I was six when my mother looked at me and said, “we’re going to have to get you braces, because you keep sucking your thumb”.
I’ve known since then that my smile wasn’t what it should be and it was all my fault. I stopped sucking my thumb at age nine. That same year I had a hard fall on the playground with my mouth open. I fell directly on to my two front teeth. Half of the middle section went missing. I was so embarrassed.
At this point in my life my mom was just at the point of figuring out moving our family from small island Trinidad to the prairies of Canada. We did not have the spare funds to fix the chip in my front teeth. I would need to learn to live with it.
Even talking about this now, I can’t help but hold back tears. My smile was far from beautiful and I knew it. Yet I couldn’t help but smile, a very big carefree smile.
I had the chip in my front teeth till I was 19. What’s amazing is that, I could never imagine any guy could fall in love with me with such a messy smile. Well, I got the chip in my teeth fixed after we started dating.
I remember the feeling of walking out of the dentist’s office with a big smile from ear to ear. I even felt like others were smiling back at me because they knew I got the chip in my teeth fixed and they were proud.
After fixing the chip in my teeth, my friends asked me when was it that I anticipated getting braces. Soon, I told them. But in all honesty, that was wishful thinking.
I prioritized getting married before getting my teeth fixed. On my wedding day, my twin sister sported a beautiful mouthful of wire braces as my bridesmaid. I felt happy for her, but oh so jealous. Sure I got married before she did, but I really needed braces more than she.
I truly had to learn to love my smile. Especially because for most of my life, I couldn’t help but smile. Oddly enough people have told me I have a beautiful smile. I imagine they meant I have a beautiful energy within my smile. I believed that all I had was a mouth full of crooked and chipped yellow teeth.
I’ve since learned to love my smile. And in doing so, to then take care of it accordingly. I’m not at a point where I can afford braces yet… I don’t know when this day will come. But I do know that, I have the resources to take care of my smile for where it’s at now.
Smile Sciences is a safe and gentle method to brightening my smile. It’s technology works to take away the years of bad habits I’ve instilled on my teeth. All of the coffee, tea and wine along with years of skipping out on cleanings from the dentist. My yellow teeth have held quite the story within it’s color.
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I can relate! I’ve always been a “smiley girl” but I was self conscious about it because my teeth were crooked (not super bad but a modeling agent told me I needed straighter teeth). I got braces in early adulthood and when I got them taken off my confidence was so much better. But, after a couple years, my dog destroyed my retainer (couldn’t afford a replacement) and a few years later my teeth have shifted. Now I’m self conscious about my crooked teeth again. ?
Aww Iana that’s rough. I guess even if I had braces I could still be in this position. I think you have a beautiful smile though 🙂 I guess we’re just hard on ourselves huh?