The day braces came into play!!!!

Braces are always a common thing when it comes to kids. It is rare to find someone who's teeth are straight enough to not get them. I still remember when I finally had to get mine. I was about late fall early winter when I finally went into the orthodontist for my first time. Once again this place was a very cool place to come and hang out. They didn't have TV's hanging from the ceiling, but they did have arcades. That is right I remember getting to go in and play Dig Dug every time I went to get either checked up or tightened. Every time we went in I tried to sneak my way over to the arcade machine to get a few minutes in before my appointment. Did I mention at this point of my life I was a video Game addict. I really was! Even when my dad would take them away I would find myself going to a friends house just to play video games. As much as he could take them away from me, I always had a way to get my many hours of video games in.

Dr. Fry was the name of my Orthodontist and he was a great guy. They always sent us birthday cards and had or names on the board when are birthdays were coming up and so you always felt important. Yes just put an kids name on the board and they are happy. At least that was the case for me. I remember I got in to see Dr. Fry and the very first thing I had to do was get spacers put in. Let me tell you that was not a fun situation at all. I remember how much my teeth hurt after they jammed this piece of plastic between my teeth. It was horrible especially the second day.They tell you taht you suppose to be careful and not eat anything sticky because they spacers could come out. So what do you think I did? That is right we got that thing to come out on the second day! I didn't do it on purpose, but back in the day whenever I could do the thing I wasn't suppose to do I found a way to get it done. Even if I wasn't trying. So then we had to go back to get a new one put in and get my mouth a ready to go. What I don't think my parents realized was that this would be one of many emergency trips to see the dentist or orthodontist. It happened all the time!

Everything was ok with me and braces! There was only one problem with this whole situation and that was nobody explained to me that it wasn't just braces but also head gear!!!! What is head gear some of you might ask? Well, if you have an overbite they want to correct it. So they invented this contraption that when you put it on you feel like a horse. It was a bar that slid into your mouth with hooks that come out on either side. Then you put this head strap on that went over the top back part of your head and then there were two plastic straps on either side of your face that you hooked into the bar with. These straps then pull your mouth in so that you could correct the overbite. They would trim the plastic down every so often till the point where you had no holes left. It wasn't the greatest looking thing in the world. The only benefit to it all was the fact that the only time I had to wear it was at night. All I remember is that it took some time before I was ok with staying at a friends house with this ugly thing on.

I remember the day they took the spacers out and put the braces on. It was a school day and so I was going to get into class a little late. I was nervous about what people were going to think. As you watched TV shows people with braces always got made fun of. Being called names like "metal mouth" and "brace face" It was never portrayed well. Plus, at the time I had this huge crush on a girl in my class and she was going to see me like this. I was just imagining what this was going to be like when I came into class. The braces didn't take too long to get on and I was back at school before the morning was over. I remember getting in and keeping my mouth shut the whole time. I thought maybe I wouldn't have to talk the whole day and I could just do this for the next 2 years without anyone noticing what happened. Like not talking was going to work with me. So the time came when I had to get into class and I remember it so well. We were doing a study on chickens and we had the chicken eggs in class and we got to watch them hatch. When I came in they were just putting the eggs in the incubator and assigning one to every student. I went over to the crowded area and started watching. When someone asked me a question and without even thinking I went to answer it. I remember seeing their eyes lit up and they asked what happened. Then I thought to myself here we go! It is over now and then someone took notice of the conversation and then another and another. Then I realized something the students weren't thinking look at this geek, but rather that is pretty cool. Pretty much the entire class thought it was cool to see someone with braces on. Even the girl I had a crush on thought it was pretty cool. They all just wanted to see and check out the new bling bling in my mouth. It wasn't bad at all. I remember leaving school that day feeling pretty proud. Thinking to myself today was the day I was cool.  It was an awesome feeling, and one I will always remember. I was just glad none of these classmates will ever see me in head gear cause I think I might just go from cool to the kid who looks like a horse. It was a rewarding moment in my life.

There were a few things I learned about braces in my two years.
1. It sucks not being able to chew gum
2. It hurts as an 8 year old to have your braces tightened.
3. Always tell your orthodontist when the wire is too long in your mouth cause it hurts when it pokes you all the time. 
4. Never have pillow fights with friends (I never seemed to learn that lesson, but I was always reminded when I would cut my lip open from a pillow to the face.
5 Sandwiches are the worst cause the stuff always gets stuck between the braces.
6. Chewy candy is always a no no and really is a pain to pull away from your braces when they get stuck. Especially, jujube's!!!!

Getting acquainted with the dentist!

So after destroying my mouth that wonderful summer day we had to find a dentist that would enjoy collecting our money and doing dental work. (Which is never hard to do) We ended up going to a place that was only a few blocks from where we lived in Bothell. I know listening to stories about the dentist that it was never a fun place to go. Typically, you were stuck in a dental chair with nothing but the sounds of grinding and drilling. Who knows but I have grown up to enjoying the dental office more than dread it. Don't get me wrong I hated the experience of grinding, drilling, spitting, and hanging your mouth open for hours, but I at least had a fun place to do it in. I just know that the place I went to was a unique place as they were starting to make your dental experience more relaxing and enjoyable for the hours you were sitting in the chair.


What I remember from the dental office I grew up in was the fact that they had this huge coy pond right down the center of the different dental areas. I loved getting to go and stick my finger in the pond cause the fish would suck your fingers. Don't know why, but for a 7 year old boy it was the coolest thing ever. The one thing about the dental office, that I loved, was the fact that typically you weren't stuck sitting there for hours like a doctor's office. You came in and were put into dental chair a few minutes later. They would call your name and get you into your dental area. I remember how weird it was to walk by the different areas and seeing different people in the dental office with their mouths stuck wide open. Most probably hating their experience. For me it was awesome as I got to sit down in the chair and the first thing they did was put the headphones on and drop a remote in my lap. Full cable TV baby! I wasn't so much addicted to ESPN as I am now, but I loved the fact that I got every channel in the area at my finger tips. What could have been better? Not to much in my book that was for sure. It always made my days at the dentist go faster. I always found myself turn the volume up to loud to hear the dentist as they worked on me. It was never a bad thing because most of the time when the dentist is talking to you it is either two things 1. Is everything ok or 2. Telling you that this might hurt or be noisy. All I know is that I just had to shake my head yes every so often and we were good to go.

What I learned from the experience is that the dentist was an ok place to hang out. There was cool fish that sucked your fingers, they had t.v. ready for you when you came in, you always got flavored fluoride (options were like 4 or 5 different fruits and root beer) , and afterwards you always took home a parting gift (that's right toothbrush, toothpaste, floss (that piled up in the bathroom drawer) and sometimes new little things to try out. It was hardly ever was a bad experience. All I know is that with all the damage I did to my mouth I probably have spent more time in a dental chair than about 8-10 people combined. At least, I always had cable!

How it all started......

For the last 18 years of my life I have been tied to a retainer and a secret. Although, over the last few years I have been open and honest about my secret I haven't truly shown the world it. I felt it would be great to start a blog about my experience as a young man who has gone through life with a retainer and a secret. I have many great stories and struggles to share from my life that I hope will entertain some of you and maybe help others. It is never easy living life with a secret, but sometimes you get away with it......

This is how it all began......

It was summer back in 1992. I remember it well, because I remember it was an after dinner bike ride. Plus, I remember the smell of the air. I don't know about you, but there is something about the different seasons that I can relate to with smells in the air. All I know was that it was great, because my parents would let me go back outside after dinner for a late night time with friends. Typically, that wasn't the case the rest of the year as it would get dark way to early. It was a beautiful evening and some of the best times to go out bike riding with friends.

I had a pretty sweet BMX racing bike. I loved that bike because it was unique. Most of my friends had the bikes that when you rocked your pedals back you would stop. To me that was pretty cool, because you could race pretty fast slam on the brakes, and do a 180 stop. On the other side my bike was great for racing. There wasn't to many that could beat me in a race. Plus it had style. It had the black and white checkered paint with a large BMX logo on the side. My dad brought that bike home shortly after I learned to ride my friends bikes in like 1st grade. My dad was always great at getting me something with style and this was the perfect fit for me. He was also good at making sure safety was first. I had the cool fingerless gloves that protected your hands if you took a spill on the ground. I had a goofy white helmet, that my parents forced me to wear no matter what, because it protected my head. It was a great fit for me! All I know was that I had the coolest bike on the block. At least for a 7 year old that is!

So on this warm early summer evening my buddy Young and I went out for an after dinner ride. Like I said it was a beautiful evening. The smell of summer in the air, and another school year coming to an end. Well, as with any kids we all like to trade things and used our friends stuff. On this particular day I decided to ask Young if he wanted to trade bikes. Till this day I don't know what made me want to trade. Like I said I had the stylish bike where as Young had this beat up old school  banana seat bike. I still remember it well.... it was blue with the handle bars that came up and towards you. The kind you find on really old bikes that were made for someone to sit proper. It is the kind that keeps your hands close to the body. Where most bikes today are just a straight bar from left to right that keep your arms out to the sides. It really was one of the worst bikes on the block. (Sorry Young if you read this.)  For some reason I wanted to ride it that night, and with it came the next 21 years of dental work I would endure.

Young of course said he would love to trade. Probably, because he could ride in style with my BMX bike, and I could look like a goof ball on this banana seat bike. We start to ride up the road towards Young's house and we get about half way there when I decided to hit the road. What I recall till this day is the handle bars turning sideways on me and the force of the bike sending me forward. I am sure some of you have flipped over the handle bars before and know the sensation of being thrown over. I remember heading over the bars and seeing the ground come closer and closer to my face. As I come to contact point with the ground I hit it hard with my chin. My teeth slammed together, and all I feel is the warm sensation of the cement on my face. I began to get up not crying but I am in a lot of pain and I start checking my chin to see if I am cut pretty bad, but there is nothing to serious. Then it all begins! I go to open my mouth and talk when all of the sudden part of my tooth falls out of my mouth, and I am gushing blood. I do what any 7 year old would do and freak out screaming. I go running to the first house I see. I knock on the door and of course nobody is there. So I run a couple houses up to my good buddies Jason and Jeremy and pound on the door.Their parents open the door to see me in pain and blood and run and call 911. They get a hold of my mom and wait to wave the fire department over. Of course minutes later the fire department is at the house and 5 guys come running up to check me out. I still till this day don't know what happened to Young in all of this, but he was gone quickly afterwards. People head over to the area I had the accident and search for the tooth that fell out. As the medics see how I am doing they calm me down, and find no reason to send me to the ER. The search party doesn't find the part of the tooth that I lost. my mom then gets an emergency dentist ready and we head straight over to get work done on my mouth

My mom and I head to the dentist. This was my first real experience with any dentist and I don't remember it well. All I remember is that I was stuck in a dental chair for what seemed like hours. It hurt, cause I was in so much pain from the crash and on top of that this guy is trying to do some pretty intense dental work on me. toi finish it off it was one of the worst days of my entire life. We find out that night that I have killed the front tooth on my left side and badly chipped the one on the right. This to say that helmets should come with a massive pad for the strap so that if you flip over a bike you don't do damage to your mouth. Since the only thing that hurt me was in the one area that wasn't protected. Thus the journey begins with "my life attached to a retainer and a secret."