3 years as a metal mouth...

This picture freaks me out.
When Erin came up & around the corner w/the camera, my 1st instinct was to SMILE. Never before have I done that so willingly. I’ve always been self conscious about “are my teeth showing?”.
Behind that metal, is some major progress. As of Sept 11th they will have been on my teeth for 3 years. 3 years!!? Everyone was right, the time flew by! I spoke with Dr. Cardot at my last appointment and he is very hopeful that my “final stages” are just a couple months away. Both of my bicuspids (aka: fangs) came down, and are almost fully in place. Praise God!...is ALL I have to say about that.

Reason for the freak out? I’m literally shaking just thinking about my braces not being there. They’ve sort of been a comfort to me for the last 3 years. Not that I enjoy them, or the pain that goes along with them…I’ve just grown accustomed to them, and the fact I can hide behind them. It sounds strange, I know. I’ve been hiding behind my closed mouth smile my entire life. Sealed lips for a photo op, has now turned into a shiny metal grin – which I like hiding behind. Again, strange – I know. When the braces come off, I’ll have to adjust the way my mouth curves, and perfect the amount of teeth that should properly be showing…. The fact this is stressing me out, is sort of humorous. I’m ridiculous.

So many emotions are running through me right now. Anxious – check! Nervous – check! Excited – check! Denial – check! I need a break. I feel as if the last 3 years, I have been in a whirl wind of emotions. A lot of pain, physically & mentally...