Like many teenagers, I had braces and hated them. I got braces in March of my fifth grade year of elementary school and my teeth were a mess; I had more teeth than my small mouth could fill and still had baby teeth; I looked like a shark with my double rows of adult and baby teeth. My braces were taken off during Spring Break (also in March) of my sophomore year of high school. Technically, I got them off for a few brief months for my Bat Mitzvah, when I was thirteen, but I basically had braces for a full five years. I was miserable. I thought I was ugly with them on and they would hurt me. I always had to be careful with the different foods I ate, and I am not just talking about the foods like apple or corn that you are not supposed to eat, I am talking about foods you can eat like oranges, because I remember eating them and getting pieces of orangey flesh stuck in my clear braces. I would walk around school all day after lunch, with leftovers stuck in my front teeth. Didn't I sound so attractive? I hated my smile and to me braces just screamed PUBERTY! I was stuck in the "awkward phase" while all my peers were taken out of it. I was one of the few sophomores who still had braces at my school. I wanted out!

I remember the night before one of my orthodontist appointments. I was telling my mom that I wanted my braces off and how straight they looked now. I was tired of feeling trapped; my teeth were in jail for five years and wanted their freedom. Also the braces made my teeth hurt, because it was hard for me to brush properly. My mom did not think my orthodontist would want to take them off, because I still had baby teeth during that time. Nevertheless, my mom took me to the orthodontist who coincidentally wanted to take my braces off too, because the braces were apparently hurting me more than helping and were ruining my teeth. I was excited for my teeth's freedom. I was ready to be hot!

A week or so later, my mom brought me back to my orthodontist to get metal brackets out of my mouth. Since I got my braces off that first time when I was 13, I remember that taking them off was more painful than when they were put on. The most painful part was when they took the wire off. The whole experience was gross because, since I had clear braces on my top teeth, they were harder to take off than regular braces, and pieces of the brackets would fall on my tongue and I was afraid of swallowing it by accident. Once they were off, I had to get my teeth molded so they could make my retainer. I remember my orthodontist did not even let me look at my teeth and just brought me into the other room to mold them. My teeth were swollen with pain. My swollen mouth and the molding together made me feel super uncomfortable. I thought this moment was supposed to be exciting and that I was going to look amazing, but once I was able to look in the mirror, I saw my swollen gums and my off-center smile. My mom told me that my crooked smile was probably due to my mouth being swollen from when they took the braces off and my smile would look less crooked in a couple of days. She was wrong.

Three years later and my smile is still crooked, with smile shifting more towards the left side of mouth. Don't get me wrong, I love the way I look, but I feel as though my smile ruins pictures at times; sometimes my teeth look good, from the distance, but as the camera lens zooms in closer to my face, the more noticeable my off-centered smile is. It feels as though five years of wearing braces was all for nothing. Hey, at least I was able to get the rest of my baby teeth out, within six months after getting my braces taken off.

My parents know I want braces again, but at the same time they do not want to put me through that ordeal again, not right now at least. I would get Invisalign, but my teeth are not straight enough for that product. Hopefully, someone will invent a braces substitute that will work for me, so I can feel more confident while smiling!