerns, and I opened my big mouth.
I mentioned that it's getting harder to floss my lower incisors...almost like the teeth have gotten schmushed together. I mentioned it because of another
spendy thing that she charmed me into buying. Though, I must admit that it has single-highhandedly wiped out my migraines (when I remember to use it). One of the warnings with my night clenching-guard is that it can cause the teeth to shift.
Well apparently, the NTI plus my advancing age (they keep telling me that it's my aging jaw) is causing just that.
I will admit that I was completely unaware that teeth could just up and move around throughout life. I thought you were born them them standing one way, and they remained that way until the end. Apparently this is something that everyone who has had braces knows, but I've never been to an orthodontist: my teeth aren't perfect, but they suit my needs well enough.
Once I opened the can of worms about my teeth, they gave me all the gruesome projections for the next few decades. I have some space on my lower jaw, plenty of room for my teeth to do the jump and jive. Then she said that my canines will likely fall forward and start pointing out towards my lips. Oh no you didn't.
At my look of dismay she soothed that I can get a bonded retainer. Again, poor, ignorant me, I thought retainers were only for people who have had braces (to make sure all of that bracing isn't undone). She patted my hand and said, "No one will see, and your teeth will never move from where they are today."
Well, between incisors that are a little hard to floss and teeth that point out to stare people in the eye, I really had no choice.
I sat in the chair, apprehensive about the whole thing. When the technician came in I felt the need to ask, "Is this going to hurt?" She laughed and shook her head. I just didn't know what to expect, but now that it's over, I understand why she laughed. She basically had to glue a wire to the tongue-side of my lower incisors, that's it.
Oh yeah, real painful.
Now I just have to convince the rest of my mouth to accept the new addition, because right now my tongue is going berserk and I am subconsciously holding my jaw from closing all the way. Poor little, shifting incisors. I've made them social pariahs with my attempt to help.
