My Orthodontic Journey Part 1

Hello. This is Oharu.
I've decided to write about one of the things I've been wanting to share:
orthodontics.

There is so much I want to write about orthodontics that
I hope to share it little by little.

If there is demand, I would also like to introduce things that were useful to me,
as well as my progress and detailed treatment content with photos.

This time, I'm writing about the story leading up to starting orthodontics.

I am currently undergoing my fourth round of orthodontics.
It's what you call "re-orthodontics."

Having done orthodontics four times, experienced patients might think
that I must have slacked off on my retainers!
It feels like a dishonorable assumption.

As a major premise, I was once told by my doctor,

"This is impossible"
"I want to write a paper (?) and present it at a conference" ← vaguely remembered

So, my case might be different from typical orthodontic cases.

However, I would be happy if this experience could be useful to someone.

Now, let's look at the story of how I started my first round of orthodontics.

I wanted to get orthodontics around the winter of my second year of high school.
I originally had snaggleteeth on both sides, and I had been self-conscious about my teeth alignment ever since I entered puberty.
At the time, there was a very popular idol with snaggleteeth, and everyone around me said snaggleteeth were cute! But I thought, "Snaggleteeth aren't cute at all," and since some of my classmates had braces, I remember feeling an increasing sense of impatience to get beautiful teeth as soon as possible.
When I consulted my parents, they took me to the orthodontic clinic my siblings had visited.

The doctor looked at every corner of my mouth and said:

"Orthodontics is not necessary."

At the time, I thought, "Huh? Why?"
My teeth were clearly not aligned.

When I heard the detailed explanation, it turned out that my bite was correct, so if I were to get orthodontics,
it would be for appearance only = aesthetic purposes.
If I were to get orthodontics, because my teeth are large, I would have to extract two teeth from the top and two from the bottom, for a total of four. He said there was no need to go that far for orthodontics.

Knowing that there was no need to extract healthy teeth for orthodontics,
my parents were relieved.
I remember feeling frustrated, thinking, "I want to make my teeth beautiful as soon as possible!
Why is it not necessary for me!"

As a high school student, I didn't have the leeway to think about
what risks there were
or what it meant to extract teeth,
and with a single-minded desire to become beautiful, I cried and begged,
and finally, I was able to start orthodontics.

Nowadays, it has become an era where you can easily get orthodontics for aesthetic purposes. However, orthodontics also carries various risks.
It wasn't until I became an adult that I understood the importance of function over appearance, and why the doctor judged it unnecessary at that time.

Why was I so obsessed with having perfectly aligned teeth...

Was it because a classmate pointed it out in junior high school?
Was it because I admired actresses with beautiful teeth?

Looking back now, I think I couldn't accept myself for not being perfect.
If I had been able to accept and love myself, thinking that I was cute no matter what, I don't think I would have cried and begged.

I have no regrets about starting orthodontics back then, and I cannot thank my parents enough for letting me start it without asking too deeply about the reasons.

Oh, now I'll finally be able to smile with confidence

I thought things like that,
but I never imagined at the time
that I would end up having to get orthodontics four times.