Mouth Pain, Dentists, and Braces...Oh my!!!!!

Have I ever mentioned that I really dislike going to the dentist? I don't dislike my dentist - in fact, I LOVE him!!! I have known him since I was a freshmen in high school. I helped babysit his two younger children and I even got to teach one of those children in high school (WOW! That makes me feel old). I just really dislike people scraping and drilling in my mouth. I dislike the sounds and smells of the office, too. Well, yesterday, I began to have throbbing pain in one of my teeth. I was absolutely convinced I would need a root canal. I took a trip to my dentist to find out that the pain was coming from my sinuses and that my teeth were fine...except for one, small problem. I have a large overbite and I grind my teeth every night. I guess that is two small problems. :) Those two small problems have combined into one large problem - I need braces and I need them badly.

I have paused here to give you a minute to laugh hysterically. I know, I know - a 30 year old in braces. I asked about the Invisalign, but apparently those are for straightening. So I will be metal mouth soon. The worst part about it is that I work in a high school. So there I will be, walking the halls of my alma mater in braces as an adult. I still have not really accepted this fact. I have to go next week for my initial consultation and fitting. This is not really money that I want to spend - in fact, I don't really even have this money to spend. I guess my dentist is right, though. If I don't do this now I will be spending a whole lot more of my time and money at the dentist later. And, did I mention that I really dislike the dentist??? Ciao!