Heroes in disguise

When I was 11 years old, I was told that in order to have straight teeth, I would need to have both of my jaws broken and be wired shut for six weeks. As you can imagine, I immediately said, if not shrieked aloud, “No!”. This was how my dental journey started, at age 11, I sat in a hospital specialist’s office while I was told I would never have straight teeth unless I went through what, at that age, sounded akin to torture.

I was lucky in a way, as my parents allowed me to choose for myself, but at 11, who can honestly say they knew what was best for them in the long run? Heck, even at my parents’ age, how would they have known what was the right thing to do without guidance? It all seemed so extreme. As a result of my declining the procedure, I would not have braces, and I was forever nervous to go to the dentist in any capacity. In retrospect, I know now that this is not how anyone should feel about the dentist, or indeed their choices.