I am 32 years old, of sound mind and body, and to this day I firmly
believed I was tricked. I grew up in rural Nova Scotia. My parents moved there from Newfounland before I born. I have a sister who is four years younger than I and we had a normal upbringing. We did what the average children would do; play sports, listen to music and hang out with friends, the average activities of teenagers.
Our parents both had careers, and we grew up in a nice home in a quiet little village, which was across the river from a small town. In the small town
there were basically all the amenities that a person who lived in the
country would need; grocery stores, banks, a hospital, doctors, and all
the little specialty shops we enjoyed visiting. There was also the grade school
and the high school. My sister and I attended the same schools and the high
school was close to the mall, a place that as teenagers we visited a lot. This mall
also contained the one place that many teenagers despise, the dentist office. We were fortunate to have working parents that had medical and dental
plans. They made sure we had whatever we needed; glasses, hospital visits,
medicines and the hated visit to the dentist. My sister and I both had our share of dental problems. I look back now
and am thankful that my Mom and Dad could afford to pay the dentist to
correct the problems and have our teeth cared for because we both now have
straight healthy teeth, but that was after I was tricked. Almost everyone knows what it’s like to be a teenager. The most
awkward years of your life are those teenager years. Hormone changes, growth
spurts, zits, and all the time trying to blend in and appear to be normal. God forbid
if you stood out in the crowd too much, you’d be the object of many a laugh. Remember this was small town N.S. in the mid eighties. Then I was tricked, I stood out, and I got made fun of.
One afternoon I was off to the dentist for one of my many yearly
visits. The dentist’s office was in the mall beside my high school. I had
the routine down to an art. Mom would make my appointment and after classes
I would walk to the mall have my check up and Mom would pick me up. Same as
every other time--until the day I was tricked! I arrived at the dentist office, on time as usual, and told the lady at
the desk I was there. She would say “ have a seat we’ll be with you soon”.
Finally I was called in and prepped for the usual poking and picking and
lecture that I have to floss more. The dentist came in and said hi and began
his work. I was being picked at longer than usual I thought, but was not overly
concerned. After what seemed to be a long time I started to get a little
worried as to what was happening in my mouth. Finally he was done and
propped me up in the chair and said see you next time, usual thing he always
said. I walked out to the waiting area and Mom was there to take me home. As
usual she talked to the lady setting up the next appointment while I got my
coat. I rubbed my tongue over my teeth and felt something that didn’t
belong. As we we’re leaving I told Mom I was going to the bathroom and would
be right along. I walked in the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My heart
sank. BRACES!!!
Why was I not told! Mom never told me, the dentist never told me, nobody
told me!! I was tricked! How could I go on? I couldn’t go back to school
everyone would make fun of me! But I was sent to school, and off I went, and suffered through it! Now at 32 it seems pretty funny. My family and I laugh about this
story. Nobody will admit they tricked me and I don’t push the matter. But to
be honest every time I see a dentist now I make quite clear to him that I
don’t want braces.
Brace Free!!
"Truth, like surgery, may hurt, but it cures." Han Suyin
