My grill is jacked...again

I lived through five years of orthodontic work. To put it nicely, my grill was jacked. I had an extreme overbite, I had to have four teeth pulled because of overcrowding, my two front teeth sat like a "v" and were so big they had to be filed down. Yes, they had to be filed down! So not cute.

So after my parents shelled out all their hard earned cash to fix my teeth you'd think I'd have the perfect smile because, really I should. But back in the day when I got my braces taken off the retainer that I was supposed to wear to keep my teeth in their new perfect resting place, was made of wire, and uncomfortable and just not cool. So being the stubborn-know-it-all-13-year-old that I was, that thing laid around and collected dust.

And you know what happened? Exactly what my orthodontist, my parents and everyone who knows anything told me would happen—my bottom teeth, not so pretty and straight anymore. And it freaking sucks! After all those years of pain, cracked lips, cut cheeks…my grill is jacked again.

When I got my first real job after college Invisalign was the new thing and I was all about getting it. I made an appointment at the orthodontist and was told that I’m a great candidate. That was until they told me the price. Other options given to me where the standard wire braces but I really wanted Invisalign since I didn't want to endure the wires, look and pain of traditional braces like I had in the past. I was just starting out and just couldn’t afford it so I settled for a new and improved retainer to keep my teeth from moving any more than they already had. I figured in a few years once I was more established in my career I would get Invisalign.

But bills and added expenses piled up life went on, and it hasn’t happened.

Your grill smile is the first thing people notice when meeting you. I would love to have the opportunity to finish what I started 23 years ago.

**this post is an entry to the Invisalign Teen “Tell Us What a New Smile Means to You” Contest!