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October 2, 2001
7:30am
Today is the day I get my braces on. I am so nervous! Before I go to the dentist, I take one last look at my teeth in the mirror. This is the last time I will see them for two years!

8:30am
I signed in at the dentist's office and everyone knew I am getting braces today. They were all smiling really big (like they know something I don't know). The assistant, Brandy, finally called my name and I followed her back to the exam room. Brandy gave me a tiny white pill called an antihistamine to dry up my mouth. I swallowed it and then sat on the exam chair and waited…and waited… and waited… It feels like hours, but I look at my watch and only 3 minutes have gone by.

First they took molds of my teeth before braces. This was really weird - they put a bunch of gooey stuff in my mouth that looked like frosting and in 20 seconds it became rubber.

Next they started putting my braces on. This process took a while! They stretched my mouth out with these plastic tongs (I don't know what they are called but they look like two mouth guards held together with a long plastic stick), so everything would stay dry. Then started gluing the brackets on my teeth. Every tooth gets a bracket. They are like little anchors to hold the wire straight. I got metal ones on the bottom and clear ones on the top.

After they dried the glue with an ultraviolet light, the pulled the wire through the brackets and voila - my braces were done. The whole process took about 2 hours, and really wasn't painful. The glue and cement did have a strong sour taste, so I rinsed my mouth with water at the sink.

I looked in the mirror and didn't want even want to see what they looked like. It was the moment I was dreading - looking at my teeth with braces. They looked really strange. The last time I had seen my teeth they were "naked" and now I had so much metal and wires in my mouth that I could hardly see my teeth. Oh well, it will be worth it in a couple of years when the braces come off!

12:00pm
My mouth tastes like glue and cement so I go to Sonic to get a chocolate shake. That always makes me feel good and it did take away the awful taste. Then I went to work and the whole gang had surprised me with flowers and a "Braces Survival Kit". It had everything I needed- soup, pudding, jello, Advil, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a cheerful card! Then they took my first picture with braces. (one of many, so I have to get used to it sometime), and really made me feel special!