am i the only one who wore headgear?
I used to think the one thing I had going for me was my smile. Which made my snow-tubing accident back in February that much more painful.
As a kid, my teeth were really bad. I could actually fit my pinkie between my two front teeth—yikes! But five years of braces as a teenager, complete with nighttime “headgear”, took care of all that.
Then I went and bashed my face on the back of a friend’s head while flying down a snowy hill on a tube. And my teeth were “jacked up” once again.
The x-rays showed that I’d broken the bone under my top gums. My skull, basically. So after living 31 years without a single broken bone, I went and broke my face!
Oi vey.
After some amazing dental magic (and strong pain relievers!), my teeth were once again back where they should be, and held in place with pseudo braces.
I looked 14 again. Lovely.
I was pretty self-conscious… Embarrassed to smile even. But the dentist seemed hopeful that things would be healed enough for the braces to come off before my fundraising trip.
When I went back in to get them removed, the x-ray still showed a hairline fracture. The dentist said the braces needed to stay on.
Till the end of my trip.
Ugh.
I cried. I was so distraught over doing all this traveling, and having all these meetings, with braces on my teeth. There were already so many other factors making the trip extremely difficult for me, and now I lost my smile too.
What’s that verse? Pride comes before braces a fall? Yeah. Lesson learned.
It hasn’t been as bad as I’d anticipated, although I’m still pretty self-conscious when I meet with people. And I’m crazy paranoid about getting stuff stuck in them when I eat. (Mostly because it’s actually happened!)
But all things considered, my braces have been the least of my challenges over the past six weeks.
So they remind me to keep things in perspective. To walk humbly. To remember that God-confidence far outweighs self-confidence.
They remind me that He is in control even when things feel out of control.
And that I should wear a helmet next time I snow-tube.
Got a good story about braces or a broken bone?
I can’t wait to hear it!
Honestly, kid, I barely noticed them the whole time you were here. Of course, I could have been preoccupied about the fact that in our picture together it looked like I ate your twin sister for lunch. Which means, between the two of us and our self-conscious selves, we would have made for a great episode of ally mcbeal.
Bygones.
Ok, I swear the first time I read this the title was “I broke my face!” did you change it, or am I losing my mind?
To answer the new title question, I wore headgear at night. It was the awful kind that had a strap over my head AND a strap behind my neck. It was super cute.
@gritandglory says:
Ha! I DID change it. I realized people probably weren’t reading it in the goofy/hick/shouting way I say it in my head. “I broke my face!”
I love hearing your voice in your words. I totally HEARD you say this entire comment!
YOU are super cute!
@bajanpoet says:
You have braces? In all the recent photos on other people’s blogs, I never noticed….. ♥
:)
@bajanpoet says:
And to be honest? I had NO idea what ‘headgear’ was till I read this post…. lol
I feel yo’ pain. Now I get even more why that was so hard for you.
Another headgear wearer in attendance here (raises hand). Remember my “Braces Are Beautiful” T-shirt? Nerd-dom to the nth degree. Like, off the charts nerd-dom. If nerd-dom could only go to 10, I’d be an 11. (Spinal Tap reference.)
So. I wore my headgear in 7th grade on some tour when we first moved to Germany, and some German teenage boys actually asked me if I’d been in an accident. I tore past my father, who was ahead of me, ripping off my headgear in mortification. My dad then kinda lit into them.
Someday I’ll have to share about wearing a scoliosis brace for 2 years.
By the way, a popular saying here for when something’s extra “ono” (delicious) is “broke da mout.” (As in “broke the mouth, it was so good.”.)
Maybe we can make a new one for you, called “Broke Da Face”? Sorry. I couldn’t resist. Ya know it’s coming from a place of love. :-D
I SO, SO get the “that was my thing I was counting on” about your smile. I feel like God keeps me humble by the eh haircuts I keep getting, and gaining weight. He has a way of bringing these things right up and personal….
@pa3cia says:
my mom decided that me and my sister needed braces when we were younger (about 14). i hated how it gave me mouth sores and made my mouth look “puffy” so i wanted them removed. plus i was smoking so i didn’t want my mouth to get all discolored and yellow on the outside and white inside the bracket. i was desperate and wanted the braces off.
but because my mom had paid for it in full, the dentist didn’t want to remove them for me.
so i decided to go home…boil my nail cutter and my nail nipper…. and used those fancy tools to remove each bracket myself. o_O
i had glue stuck on my teeth for a really long time. the dentist refused to see me again and my mom till this day, still shakes her head in disbelief that i would do that to my own mouth.
aaaaaaah. my BC days were totally insanity.
WOW!!!! I would NEVER have had the guts to do that! I would be so afraid of the pain!!!!
Miss Alece,
You are beautiful with or without braces… please don’t be so self conscious. I know easier said then done. I am sorry you broke your face… that had to be devastating…
BIG HUGE HUGS!
I once dislocated my pinky toe. I thought it was broken… but the xray showed the bone was off somehow… and the ER doctor (one that I worked for at the time) wanted to yank on my toe and put it back. I sobbed when she tried… worse then child birth… really it was… and then she huffed off (embarrasssssing) to get some help… I was thinking some lidocaine to numb it up… that would have have help. But… no… she brought two of my male colleagues to hold. me. down. Humiliation and pain ensued.
I eventually got my lidocaine… and having a needle stuck multiple times into your baby toe is not pleasant… but she was able to snap it back into place… and I left with my tail between my legs.
I work as on OB nurse now… where epidurals are elective… and I elected to have one right away so my fellow nurses wouldn’t have to hold me down.
Great post!!!
did you have to go and get follow up care after they set it back?
Oh, my. Headgear was the worst thing EVER. Thankfully, my orthodontist didn’t tell me I had to wear it to school. Because I wouldn’t have.
@danielleH says:
Oh man…I’m so proud of you. In everything you continue to be humble, tender-hearted and teachable. In our weaknesses, He is made strong. Been thinking of you tons but not wanting to “bug” knowing you’re so busy and over-worded in this season so know I’m thinking and praying!
I can’t contribute today. I’ve never had braces OR a broken bone!
I hated my headgear. I only had to wear it at night, but it was so painful that I would rip it off in my sleep. Never a good sign!
Now I have nightmares about traumatizing my poor kids by having to put braces on them. I know that they will be glad in the end, but I remember the horrors. I am praying for supernatural grace for them.
So have no fear, you were not alone!
“To remember that God-confidence far outweighs self-confidence.” <— I like that :)
Also, I had the worst headgear in middle school. It looked like a freakin' catcher's mask! Can you say, embarrassing?
No braces or broken bones.
But two of my wisdom teeth came part way in. I’m hoping they will just stay there and be fine but I hear sometimes they can mess up your other teeth.
I’m terrified of getting them pulled for two reasons, the pain and the bill. Yuck to both!
do you have the clear ones? I bet you got the colored ones in high-school didn’t you.
Oh and on a side note. Yesterday I was using a computer at the library and I googled grit and glory and some funny youtubes came up. One of a really buff woman and one about some gay relay games. Kind of funny.
I clearly remember a day when I was about 11. I wore head gear to school (I had to) and was wearing a wrap around skirt (remember those?!) I walked into class, and yup, you guessed it, the skirt came undone. After that…very few things embarrass me!
@coloraturajoy says:
maynnnn. i cain’t comment on this one.
no broken bones. no braces.
BUT… i will be getting braces within the next year or so….
at the ripe age of 26.
as if i needed anymore help looking like a teenager.
:-/
I definitely wore headgear. and I had two sets of braces. and I still wear a retainer at night.
But my story begins before I had any of that.
I had just gotten in my two front teeth after losing my baby teeth. I think I was nine. My front teeth came in white and BIG. I was playing with play-do with my sister on the patio of our apartment. I reached for a certain play-do tool that my sister wasn’t using. She became furious (aparently she was going to use it??), she picked up a little wooden truck with steel wheels and threw it at my face.
One of my new front teeth was broken in half. It was broken in almost a perfect diagonal angle.
I remember going in the house crying and as soon as my parents saw my tooth my mom held me and my dad took my sister into the back room. All I remember in that moment was screaming at the top of my lungs to my dad, “Don’t hurt her!!” My dad had never hurt us through spanking us too hard but when I saw how angry he was about my new tooth, I was worried!
My other tooth was chipped shortly after, helping another kid onto the swinging monkey bars (the swinging bars swung straight into my mouth!)
To this day, my teeth are bonded and now they are starting to chip and I need to go back for some more bonding.
On another note, thank you for sharing this vulnerable part of your story with us.
I would totally feel the same way – I usually feel that I have to have a relative degree of perfection on the outside in order to feel safe as I relate to people. It is so hard for me when I don’t feel good about my outside – especially when I am meeting new people.
But it is so awesome how you have stepped forward in obedience anyways and I am sure so many people have been blessed as a result. You are such a beautiful person.
I hope you have had a great trip – despite some of the emotional toll that I am sure it has taken on you.
I wish so much that I could’ve met you! Yesterday, I thought I could get a replacement for leading my small group on Thursday so I could go down to San Diego for the event but I can’t :-(
I will be praying for you, Alece, as you wrap up your time in California!
or maybe just stay off the snow tube all together?
I remember braces as the most painful thing EVER. I would rather give birth again. That’s over in a day! No head gear…. though I always feared it!
I had braces, but I have no funny stories about them.
I’ve never had a broken bone, either.
But, I did have a few wisdom teeth pulled. And, once, when I was hungry, I went to a fancy restaurant, ordered a great meal with an even greater glass of wine. When I got down to the last bite, I casually “wiped” my mouth, putting my pulled tooth back inside my mouth, and when the waitress came with the check, I took the last bite, SCREAMED, AND THEN SPIT OUT MY TOOTH!!!
Free meal, totally.
@moweezle says:
Yeah, I had braces as a kid too… during Middle School, which is just about the worst time for a girl! But, the nice thing was that pretty much all my friends had them at the same time so it wasn’t that big of a deal. I have also broken many different bones, but no real fun stories… just all sports related.
Two weeks before I was set to go to ballet school where I would be spending at least 1 hour daily in pointe shoes, I bashed (literally slammed) my left foot into a ginormous table leg.
Broke my toe (it was purple and ugly).
Still went to dance academy… still wore the pointe shoes. It makes me wince even thinking about it.
I had braces for 3 years in jr high. Then my orthodontist retired. And before he was done, he offered to take them off. Even though my lower teeth still weren’t straight. I didn’t care. It’d been 3 years. And now, of course, I wish I’d left them on til the bottom was straight.
@jclayville says:
baby girl… you should wear a helmet ALL THE TIME. that’s said with love, so don’t send me hate mail.
… and i’ll see you in a few days!
@Nomadstacey says:
I started getting orthodontist work done on my teeth in 2nd grade. I had an expander. Which means it’s this contraption that goes over your molars on top and every night you have to twist a key to expand your jaw. Fun times.
Then, in 4th grade I got braces. For 2 years. Rubber bands and all. I still wear a retainer (invisiline) at night to keep my teeth in place.
They were so bad, before I got my braces I could fit a straw between my two front teeth. Eeek. I still have some jaw problems…like I grind and clench my teeth at night and my bite is still a bit off.
When I got my wisdom teeth pulled, I saw the x-ray. I was born with only 3 wisdom teeth. When I asked the dentist why he said, ‘you’re obbbbbbbviously more evolved than the rest of the population.’ I liked his answer =)
I wore headgear too. I had to re-learn how to sleep on my pillow because I used to sleep really far up on the pillow. Now, I still sleep with only the top part of my head on the pillow. Weird, huh?
OK, I had braces back in the day…I won’t say how long ago…
My teeth were so bad that my dad could put his thumb between my top and bottom teeth! I couldn’t bite a sandwich.
I had the kind that were bands on every tooth AND I wore a headgear 24/7 for 7 months in 6th/7th grade. After the 7 months I only wore it at night. It hurt so bad to put it in that my mom insisted that I wear it and then she’d have to leave the room b/c sometimes I would cry. I only took it off to eat, bathe, and brush my teeth.
Then when I finally got them off after 3 years, I was anticipating the wire retainer. I actually thought that was kinda cool. Well, what I got was more akin to a boxer’s mouthpiece and it was BLACK! AND I was supposed to wear it 24/7 for 6 months. NOT!!!!!! I don’t think I wore it for 6 months total!
Precious blessing though – the man who was our pastor when my dad was called to preach lived in Jasper, TX at the time I got braces. Six of his 8 children wore braces. They used an orthodontist in their church. We lived in Hattiesburg, MS at the time and Pastor Cheek let us stay in his home overnight when we would drive the 6 hours for my appts every 6 weeks to see the orthodontist in Jasper. (He gave us a really good deal! It was cheaper to drive back and forth than to see a dr. in town) I just learned last month that Pastor Cheek paid for part of my braces! His way of investing in the Kingdom. He went to be with the Lord several years ago, and it really touched my heart to learn that he cared about me and my family enough to make that kind of sacrifice!
I didn’t even notice any braces on you when I saw you…guess I was blinded by your cuteness :-) Hard to believe that you would be self-conscious. I’ve never had braces or a broken bone…though I did secretly wish I had a broken arm as kid so everyone could sign my cast…crazy I know.
@mandythompson says:
“broke my face” – I’m sorry… But that really made me laugh out loud! Love you…
@kamriereed says:
Wow that would not be fun. Luckily, I have never brocken a bone, but one of my friends just jumped down three stairs, the other day, and ripped her tendon. So her knee has this huge knee brace on and she can barrily walk on it. It sounds pretty funny but very painful…
No braces, but a broken bone. I was 11, my mom was 8 months pregnant. My little brother (9) & I had this great treehouse. I loved climbing trees & being a tomboy! Well, I missed a branch & took a fall to the ground. Knocked me out for a moment or 2. I remember coming to & seeing my mom & unborn baby brother bouncing & running across the yard!
I ended up with a broken wrist. 1 month before baby brother came along. At the beginning of summer & the pool. Boo! My brother had to tear down the treehouse. That made me mad & sad. He still hasn’t forgiven me! It’s been 40 years! Move on!
i had braces and rubber bands. nothing crazy.
but i have a spesh-people brick of an appliance for my jaw that’s like a centimeter thick (thick as in my teeth have a bottom, there’s the centimeter of a block of semi-clear plastic, and then there’s the top of my bottom teeth. It gives me a terrible lisp and I only wear it at night.
but when I used to be insane enough to look like a fool 24/7, my Sunday school kids would always get so frustrated with me and they always insisted that I “take my teeth off” because I looked and sounded funny. good thing i have 5-year-olds in my life to inform me of fashion do’s and don’ts!
o yes, i had headgear too! only at night, thankfully. AND, in my sleep i would take it off. i’d wake up in the morning and it was no longer on my face but instead under my pillow, under my bed, or the best, thrown across the room! ya, i guess i hated it that much!
i’m sorry you had to keep the braces on longer than you wanted to. but i don’t think there is ANY hardware that could diminish your beauty! God is making you so amazingly gorgeous on the inside that nothing on the outside could take away from that.
wishing you a braceless smile soon – then go eat a carmel apple and some gum!! ;)
Hey Alece!
So I was born with brittle bone disease, so I brake my bone easily. Blessed, I only have a grade 1. Ive broken about… 16 bones my whole life. Oh, im 15. Fun huh? So, when i was like 2 (?) my mom had just mopped. I had rubber gloves on my feet and ran through the kitchen, when it was wet. I fell. And broke my femour bone. The hardest bone to break. Its your thigh bone. Body cast on both legs for over two months. (: Now I realize I have this weird bone thing because im in love with the arts. If not, i would be in sports. But my life has shaped around the arts and my talents. Also, the white part of my eyes are blue, so pictures look cool ;)
I don’t have any broken bone stories, but I definitely needed the reminder from these sentences (especially the latter):
“So they remind me to keep things in perspective. To walk humbly. To remember that God-confidence far outweighs self-confidence.
They remind me that He is in control even when things feel out of control.”
To say the least, I’m trying not to let the things on my mind and Satan’s lies win tonight and get to me.
Never broken a bone in my life…
BUT, I did split my chin open from falling off the toilet when I was 3. Does that count? ;) The butterfly band-aid did it’s job. :)
@mjdagenhart says:
I love that I can hear you say, “I broke my face!” The way you say it makes me laugh every time.
I narrowly avoided headgear. My parents had already gone through the effort of talking to every adult of authority in my life to make sure that no teasing would happen. I already had an expander, like Stacey, in 1st grade (that helped get rid of my Boston accent…). They decided they would try just braces. I got my first round of braces in 2nd grade and got them off at the end of 6th. Every year I had to go to the oral surgeon to monitor the progress on my jaw because they were almost positive I was going to need to have surgery at 16.
During those 5 years of braces, 3 different orthodontists had come through the office. The 3rd one no longer knew what was going on, so he just took them off for me (but did a horrible job of removing the glue). The spaces had already returned, so they didn’t bother with retainers. But my bite problems seemed to be fixed.
I got my second round the summer before my senior year. Technically, I chose to go through it again. The gaps were pretty ridiculous (all of my dentists had told me there was no reason to floss) and my jaw was uncomfortable, so I went for it. Headgear was a possibility again, but rubberbands did the trick. It took 2 years. It’s because of the 2nd round of braces that I have so many oral hygiene habits.
So 7 years, not counting other orthodontic work. Eek.
I was always so worried about having food stuck in them. Most of the time, I could feel it, so it was never stuck for long. The one time I couldn’t feel it: prom night. We had gone to this nice Mexican restaurant before the dance. I had a black bean stuck right in front all night. No one bothered to tell me. Every.single.picture.
Oh my. I wore braces for two years in middle school. I didn’t go the head gear route, instead I had so many rubber bands in my mouth I could hardly open it. Seriously, everywhere I went there was a trail of rubber bands because they would pop out every time I opened my mouth to much. Awkward! But I came out with straight teeth :) Yay!
No braces or headgear but I did sled face first into a split rail fence at the age of 4. Blood everywhere. No broken nose although that may have been because at that age more of my nose was still cartilege.
I didn’t have headgear, but I did have a twin block. (Google has some snazzy pictures of ye ol’ twin block appliance.)
I had a twin block, then a twin block and *metal* braces, then metal braces and rubber bands (no twin block). Did I mention I turned 30 in the middle of this 3-step process? It was not a fun experience, but it was well worth it.
You look beautiful, both with and without braces. And so many people have orthodontia as adults these days…I think it says something that people are confident enough in themselves to undergo something like that in adulthood. I mean, at least when you’re a teen you can chalk it up to “awkward youth.” :) So rock on with your beautiful smile, braces or no braces. :)
@amandalou01 says:
You’re not the only one – I did too! I don’t have any good braces stories, as I just barely had them. We could only afford to do one round of braces/retainer, and I only had them on the top, and just on like the frontest (I say that’s a word) 6 teeth. Also, never broken a bone! I’m not very exciting, I guess ;)
@PrudyChick says:
Let me just say you’re beautiful darhhling.
Nice teeth?… I always remembered your boobs.. HAHA.
=)
hi there! my son broke his arm last year, and the hardest part for me was watching the re-setting process. his arm was twisted and the doctor that to physically twist it back into place. and if the broken bone wasn’t reset properly, it would heal incorrectly and cause all kinds of problems in the future.
it was such a good image for me on so many levels. pains suffered, habits ingrained, lies believed. all ways that sometimes God needs to break and re-set. and the process is incredibly painful, but its the only way for me to function the way i was meant to.
thanks for this post, and i’ll be visiting again in the future. we are currently living in thailand and directing an orphanage, and i love the heartbeat of your ministry there in Africa. take care, Laura
you are brave and very beautiful. Because of the braces. Not in spite of them.
@Melissa_Rae says:
I was also one of those who had headgear at night. That is until my orthodontist WIRED it in my mouth because I was taking it off in my sleep. Then I had to wear it 24/7. Ugh! Luckily, one of the cool girls in my class also wore headgear so I didn’t get too much grief about it.
The thing I always hated was when I would throw my retainer away after lunch and ended up digging through the garbage with the janitor looking for it. Gross!
Sorry you broke your face! :)
I was the geek you saw wearing his headgear everywhere. Nutty orthodontist actually wired mine in. Couldn’t take it off for seven months before he let me wear it only 14 hours a night. School, beach, everywhere, all the time. Ortho was a nice enough guy but I wish I had never met him. Absolutely needed the braces, but drew the short straw with orthodontist.
Im an adult with Braces AND Headgear. I had braces for 3 yrs from 13 to 16 but was way too cool to wear retainers upon there removal. So fast forward many years. I got out of the Navy and my bite was a mess. Saw a real dentist after seeing a different Navy Dentist every visit the last 12 years. He sent me too an Orthodontist. I have full metal braces top and bottom(I think the clear braces look worse, like plaque buildup. If u got braces u got braces) and a combi headgear. I got a facebow that slides into tiny tubes on my upper molar bands. Then theres a head strap and a neck strap that hook too that. I wear it most of the day and all night. The more I wear it the faster I am done with braces. I looked young for my age already. Braces and Headgear make me look even younger. A good thing i guess! Only 2 yrs too go! (Or Less! I got my headgear on now even!)
i am 12 and i were a headgear i hate it will it get better ( i dnt have to were it at school)