The one where I got lingual braces

Well, that about sums it up. I went ahead and got lingual braces at the ripe old age of thirty six. It is funny the things that we, as individuals, can obsess over is it not? Perhaps you notice it, perhaps you do not, but I have a snaggletooth and whilst that might be considered part of my face’s personality by others, to me it is a flaw. Now I know it is almost certainly something I can live with (heck, I have been living with it for a couple of decades already) but equally it is something that bothers me. I regularly veto blog images because of the snaggletooth, I cringe at the wedding photo in the in-law’s living room because the snaggletooth is catching the light (illuminated like a toothy beacon in the middle of the shot) and I have worked hard to perfect an angled smile which minimises the visual impact of the snaggletooth. And yes, I know this is all quite ridiculous.

But around a year ago I got an email from Andrew at Park Orthodontics inviting me to collaborate in exchange for putting that snaggletooth in her place and I started giving the whole situation rather a lot of thought. Did I want to ‘fix’ the offending tooth, succumb to the modern day, Kardashian fuelled (for surely it is largely their fault?) quest for airbrushed perfection? Well, after around ten months of these internal conundrums, it transpired the answer was yes.

I talked through the options with Andrew and ultimately decided to opt for a lingual brace on my top set of teeth. If, like me, you have no idea what a lingual brace is or entails, let me fill you in. Essentially traditional train tracks to you and me but on the inside of your teeth, they offer maximum results with custom made brackets and wires guided by your orthodontist but minimum visual impact. I mean, honestly, you cannot see these bad boys. Since having them fitted five days ago, friends and family tend to look at me in a slightly quizzical fashion before venturing to ask, ‘Where are the braces?’. The actual fitting was so simple (in fact I would rate it infinitely more comfortable than having my teeth polished) and only took around half an hour. The following few days were somewhat trickier with my tongue getting used to a mouthful of metal – suffice to say it was tender and talking, let alone eating, was a challenge initially. But an arsenal of survival options saw me through from dental wax to a custom fit mouthguard completely covering the brace whilst I slept to a couple of painkillers (only once I might add) to my own personal solution – a varied menu of protein smoothies. Now though, less than a week on, and my tongue seems to be on board, food is once again my friend and only the very odd ‘s’ heavy word is a challenge – perhaps a mild lisp will be my endearing trait now the snaggletooth is on her way out?

In case you were wondering, I went in to the first consult with my heart set on Invisalign but ultimately, for various reasons, decided to go down the lingual brace route. I have decided not to list my reasons because truly you need to talk to a professional to discover the best options for your own teeth and the results you are looking for.

If lingual braces, or indeed other dental solutions (like Invisalign) are something you are considering then I cannot recommend Park Orthodontics in Glasgow highly enough for their professionalism, beautiful practice and patience (it took me ten months to finally bite the bullet – pun fully intended) and if you quote ‘Thankfifi’ they will be happy to offer you a free consultation with the treatment coordinator.

So here I am sharing a set of images with my teeth in full view from all their hideous angles (in my mind at least). And I cannot tell you much I am looking forward to that not being a thing I even consider when I am shooting or creating or editing…

P.S. Mr.K decided to return for a small cameo, the first in what feels like forever, in stoic solidarity as a fellow snaggletoother. He, however, has developed his own coping mechanism and manages to entirely cover his offending teeth with his tongue which works extremely well… for a dog.