My biggest struggle
Since I was a child there has always been one thing that I have struggled with the most, my teeth. I have struggled to have straight, no cavity, pearly whites, however many obstacles in my path have caused me to have to continuously make dentist visits.
I remember the names I used to get called as a child. One of the most prevalent names were "bucktooth beaver" and "bugs bunny". This could be the reason why I have grown to love bugs bunny and have often called him my favorite cartoon character.
My overbite came from me sucking my lip. I have sucked my lip since I was very young. When I was a child I used to suck my thumb. My mother knew the consequences of sucking your thumb so she did the only thing she knew to encourage me to quit sucking my thumb, she put hot sauce on my thumb. That worked! I no longer sucked my thumb anymore, however I began another bad habit. I began to suck my lip.
For years I endured brutal mental and emotional punishments from classmates. If only I had realized that the small gesture that I did by sucking on my lip to past time would end up causing me to have teeth problems in the future. My sophomore year in high school was one of the best years of my life. This is the year in which all my begging paid off. I begged my mom for a long time, and she finally gave in, and I got braces.
I wore braces for about four years and I got them taken off. Wearing braces was one of the best and worst experiences which I have ever experienced. I love getting the rubber bands changed every month. I would get rubber bands that coordinated with the holidays i.e., orange and black for Halloween and red and green for Christmas. I also loved how they were straightening my teeth. From my experience with wearing braces, I realize braces are just like any other thing which you get and have to follow directions, or you will have to face the consequences in the end. I had got my braces taken off early because I had noticed that there were teeth that were beginning to decay. I also had taken a bite out of a sub from subway and a whole tooth from the left side of my mouth came out. I was devastated. I did not know what to do. All I knew was that I had a big whole in my mouth right where a tooth used to be. I immediately called my mom, and she assured me that we will get the tooth fixed.
Years went by and the teeth that were already decaying had began to decay even more. Lack of dental insurance had forced me into paying out of pocket, which I didn't mind because I just want a pretty smile. Here it is 2012. I have over $14,000 worth of work that needs to be done in my mouth. My Ameriplan discount insurance has helped out a little, taking off about $4,000, however I am still left with $10,000 to cover on my own. Therefore, I am left with a few decisions. Many opinionated individuals has advised me to get dentures or a partial. Getting dentures or a partial would be the less expensive route, and would also for a quick fix of the problem. There would be very few dentist visits. There would be no more toothache's. Although both of these sound very enticing, I have made the personal decision to do what ever I can to save my teeth. If that means picking up extra shifts to have the money to pay for a bridge or root canal and crown, then I can't wait for the long hours put in with sleepless nights because in the long run I will realize that I worked hard to achieve these pretty pearly whites. So I will be more inclined to make sure that they don't reach this status again. This will be my motivation to get almost obsessive compulsive disorder when it comes to the hygiene of my teeth.
My struggle had been long, but in the end I will appreciate it more. This is just the beginning of my journey to pearly whites.
I remember the names I used to get called as a child. One of the most prevalent names were "bucktooth beaver" and "bugs bunny". This could be the reason why I have grown to love bugs bunny and have often called him my favorite cartoon character.
My overbite came from me sucking my lip. I have sucked my lip since I was very young. When I was a child I used to suck my thumb. My mother knew the consequences of sucking your thumb so she did the only thing she knew to encourage me to quit sucking my thumb, she put hot sauce on my thumb. That worked! I no longer sucked my thumb anymore, however I began another bad habit. I began to suck my lip.
For years I endured brutal mental and emotional punishments from classmates. If only I had realized that the small gesture that I did by sucking on my lip to past time would end up causing me to have teeth problems in the future. My sophomore year in high school was one of the best years of my life. This is the year in which all my begging paid off. I begged my mom for a long time, and she finally gave in, and I got braces.
I wore braces for about four years and I got them taken off. Wearing braces was one of the best and worst experiences which I have ever experienced. I love getting the rubber bands changed every month. I would get rubber bands that coordinated with the holidays i.e., orange and black for Halloween and red and green for Christmas. I also loved how they were straightening my teeth. From my experience with wearing braces, I realize braces are just like any other thing which you get and have to follow directions, or you will have to face the consequences in the end. I had got my braces taken off early because I had noticed that there were teeth that were beginning to decay. I also had taken a bite out of a sub from subway and a whole tooth from the left side of my mouth came out. I was devastated. I did not know what to do. All I knew was that I had a big whole in my mouth right where a tooth used to be. I immediately called my mom, and she assured me that we will get the tooth fixed.
Years went by and the teeth that were already decaying had began to decay even more. Lack of dental insurance had forced me into paying out of pocket, which I didn't mind because I just want a pretty smile. Here it is 2012. I have over $14,000 worth of work that needs to be done in my mouth. My Ameriplan discount insurance has helped out a little, taking off about $4,000, however I am still left with $10,000 to cover on my own. Therefore, I am left with a few decisions. Many opinionated individuals has advised me to get dentures or a partial. Getting dentures or a partial would be the less expensive route, and would also for a quick fix of the problem. There would be very few dentist visits. There would be no more toothache's. Although both of these sound very enticing, I have made the personal decision to do what ever I can to save my teeth. If that means picking up extra shifts to have the money to pay for a bridge or root canal and crown, then I can't wait for the long hours put in with sleepless nights because in the long run I will realize that I worked hard to achieve these pretty pearly whites. So I will be more inclined to make sure that they don't reach this status again. This will be my motivation to get almost obsessive compulsive disorder when it comes to the hygiene of my teeth.
My struggle had been long, but in the end I will appreciate it more. This is just the beginning of my journey to pearly whites.
I am happy that you are doing something that makes you happy! I know this fix will increase your confidence as well as you happiness!
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