Just the other day, I went to a different dentist than my usual dentist. I've gone faithfully to the same dentist for many years now, but recently a problem has come up. My dentist is also an orthodontist, and he says I need to get braces because two of my teeth are at odd angles and need to be turned so they are facing the right way.

My mom and I hope that if the braces really aren't necessary, then I won't have to get them, since it costs quite a hefty sum, and besides it is a big hassle (have to brush after meals supposedly, and the metal can irritate your mouth, etc.).

So we went to a different orthodontist, who I believe was recommended by my mother's dentist (I would go to my mom's dentist, except I would have to miss school, because of the hours kept at her office), to get a "second opinion" on the matter. He was okay, I suppose. First he had me move my jaw up and down and things like that to see whether my jaws worked fine. Function is all A-OK, which means my teeth can do their job. That's a relief.

I was sure then that I wouldn't need them, but the orthodonist said for the sake of looks, it'd be better if my teeth were moved forward, which would probably make them fit together better and also would supposedly cause my mouth to stick out more. This is because the area between my nose and mouth is sort of flat which people think makes you look old. Hello, I am supposed to be an old lady! 4 billion years old!!! And so the orthodontist said I should have expanders first since it would change my bone structure, and that needs to be done now otherwise my bones will fuse and it will be impossible to change. The thing is, my mom and I don't think it's a good idea to change your bones, I mean, it could have some unforseen consequences, and it doesn't necessarily make you look better. Besides, I couldn't care less about whether it looks nicer (sorry, Tom Cruise - by the way, he had braces) as long as it doesn't cause me to have headaches or give me trouble eating.

So here we are in my family trying to make the decision. Should we go for it or not? It might be worth it considering that your smile might be nicer and then you could get a job or something. D: But then again, it might not be worth it, and that is the question. (Kind of like "To be or not to be")

Recently I found out that one of my teachers is an only child. It was before school started, and I had time to kill before first period. I went inside early because my teacher stuck his head out the door and said, "You can come in, you know." (I was standing outside reading a book) Well, I started doing the DO NOW (the teacher usually has a topic for us to write about in our notebooks. Let me give you an example: "List: What were the strengths and weaknesses of both sides in the American Revolution?" or "According to the Declaration of Independence, what is the purpose of government?) and then he came by and asked, "Do you have any older brothers and siblings?" So then I said, "No." Then he thought for a bit and asked, "So are you an only child?" To which I replied, "Yes." He asked me what I felt like being an only child, and I meant to say that I felt like my parent's expectations were all placed on me, like a burden, except instead I said something else, which the teacher misunderstood, because he thought I was talking about chores. o_O;; He said, "I know what you mean. I'm an only child, and I always had four times the chores as everybody else." And then another student, who was also in there early because he usually is, chimed in, "I'm not an only child, but I'm the oldest child in my family, and it's like that for me too."

And then my teacher said that how many siblings you have, and whether you're the oldest or youngest or middle or only child, could have an effect on your personality, and he said it would be interesting to find out about the families of the students. I think that'd be interesting too. But unfortunately we have to concentrate on learning the Constitution at the moment. D:

Labels: appearance, bone structure, braces, constitution, cosmetics, decision, dentist, do now, expectations, family, function, jaws, only child, orthodontist, personality, siblings, teacher, teeth

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