BRACES WEREN’T THE most desirable of accessories as a kid, but at least you weren’t alone.

Identify with these problems? SOB.

1. Your whole mouth constantly felt like this

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2. Eating anything chewy was a nightmare

It took at least 10 minutes to successfully co-ordinate eating one chewy bar and then clear all evidence.

Owwwww worth it.

3. You’re constantly paranoid that there’s something stuck in them or that you’ll stain them

Yeah, draw MORE attention to them.

4. Getting them tightened was a legit form of torture

Then not being able to eat for days after.

5. Those constant cuts on your tongue and mouth from the spiky brackets are your own personal hell

Kiferdentalspecialist Kiferdentalspecialist

6. Photos were a tricky exercise in hiding your teeth and still looking happy

7. You could forget about being able to pronounce ‘s’ properly

Scccccchhhso unfair.

Your saliva levels after saying an S-heavy sentence are pretty much like this:

8. Choosing whether or not to ‘dress up’ your braces on special occasions was difficult

It really should have always been a NO. Green on St. Patrick’s Day? NO. Green and red at Christmas? DOUBLE NO.

But peer pressure and all that.

Dianaschnuth Dianaschnuth

9. There’s the constant worry that you’ll get stuck during a shift

10. Everyone always tells you ‘it’ll be worth it in the end’

They’re right, of course, but you can’t acknowledge that now.

And that’s if they EVER COME OFF.

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11. It took ages to readjust when you eventually got them off

Running your tongue over smooth teeth was AMAZING, however.

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12. You’re faced with a never-ending attachment to retainers

If they’re removable, you have to remember to put them in every night or face the agony of the tight fit if you leave them off for a few weeks. Permanent? You’ll never be the same again.

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