Sometimes i really wish i documented my time of wearing braces with videos -I’ve got some pictures though.
Before i got them, i had mastered my picture perfect smile and i got really good at it with practice. Then i got ’em braces on. To be honest i was glad i could finally fix my overbite and misaligned jaw.
It felt cool to smile with the blings on for awhile. An added bonus was, i could pick any colour of plastic bands to go around the brackets for six weeks before i changed them again. I made sure to express all my favourite colours on my braced teeth – I was having the time of my life.
Then i relocated a little up north of Nigeria and with every smile, I became the oddity. Whenever i smiled, a bunch of questions and observations followed through especially by people who weren’t my orthodontist but were keen about my treatment.
Well, for my sanity, i minimised my smile to a “little to no teeth” showing…finally, i had some peace with the questions but it was the beginning of practising to smile without teeth showing.
I’d like to say I’m a good learner cos i finessed that one too.
After two full years of having braces on, it was time for them to come off. The first few days after they were taken off, it felt quite abnormal to roll my tongue up against my teeth without any metal obstruction. I relished this new found freedom to my heart’s content.
I now had a new smile to showcase however, i had gotten too comfortable with the “no teeth”old smile. Truly, old habits die hard.
I now had to conquer it and start smiling with my teeth showing Whenever i wore my new smile, it looked strange on me. I’d take pictures and my old smile would somehow re-appear.
So i had to relearn the act of smiling all over again.
I only started to get comfortable with my smile in 2021. These days, I consciously smile in every picture.
It’s much the same with life, we get opportunities to learn, unlearn and relearn. #Don’tStayThere #GetUp #Evolve #KeepWalking.
Zuriel 