“Fun Fact: I Had Braces”
Have you ever had braces?
At the age of 9, I got fitted for my very first pair of eyeglasses. I cannot remember what led me to the eye doctor for eyeglasses; maybe it was an annual visit. I remember one moment not needing glasses and then the next minute being told I needed glasses because I was near-sighted (or was it far-sighted?). Wors in books, images on computer screens, and street signs started to get more blurry and blurry as time went on. My mother would yell at me if I didn’t wear my glasses when I was doing homework or playing games on the computer. I was told time and time again that my eyesight would just get worse if I didn’t wear my glasses religiously. Well, jokes on them, because after a while, I actually did wear my glasses faithfully, and don’t ya know now I have more than 8 pairs of prescription glasses and a handful of contact lenses?!
That’s right, I have been wearing glasses since I was 9 years old, and all of the reading I had to do in law school did not help strengthen my eyesight at all! (I actually know a couple of people who had “perfect” vision when they started law school and are now members of the four-eyes club). It’s crazy how trends have changed. I used to hate putting on my metal, wireframes in high school, but now I am trying to find the best deal on new frames to match various outfits. There are so many colors, prints, and styles to choose from, it’s almost like selecting another accessory with your outfit!
In college, I used to be able to go out at night without my glasses on, but now, no ma’am! I would think that I looked “cuter” without my glasses, so I would put on my dress and heels and leave my glasses at home when I went bar hopping in college. I have no idea how I survived (or my eyesight just got worse over time) because now I would be insane to try to go out and about without any glasses or contacts. When I want to get “cute” and leave my glasses at home, I have to wear my contacts!
As I look at pictures of myself over the past few years, not only do I notice how I increased my eyeglass wear, but I also notice how my teeth have shifted!
Fun fact, I got braces on my 13th birthday! Unlike many people, I was soooo excited to get my braces installed! I used to think I had “Bugs Bunny” teeth and did not like my gap or my smile! Getting my braces tightened sucked, but I truly enjoyed wearing my braces and having the opportunity to change the colors of my rubber bands. (Can you see a trend here? I can match my rubber bands and my glasses with my outfits!). I wore my braces for 2.5 years. Once I got them removed, I was supposed to wear a plastic retainer every night. Which I did.
I wore my plastic retainer every night for about 8 years. Then after a while I got lazy and would wear it more seldomly. Don’t you know my teeth began to shift! I guess they had some kind of memory since I got my braces at a later age. My teeth began to slowly shift back to almost where they started! My plastic retainer no longer fits, and now I am in the market of getting braces once again! (Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice…).
I am almost 32 years old and I will eventually get braces again. Braces or Invisalign or something similar. Since I no longer live in Pennsylvania, I can’t return to the orthodontist I had in middle and high school. I’ll have to find an orthodontist here in Georiga. I might look into the services Metro Decatur Dental Group PC offers. Decatur isn’t too far from me and they offer both braces and Invisalign! The clear, plastic, cosmetic dentistry services are way more popular than they were 20 years ago. No more being teased and called brace face! Haha!
Oh, that just reminded me that a few years after I got my braces taken off, I got my wisdom teeth removed! Some of yall might think I must be super “wise” since I am a lawyer and all, but I don’t think so because most people have 4 wisdom teeth, but I only had 3! I have no idea what happened to this 4th one, but it wasn’t there and it never got pulled! I haven’t had any problems since then, so I’m happy about that!
If you’re ever looking for wisdom teeth removal in Decatur, GA, you can hit up Metro Decatur Dental Group as well. They seem to do it all and to do it super professionally! My mother and I had braces at the same time! Now, I’ll be going back for round 2, and I think I’ll try the clear, plastic route. But this time I’ll definitely wear my retainer no matter what!
“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.” — Daniel 7:7, NKJV.
Moni Jay, Off the Record
