Behind my smile is two sets of aligners and for sure, beauty is painful. I had forgotten how uncomfortable braces were when I had them at 12. At least that time my mum supervised me throughout the process and when I went back to school the school matron took over my mum’s responsibility. The tension was worse when I wore my braces for the first time and every time I went for adjustment, which was once every month. I had no option but to endure that whole process for a year or else keep on being bullied for my crooked incisors. Thanks to momma I achieved my dream smile even though I didn’t know that I needed to wear retainers to retain my teeth in their new position. As I got older, my teeth started to shift back leaving a gap that I really loathe (rolling eyes). My under-bite was back. I hated my smile. Voila! One of my Anatomy and Physiology Professors, Dr. Chad spoke about the need to revisit an Orthodontist later in life if one was a ‘braces child’. He also had braces as a kid and had to wear aligners later. Aligners are damn expensive. I spent an amount equivalent to what I would spend on a piece of land. I am an impulse buyer but this one gave me a kind of satisfaction that I never felt when I bought a Tom Ford perfume. If you know Tom Ford perfumes you know what I mean.

I am back on braces once again, not real braces but invisible aligners which I wear for 22 hours a day (I definitely cheat). The most uncomfortable moment in the entire process is when I shift to the next sets of aligners. It feels like a teething baby. At times I want to chew gum to ease the tension, but it is not recommended. Thanks to my orthodontist, I have an acceleration device that I bite to help ease the discomfort. It looks exactly like a pacifier and my niece, Precious thought I was biting on a baby’s pacifier which was amusing to her. To all those born with neither under-bites, over-bites, nor crooked teeth, did you bribe the Universe? Thank your maker for thou Shall NOT take it for granted. You know what? I am stuck with retainers for the rest of my life. At my age if I don’t wear retainers every night, my teeth will literally hang to my chin and I might need a bib or two to help with the slobbering. One thing that I never got is that perfect smile yet we all strive to get what we never had.  It’s fine to get braces at any age. Smiles are contagious. I can’t wait to show my brand new beautiful smile. “Good morning Naomi Campbell?” Not really but you are almost right. It’s Rosy!