An Ode to the Teeth Braces By Megha N Namboodiri

By Megha N Namboodiri.

PS: This is not at all an ode in the literal sense,I just couldn’t come up with a more cool title.

Today was supposed to be the day I get my teeth braces removed.While waiting at the clinic for my turn,I thought about the day I got my braces on.The very first day I got them on, after hearing a list of dos and don’ts from the doctor I decided that I would get to experience the taste of freedom only on the day I get them removed. I had absolutely no idea regarding spacers,ortho TADs,inter dental brushes,brackets et cetra and I often pestered the doctor with a great many questions.Google and YouTube also did help me in clarifying the doubts.Even Cristiano Ronaldo,Tom Cruise and Emma Watson had braces;Google comforted me.

The braces then did make me a lot conscious the way I smiled and talked.I found it difficult to smile for the photos and even more difficult to post them on Instagram.But then one day, Neha as if sensing my hesitation gave me a pep talk on how cool I looked with braces. Well,that did help me and I started smiling even wider with the braces and started posting those photos too.

Gradually I started liking the braces as they were like my constant companions in the past year…and I realized that the more I started liking my braces,the less they troubled me.There will be pain and discomfort especially after each brace tightening but they began to be tolerable.Also,the prospect of getting different coloured wires at every month did make me cheerful for every visit.

Of course,there were people who irritated me with questions like “ith ithuvarem azhikkaaraayille?(Not done yet?)” “Kure aayallo? (Its been a while, isnt it?)ith maattaan plan ille?”(No plans to change huh?)…I understood that there was no point in making them understand,the next time you meet them,they would ask the same set of mocking questions.So,just gave them the widest possible fake smile.
Aand there were also people who genuinely wanted to know if braces hurt,how long should I wear them,what should I not eat with braces etc and I really liked to share my experience and tips with them.

On the day I got these braces,I decided that the very day I get rid of them I would write about how happy I am to finally get rid of them.(How wrong I was!)Instead here I am, penning an emotional note about the braces and how I started to actually like them.As they said,brace yourself and enjoy the ride.