Braces

Orthodontia. The gateway to modern adolescence.

Back in the early 1970's, I was among the legion of kids to be fitted for braces. Silver tracks were affixed to both my upper and lower teeth, much to my dismay. Remember those pesky rubber bands? Yup, I had those too. But the pièce de résistance was surely the contraption known as "headgear." 

This metal halo was held in place by two small tubes on my back molars along with an elastic strap that stretched across the back of my neck. It looked ridiculous and felt far worse.

I was instructed to wear this apparatus at night while I slept. "SLEPT?" I thought. Has he SEEN this thing? My orthodontist was clearly unfamiliar with the basic ergonomics of both pillows and sleeping....

"I didn't want to have braces when I was a kid and I'm pretty sure my dad didn't want to pay for them." - Jessica Pare