TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
“MY TEETH ARE JUST A LITTLE JAGGED. IT’S NOT GOING TO BE A HUGE PROBLEM!”
That’s what I told my coworker, Candice, as we sat waiting to hear from the orthodontist at our joint consultation for braces way back in 2022. Doing mundane things like this is way more fun if you have a buddy to do it with, and Candice is so much fun. There is no one else I would rather have been laughing nervously with that day while laying in that frigid orthodontist office than her. The saying is true—we DO make our plans while God sits back slapping His knee laughing! The fantasy appointment I envisioned for myself where an orthodontist threw Invisalign on my teeth and told me I was going to be alright suddenly became, “You need braces. You also have an underbite and side bite… and oh, you need jaw surgery.” Candice laughed. I told her to shut up, as I laughed along, because OF COURSE I DO! Of course, I need jaw surgery. Do any of the rest of you ever feel like if there is even a 0.99% chance a situation like this could become complicated, you are always somehow going to fall into that 0.99%? Story of my life.
I left the orthodontist’s office that day feeling defeated. At least the office staff got a kick out of my dramatic reactions, but that didn’t make the news any easier to swallow. I never thought I’d spend a large chunk of my early 20s wearing braces, let alone having an invasive jaw surgery. This must be how my car feels when I take it to the auto shop for a flat tire and I’m told there are a plethora of other things wrong with it. If I’m being totally transparent, I left that day feeling broken or defective, like something was wrong with me. I’m going to tell y’all something I don’t tell many people. Maybe those around me have picked up on it by now, or maybe they haven’t, but here I am openly admitting I’m vain! I care deeply about what I look like! Maybe it’s the childhood trauma from my mom dressing me in Aéropostale and flip-flops, but I admit, I want to look good. I want to look aesthetically pleasing, and most of all, I want other people to be attracted to me. Tell me right now that you don’t feel the same way.
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