Removing the Last Part of My Youth

On a warm, humid day in 1992, my mother and I walked in to the house-turned-into-an-office to embark on a new journey. The waiting room was full of magazines and promises of better smiles, and the anticipation of what was to come was nervewracking. I was escorted into the back room, where the hum of the drill made me equal parts excited and nervous. I leaned back, and the process began....

Actually, I don't remember a thing about getting my braces put on. All I remember is that Dr. Carley's breath was a little smelly, and he always leaned the chair way back, to the point of feeling like you could slide right out at any moment. I had my braces on from 7th grade until the beginning of my sophomore year of high school. I had all of the typical stuff - colored donuts, headgear, the occasional broken wire, and the pain - but by the end my teeth looked straight and beautiful. "You've got a beautiful smile now!", Dr. Carley would say. And it was.

I wore my top retainer for a couple of years, but stopped wearing it on a regular basis by the end of high school, and would occasionally put it on for fun in college. I do still have it somewhere in the bathroom, but haven't put it in for years.

That bottom retainer, though, was cemented in and was NOT coming out. As I approached 30, I had a burning desire to get it off. My students at school frequently asked about my "silver teeth", and I would watch their face fall in disappointment when I told them that it was actually a retainer and not teeth made of silver.

A few months ago, I asked my dentist to take it off. He was hesitant to do that, and suggested I call up my orthodontist to have him remove it for me. So, I called up Dr. Carley's office a few weeks ago and booked an appointment for when I was in town.

Today, I went in and had my retainer removed. Things in the office are still the same - same receptionist, same decorations on the wall, same wallpaper. There are different posters on the ceiling over the chairs - pictures of Edward, Jacob, and Bella from Twilight. (I couldn't help but think that his male clients wouldn't be so excited about staring at Edward for a half hour, but I didn't mind.) Dr. Carley's breath was improved, although his hair is significantly grayer than what I remember. He still leans the chair way back (even more uncomfortable as an adult), and said when I left, "Well, you've got a beautiful smile!"

Here's to having my retainer gone!