Plastic surgery is very frowned upon in today's society because it causes someone to change the way that they physically look, in most cases because they don't like the way that they look. Most people think it is bad to change the way you look to fit society’s picture of what looks “normal”. Could something that a majority of the United States goes through be put in this category? Like getting plastic surgery, wearing an excessive amount of makeup, or losing a mass amount of weight, braces also can change one’s appearance. It may not be as big as a change but it still changes your 'original' appearance. Most Americans get braces to change the smile that you were born with into the uniform “cheese” someone, somewhere decided was “normal”.
Everyone in my family, excepting my dad, has had braces. I am currently on my second set of braces. I first started the road to perfect teeth when I was in third grade. I started out with a palatal expander. Sound like a mouth full right? No pun intended. A palatal expander, also known as a rapid palatal expander, rapid maxillary expansion appliance, palate expander or orthodontic expander is used to widen the upper jaw so that the bottom and upper teeth will fit together better. The expander is "activated" by turning the screw. This is done with a "key". Since this appliance does not come out of your mouth, the screw must be turned with the key inside your mouth. In human terms, a metal contraption is placed on the roof of your mouth and is turned with a key to break your palate. Mine was similar to the one in the photos below. If you look closely, you'll see a hole in the center. That would be the key-hole. Every night my mom or dad would have to take the key and turn the screw a couple times. I would sugar coat it and say it didn’t hurt that bad, but it did. The pain isn’t even describable. It caused headache and jaw aches. Not a fun time. All of that, just so I could have a “normal” mouth.
Everyone in my family, excepting my dad, has had braces. I am currently on my second set of braces. I first started the road to perfect teeth when I was in third grade. I started out with a palatal expander. Sound like a mouth full right? No pun intended. A palatal expander, also known as a rapid palatal expander, rapid maxillary expansion appliance, palate expander or orthodontic expander is used to widen the upper jaw so that the bottom and upper teeth will fit together better. The expander is "activated" by turning the screw. This is done with a "key". Since this appliance does not come out of your mouth, the screw must be turned with the key inside your mouth. In human terms, a metal contraption is placed on the roof of your mouth and is turned with a key to break your palate. Mine was similar to the one in the photos below. If you look closely, you'll see a hole in the center. That would be the key-hole. Every night my mom or dad would have to take the key and turn the screw a couple times. I would sugar coat it and say it didn’t hurt that bad, but it did. The pain isn’t even describable. It caused headache and jaw aches. Not a fun time. All of that, just so I could have a “normal” mouth.
After my palate was fully expanded, I was put in my first set of braces. Just like everyone else who has braces, I had to go in and get them tightened every month to every six weeks. Once my teeth were finally straight i got them removed and got fitted for my retainers, little did I know it was going to take a month for my orthodontist to get back to me, and by the time we got back in my teeth had already shifted and before I knew it, I was back to having messed up teeth. Also as I became older my teeth and jaw shifted making it worse and worse. Lets just put it this way, I sure do envy people born with good teeth.
Almost two years ago I got my second set of braces put on, but this time I got clear brackets (Shown below) put on my top teeth so from far away it looks like I don't even have braces at all! After finding out that I had to get braces again I wanted to get started right away with the process so I could finally have the 'pretty' teeth I had always wanted. Soon after I got them, everything came back to me about how terribly horrible braces really were and how hard it was to eat for the first couple weeks. It eventually got easier for me to eat, but that would all change when I found out I was going to have to get jaw surgery.
This surgery would include taking cartilage from my bottom jaw and pushing it back, and then taking the cartilage that was removed from the bottom jaw and put on my top jaw to bring it forward. This surgery was a bit rough and lets just say that I am glad that it is over. I was unable to eat any solid food for a little over a month, and was fed by a syringe and all my food had to be blended--let me tell you it was not a good time at all! Along with not being able to eat, I looked like the Michelin Man, I was so swollen I couldn't shut my mouth and was constantly drooling; yeah I know gross.
Looking at this surgery and other plastic surgeries, it makes me question if going though braces and like in my case, jaw surgery, it its really that much different then any other plastic, cosmetic surgery. You're going through an immense amount of pain just so you can have the "perfect" smile; the same thing that you're doing when you get surgery--changing the way that you were born in order to look more normal.
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