Thirteen Again

I got braces for the fourth, yes fourth, time a little over six months ago. My teeth are still straight, but my TMJ has flared up. I first got them as an awkward seventh grader. Also in seventh grade, I got contact lenses and a unibrow (but that's another post altogether). The major difference is that as a teenager, everyone had braces, now everyone has camera phones. This is what my sweet friend Chelley chose to capture for posterity on the day I got my braces:

Isn't that nice of her? Another thing about braces at 31 is the cost of cleaning devices. When I was 13, a Waterpik magically appeared on my bathroom counter along with floss threaders, a special toothbrush, and baking soda toothpaste. Now, I go to WalMart and have to figure out where the floss threaders are and whether or not I should get a name brand Waterpik or not. And are there coupons for this paraphernalia? No way!

I ask every month how long I will be wearing them and every month I get the same answer, 'Not long'. Oh well, it's not so bad. I am very aware of how foods will arrange themselves in between the wires and my teeth. Lettuce: not my friend. I'm sure Ben gets pretty embarrassed because I'm an avid smiler and don't always have access to a mirror to check my smile. I hope this one is clean.