Braces: Pros and Cons

Yes, I know that this is a really lame picture!!

Are braces really super duper painful and the worst thing in the world? No. Absolutely not.
Are they totally painless and no big deal? No, not really that either.

Positive things about having braces in junior high:

- Well first off, it's the perfect time to have them. Almost every picture in my yearbook is of a kid with braces. Yep, there is a TON of kids with braces.

-They really don't hurt too bad. It's true. I mean, my teeth hurt after every appointment to the orthodontist, but that only happens every three weeks, and only lasts for a couple of days. Sometimes less. And most people go to the orthodontist every six or eight weeks.

- And lastly, THEY WORK WONDERS!! I was amazed at how fast my teeth moved. I think that most of the treatment time is just waiting for the roots to move and little tiny things that nobody notices. (For me, at least, because I know that some people have to have more serious work done.)

Negative things about braces:

- Flossing. I hate flossing with a passion. It takes FOREVER. Ugh. Hate flossing.

- You get food stuck in your teeth every time something touches your mouth. I'm pretty lucky, though, that my orthodontist lets me eat anything. Which foods get stuck the most?
     - Bananas
     - Apples
     - Popcorn
     -Anything sticky or that has caramel in it
     - Oreos
     - Pizza
 It's the worst at school, when I have to try really hard to make sure that there isn't food in my braces. I usually just swish water around in my mouth a few times. (Plus, I don't usually eat the above things for lunch at school.)

- Did I mention flossing?

-Pain. Okay, I'll admit it, they don't hurt a lot, but when they hurt, they hurt.

- They cut my cheeks on rollar coasters... Okay, so that rarely happens, (actually almost never,) but when I hit my mouth against anything, my cheeks get little cuts in them.

- Hmmm.... Oh yeah, and flossing. That sucks.