Light at the End of the Tunnel

The orthrodontist tells me that the human body is always very good at adapting to new things. Even with foreign objects (i.e. braces) on my teeth, my mouth will eventually adjust and naturally build up the strength and endurance to withstand the discomfort. The amount of pain and discomfort that I experienced the past few days didn't seem like his statement was true at all. The metals of the braces have been constantly scratching against the inside walls of my mouth. It is very uncomfortable and at times even painful. Especially on Monday, I could barely talk because one naughty bracket keep on scratching against one side of my tongue. That really hurts. But today I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My mouth feels a lot better than yesterday. Sure, the insides are still scratched up, but at least it feels like my mouth is finally healing. So far, the experience with braces is not too bad. I feel like it is more inconvenient than painful. But I guess the inconvenience is actually forcing me to eat better and to maintain better dental hygiene. I brush, floss, and clean my teeth immediately after I eat. Food get stuck in between the brackets and wires so I have to make sure the food particles are all out. And because cleaning is such a hassle, I try not to eat any foods with high sugar content because they will cause cavities, which will more likely happen to people with braces. Overall, getting braces requires a lifestyle change, but it's good change.

A Pivotal Day

I have ugly crooked teeth and an improper bite. I knew this for a long time. It was obvious. But for financial reasons, my parents were unable to pay for braces when I was in middle school. I grew up always self-consciously hiding my bad teeth whenever possible. I never had the confidence to speak up in the classroom or in a group setting, afraid that people will see my crooked teeth. I never smiled with my teeth exposed either. Almost every picture I had up to college I took with my lips tightly sealed. On some of them, I looked like I was mad at someone or something. Despite my bad teeth and severe underbite, I never did anything about it. I couldn't, financially-- it was still very expensive to get orthodontic treatment. However, the thought of needing braces never escaped my mind.

When I turned 30 this year and one day took a long look at my teeth, I thought to myself, if I don't do something about them this year, I should just shut up, move on, and don't think about it again. For God's sake, I'm 30 this year. So my saga started back in June when I made my first initial consultation with an orthodontist. I found out that not only did I need braces, I would also need a jaw surgery to move my lower jaw back into alignment with the upper jaw. This is not new news to me. I knew that from conversations with various dentists my condition was not something that braces could correct alone. The jaw surgery is a big deal. I read up on this topic on the internet, and I was honestly quite scared about it. I still am scared. But I still wanted to move forward with getting braces. What gave me a little positive push was the fact that my health plan at Kaiser covered the jaw surgery procedure. I wouldn't have to pay anything for the surgery, which if not covered, could potentially cost $20,000-$30,000. Then things began to move along. I had to get molds and X-rays done. Meet with the Kaiser physicians, first with my primary care doctor to get a referral, and then with the oral surgeon. Extract one of my upper molars. Wait for the Kaiser authorization to go through. And then FINALLY, after 3 months since the initial visit, I was ready to put on my braces.

Today was the day I had my braces put on. A Pivotal Day in my life. After so many years, this has now become reality. I finally DID something about my teeth but I know this is only the beginning. I feel fine so far but I have been forewarned about the discomfort, the pain associated with this entire process. I am a big baby so I know it's going to be tough, but I am ready for it. I've already won half the battle. My determination is strong enough to withstand any obstacles that come my way!

Pictures of the Past

I spent much of my time last week relocating my entire collection of photos from these old cheapy albums I bought many years ago to the more premium "archivial-quality" albums. The whole project started when I realized that some of my older stick-on albums are turning yellow on the side of the pages. Now, after being a scrapbook enthusiast since last year, I now know the definition of acid-free, pvc-free, and lignin-free papers. While the stick-on albums give you the flexibility of putting both vertical and horizontal pictures on the same page, they are harmful to the photos in the long haul. The stickiness of the pages attach onto the photos and can eventually do some ugly damage! Of course, these pictures are irreplaceable in many respects (i.e.I'm not good at keeping negatives!) Anyways, so that was how my entire project came about.

Honestly, I never knew I had THAT many pictures. My sister used to work in a photo-finishing store and has good access to printing out photos for free. The luxury of not having to pay for photofinishing (which can be very expensive) may be the result of me having so many pictures in the first place. I also attributed to the fact that whenever I go on trips, I go camera-crazy. And of course, back in the days of using 35mm film, 24, 36 pictures per roll get processed no matter what. Now, at least with digital photos, you can be selective in printing only a few here and there.

By the time I was done, 10 albums (each holding 300 pictures each) have been completely filled up. It's hard to imagine that I have that many pictures, but I guess I do. All the pictures (3,000 of them!) are all very precious to me. Going through the pictures gave me a chance to recollect and to remember the past... that particular point in life I was once at. They made me realize how far I've come and how much I had and have. They remind me of my childhood, my family and friends, my school and college years, my trips, my love, and most importantly, my journey in life. These pictures will forever be a memory of my past.