After fainting last fall and breaking my face, I had to undergo extensive dental work.
Anyone who’s spent significant time in the chair understands how unpleasant this process is, ranging from routine and annoying to “Running Man” torture. My time there has involved several pulled teeth, healing from a fractured jaw, agonizing pain, high anxiety from needles, the application and tightening of braces and the addition of elastics.
Unfortunately, the amount of dental work I need to be done is nowhere near complete. I am, in fact, facing at least another year of it and that’s before the braces are removed and two teeth are pierced into my jaw with metal screws. By that time, I’m told my underbite will be a thing of the past. My teeth will be properly aligned and I’ll be able to live a normal life again (albeit one that involves wearing a retainer for the next 50 years).
Alas, eating is no longer a pleasurable experience. Due to the repairs, I cannot bite into anything. Food must be cut into small pieces and carefully chewed. I cannot consume nuts, popcorn or almost anything crunchy or chewy because that could easily damage the braces. After each appointment, the limitations on my diet are even more substantial and I have to subsist on soft foods like mashed potatoes and applesauce.
When I am able to eat a proper meal, everything gets caught in my braces or between the wires and my teeth, which creates uncomfortable pressure on my entire mouth. And as soon as I’m finished, I then brush, floss and reapply the rubber bands to the metal brackets.
Eat, rinse, repeat.
This whole affair has not only been unpleasant but it’s also taken a detrimental toll on my finances. Yet I push on because really… there’s no alternative. I must be patient and hope it’ll all be worth it in the end.
In the meantime, I don’t even like to smile anymore.
